You could call it a breakthrough summer for Burnaby’s Ilirian Zalli.
Or it’s been a natural progression, building on the previous year’s strong signs of growth.
No matter what label you stick on it, the current season has certainly been eventful for the 16-year-old golfer.
Behind a red-hot 66 on Day 2, Zalli elevated his game against a field of 17- and 18-year-olds en route to claiming the Maple Leaf Junior Tour’s 13th annual Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of B.C. championship at Surrey’s Northview Golf and Country Club.
A nine-stroke win was one way to do it. A month earlier, he caught fire and came from behind to win the B.C. junior boys championship in Kamloops, again beating an older field in the process.
“I played very well that week (in Kamloops), and to know that you’re the best junior in all of B.C., despite being just 16 years old, it gave me more confidence to play up at the (Maple Leaf) tour,” Zalli said. “It really gave a boost to my summer.”
First things first – topping the Odlum Brown Classic saw him build off an OK opening round, at one-over par, into a pace-setting stretch on Day 2 with the 66. It was a day where a lot of things came together, he noted, and saw him post five birdies and an eagle.
“I was playing well. I was 3-under par at that point, but to make that eagle and one more birdie, those came pretty late in my round. It was really nice to take that round from being a good round to a great round and gave me a lot of confidence and momentum heading into the final round,” said Zalli.
The eagle came on the par-five 18th hole – but due to the shotgun start, was his 15th hole of the round. He locked up the win by playing 1-under par 71 on the final day for a nine-stroke win over a field of 17- and 18-year-olds.
At last month’s B.C. Junior championships, he trailed Vancouver’s Song Bai by four strokes entering the final round, but tied a course record with an eight-under 64 to win by four strokes.
He was able to keep the tourney trophy in the family, after his brother Christian captured it in 2017 – with the younger brother a close second.
Sandwiched between his two wins was an even larger achievement. Zalli competed at the U.S. Junior Amateur in Springfield, N.J., after qualifying in a sectional event in Bremerton, Wash., in June where he shot a 1-under 71 to survive a four-way playoff for one of the final available spots.
It was truly an eye-opening experience for the David Thompson Secondary student and Richmond Golf Club member.
“I think playing in the U.S. junior was the highlight of the year because there’s really no event like that. Not in Canada, and not everywhere in the U.S., it’s just that tournament. To be able to play there and to play pretty well at that event is a fantastic experience,” he said.
He was the top Canadian and seeded 10th before being eliminated in the round of 64.
Considering he’s been swinging the clubs since the age of five, Zalli brings the passion of a newcomer to the game.
“I love playing golf, and I’m always excited to play it every day, to be something I do.
“It just makes it more exciting, it feels a lot more fulfilling to know that what you are doing is paying dividends in the future. I remember when I was younger I’d think ‘Maybe one day I’ll be able to win the B.C. Junior and play these events. Now I’m able to do it, so there’s a high satisfaction rate right there,” he said.
