Roberts Creek, B.C. — After battling rainy conditions on Friday, Jerry Li and Amy Seung Hyun Lee won their respective divisions to claim the NextGen Pacific Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards at the Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club this weekend.
The 54-hole stroke play competition marked the first tournament in the NextGen Championships and featured a starting field of 111 male and female golfers.
Li of Vancouver, B.C., shot a final round 73 to hold off Brendan O’Brien by three shots to secure the NextGen Pacific Championship and a spot in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to showcase my skills at a really high level and show it this week. I stayed patient and kept my grips dry even though it didn’t really work. And just took it one shot at a time,” said Li.
After opening the tournament with two-over-par 74 on Friday, Li bounced back to enter the final round on Sunday atop the leaderboard by firing a five-under-par 67 on Saturday which included four birdies on the back nine. “Being able to have that two-shot cushion was pretty big and knowing that I was able to make those birdies at those times was pretty cool,” added Li.
Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley, B.C. led from start to finish, with rounds of 73, 72 and closed with a one-under-par 71 on her way to a five-shot victory.
Lee opened the final round with a three-shot lead and carded four birdies on Sunday to earn the NextGen Pacific Championship. “I feel really honoured to be even participating in this tournament and I could definitely see myself developing and a few spots I can improve on, but I think I really played the course pretty well.”
Lee added that trusting in herself throughout the week was key to keeping calm and winning the tournament. “Tee shots finding the fairway and hitting the green and then letting the putting do the work. I think trusting in myself was really important for the first day and the last day. Just believing in myself.”
In the Junior Boys division, a playoff was required to determine the top eight players to earn exemptions into the 2023 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, August 14-17, at North Bay Golf and Country Club Ltd. in North Bay, Ont.
| 1 | Jerry Li (Vancouver, B.C.) |
| 2 | Brendan O’Brien (Victoria, B.C.) |
| 3 | Justin Bjornson (Surrey, B.C.) |
| 4 | Caleb Davies (Langley, B.C.) |
| 5 | Joshua Ince (Surrey, B.C.) |
| T6 | Maxim McKenzie (Chilliwack, B.C.) |
| T6 | Louis Chun (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) |
| T6 | Manu Gandhi (West Vancouver, B.C.) |
The top eight players in the Junior Girls division have earned exemptions into the 2023 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, July 24-27, at Hampton Golf Course in Hampton, N.B.
| 1 | Amy Seung Hyun Lee (Langley, B.C.) |
| T2 | Ling Yu (Katherine) Hao (Burnaby, B.C.) |
| T2 | Rose Zhiyan Chen (Langley, B.C.) |
| 4 | Jenny Kwon (Vancouver, B.C.) |
| 5 | Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.) |
| T6 | Tina Jiang (Richmond, B.C.) |
| T6 | Erin Lee (Langley, B.C.) |
| 8 | Elsa Wu (Maple Ridge, B.C.) |
The next stop in NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards will be at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club in Peterborough, Ont. for the NextGen Ontario Championship from May 26-28. For the full results of the NextGen Pacific Championship click here.
About the NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards
The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2023 national championships. Two additional Fall Series events will be hosted to close the season. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.