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Jordan Lu Named Sport BC Male High School Athlete Of The Year The honours keep coming the way of University of Washington Huskies freshman Jordan Lu. The reigning British Columbia Amateur Champion and two-time British Columbia AAA High School Champion, was named Sport BC s Male High School Athlete of the Year at the March 12 Sport BC Dinner held at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Lu beat out Adam Lambert, an accomplished Mission track and field athlete and Nathan Wadhwani, an outstanding Maple Ridge cross country and track and field athlete for the prestigious honour. This is a great honour and I d like to thank Sport BC for this award, said Lu. I also have to thank my teammates at PW (Prince of Wales Secondary) and my coach Todd Kuspira, who has been so supportive. I would not have been able to do this without him. Lu s big high school win came in Squamish, where his flawless rounds of 63 and 67 helped his Prince of Wales squad win the team championship by 20 strokes. His individual title meant he was the first high schooler since Brent Franklin in 1983-84 to repeat as AAA champion. I had played Squamish before and I just really liked the way it set up for my game, said Lu. I think I was most happy with how our team did because the year before, we didn t do so well as a team and it was a goal of ours to win the team title. Lu would take all that confidence into the 112th British Columbia Amateur at Seymour, where he bested Burnaby s Michael Belle in a thrilling five-hole playoff after chasing the entire final round. Lu, who started the day four strokes behind the SFU student, caught Belle with a birdie on the final hole and then the two engaged in an epic seesaw playoff that could have gone either way. Lu has made a nice adjustment to the more difficult collegiate game in Seattle, noting that, The thing I noticed about
IMAGE CREDITS ALFIE LAU / iG
BRITISH COLUMBIA GOLF
Jordan Lu (Left) Awaits The Announcement Of His Male High School Athlete Of The Year Award As Coach Todd Kuspira Looks On
college golf is that the courses play a lot harder than in junior golf, said Lu. The holes are much longer, the pin locations are a lot tougher. You don t reach many par-5s in two. You have to make good shots all the time. I m also trying to get used to a new environment, new people and new courses. Lu wasn t surprised to hear that course preparations for the Pac-12 Championships in Pullman include having 6-8 inch rough surrounding the greens because if the wind doesn t blow, the course is defenceless if not for almost-knee-high rough. Lu credited Huskie s head coach Matt Thurmond with working on his mental game. He wants us to think about our games and he has us doing a lot of different things on the course that I hadn t done before, said Lu. When Lu returns to Marine Drive, he works on technique with Kuspira, his longtime teacher, who also couldn t have beeen happier to attend the Sport BC Dinner to cheer on his charge. As for what s on the horizon after his college season ends, Lu is looking forward to defending the Bostock Trophy he won last year. Yeah, defending the Amateur is a big one for me. I think I m also eligible for the British Columbia Junior and I want to play the Canadian Amateur and the U.S. Amateur as well, said Lu. And there s an even bigger tournament Lu hopes to qualify for. The U.S. Open being at Chambers Bay, so close to here and to where I m going to school, I will be trying to qualify for that, said Lu. That would be so big and I ll give it a try.
Nicklaus North, a par 71, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Design winds along a gentle valley floor in Whistler, offering a spectacular mountain setting while putting golfing skills to the test. Winner of numerous awards since its opening in 1996, Nicklaus North has played host to events such as the Skins Game and Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, welcoming some of golf’s biggest names. It is only one of a few courses to bear Jack s name.
Rated as one of the best in the country, Gallagher’s Canyon is a spectacular par 72, 18-hole championship golf course full of challenging fairways, well-protected greens and awe-inspiring vistas of Kelowna s orchards and vineyards. The warm arid climate and brilliant sunny days common to the Okanagan offer ideal conditions for exceptional golf. In addition to the championship Canyon Course, Gallagher s features the charming yet challenging nine-hole executive Pinnacle Course.
The award winning 54-hole Wailea Golf Club, nestled along the spectacular southern Maui coastline, is one of the world’s leading luxury destinations. Wailea Golf Club s championship Gold, Emerald and Blue courses boast breathtaking ocean views from every hole and dozens of prestigious awards. Throughout the course, designers Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Arthur Jack Snyder maintained challenging yet enjoyable layouts by incorporating remnants of prehistoric lava rock walls and indigenous Hawaiian grasses.
With the towering beauty of the North Shore Mountains serving as a backdrop, Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club in Richmond offers year-round golf in a secluded country ambiance just minutes from Vancouver. The intrigue of this 6,641 yard Les Furber design lies in the abundance of lakes and waterways that come into play on 13 of the 18 holes, adding as much challenge as aesthetic appeal to the course.
Only a scenic 40 minute drive from Victoria or Nanaimo, Arbutus Ridge s seaside community is located within the Cowichan Valley amongst nine of Vancouver Island s finest wineries. The charming country setting offers incredible vistas, from the Satellite Channel to the snow-capped peak of Mount Baker. Etched in your memory will be three of the most demanding finishing holes on Vancouver Island, punctuated by the 214-yard par 3 island green on the 17th hole.