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Richmond Country Club golf pro Graham Ogden tied for 25th place in the list of PGA of BC’s top 100 golf professions of 2017.

Photo courtesy of PGA of BC

Richmond golf pros among BC’s top 100

By Don Fennell

Published 10:22 PST, Wed January 10, 2018

Quilchena’s Mark Kitts is No. 9 on the list of the PGA of BC’s top 100 golf professionals of 2017.

Determined by the Professional Development Program order of merit, Kitts tied for ninth overall with Jason Giesbrecht of Royal Colwood Golf Club. Each golf pro earned 80 points.

Capilano Golf and Country Club pro Greg Pool finished first with 119 points, six more than any other PGA of BC member. In 2017, the 31-year-old was an active member of the PGA of BC board of directors, serving as co-chair of the long-range planning grow the game committee. Pool was also an admirable representative of the PGA of BC at multiple events, including the Vancouver Golf Travel Show, where he conducted lesson presentations to the golfing public.

This marks the second year in a row that Pool has placed among the order of merit's top five, having placed fifth in 2016.

Three pros from the Richmond Country Club finished among the top 35. Daniel Yoon and Graham Ogden tied for 25th, each with 62 points, while Doug Morgan tied with Connor Talji of Victoria Golf Club with 56 points apiece. In between, Derek Whipple of Richmond’s Greenacres Golf Course placed 29th with 59 points.

Richmond Country Club pros also tied for 48th overall, with Mark Strong and Mike Cyndroski each earning 53 points.

Shingo Akizuki of Mayfair Lakes Golf Country Club finished in a five-way tie for 60th place with Dan Axford of McCleery, Matt Steinbach of Simon Fraser University, Rob Tadey of Fairview, and Winston Michell-Hirsch of Creek Golf Winter Club. Each golf pro earned 45 points.

Tom Flockhart of Quilchena Golf Country Club finished in a seven-way tie for 68th overall, a group that includes Richmond’s Stephanie Wong, an assistant pro at Point Grey Golf Country Club. Each pro earned 43 points in the 2017 order of merit.

Presented by Sunice and Bobby Jones, the PGA of British Columbia Professional Development Program is designed to acknowledge PGA of BC members who have demonstrated tremendous contributions to the association, the province's golf industry and, most importantly, themselves. Through participation in continuing education, competitions, the PGA of BC Awards program, annual buying show and various forms of volunteerism, the program provides an equal avenue to showcase strengths of the diverse membership.

"Sunice and Bobby Jones are proud to support the PGA of BC's Professional Development Program. We believe this initiative recognizes individuals who strive to build upon their qualities as consummate golf professionals—leadership, excellence, professionalism and dedication among them," said Stephen Graham, British Columbia sales representative for Sunice and Bobby Jones.

Sunice and Bobby Jones are both golf apparel companies.

A total bursary purse of $6,400 will be divided among the top 10 finishers, providing financial opportunity to pursue further professional development and education.

The PGA of BC's top 100 golf professionals are recognized annually, and members are encouraged to submit point requests for qualifying activities on a regular basis. Full details of this program are available at www.pgabc.org/pdp.