VANCOUVER – Former UBC Thunderbirds golfer
Evan Holmes earned the biggest win of his professional career so far Wednesday, taking top spot in the first tournament of the Mackenzie Tour–PGA Tour Canada's Canada Life Series in Langford, B.C.
The three-round tournament, contested on Bear Mountain's Mountain Course, was the first event in the four-stop mini-tour.
The UBC Arts graduate from Calgary opened the competition Monday with a round of 8-under-par 63, before finishing with scores of 70 and 72 to win by a couple of strokes.
"The highlight of the week is for sure the first-round 63. It was nice to get off to that good start," Holmes said in a Mackenzie Tour news release. "It feels really good. You probably have to win at least one of them to be No. 1 (at the end of the Series), so I couldn't have asked for a better start, and I'm looking forward to the other three."
As a Thunderbird, Holmes won two individual Golf Canada Canadian University/College Championship titles, in 2015 and 2017, and led UBC to team triumphs in 2015 and 2016.
He earned a spot on the NAIA All-Tournament Team in 2016 after helping the Thunderbirds place second, and merited Third-Team NAIA All-America honours in 2017.
Holmes also won the 2016 Alberta Men's Amateur Championship.
"I'm just so happy for him as it's so hard to win at any level of professional golf and this really helps him along the pathway to the next level," said UBC head coach
Chris MacDonald. "It will give him confidence in future events, I've watched and followed him playing Vancouver Golf Tour events lately and his game is really coming around, this is a big win."
Photo by Wilson Wong/UBC Thunderbirds
Holmes earned $9,000 for the win and a $2,750 bursary for the low round of the week, his tournament-opening 63 that included nine birdies and a bogey. He also earns 500 points in the Canada Life Series points ranking. The player with the most points at the conclusion of the series will get conditional 2021 Mackenzie Tour status and is guaranteed six tournament starts. He also receives from Golf Canada a playing spot in the 2021 RBC Canadian Open.
A number of other former UBC golfers competed in Langford this week.
Andrew Harrison of Camrose, Alta., tied for 33rd at 7-over 220, Toronto's Andrew Ledger, who also played baseball as a Thunderbird, tied for 59th (17-over 230), while Cory Renfrew (Victoria, B.C.), Zaahidali Nathu (Richmond, B.C.) and
Nate Ollis (Victoria, B.C.) didn't make the cut.
The next Canada Life Series event will take place Aug. 17-19 at Bear Mountain's Valley Course.
- with files from Mackenzie Tour–PGA Tour Canada
