Elgin Park Secondary’s golf team has finished on the provincial podium for the first time in 15 years.
This month in Port Alberni, the Orcas placed second at the BC AAA Golf Championships, second only to Coquitlam’s Gleneagle Talons, who were buoyed by the stellar performance of a Grade 7 import from the high school’s catchment area (which is allowed under provincial rules).
It was just the third time since 2000 – when they also finished in second place – that Elgin Park had qualified for golf provincials. In 2005, led by twins Connor and Garrett Zokol (sons of pro golfer Richard Zokol), the Orcas finished 10th.
“It was a really good result, and we did better than I thought we might do,” said Elgin Park coach Richard Augustus of the June 1-3 event, adding that after a strong season the team had “faltered a little bit” at Fraser Valley championships.
During the season, the Orcas had finished second at the Delta Police Tournament, and were also second at an event in Victoria. At Fraser Valleys, the team finished fifth –still enough to snag a provincial berth.
At provincials, each day, the top four scores from each team are added together, forming an aggregate score.
Taylor Patrick was Elgin’s top golfer, carding rounds of 68 and 71 at the par-71 Alberni Golf Club.
Sam Su also “played really well” en route to a two-round score of 148 (75-73), while Grade 8 golfer Peter Zhang also had a good tournament, finishing at 152 (75-77).