Meet our 2024 Champions of Champions!
At our season-ending Champion of Champions event, held this year at Seymour Golf and Country Club, the team from Richmond Golf and Country Club drew 17 as their starting hole, which proved to be fortuitous.
For one thing, it’s a driveable par 4, and Junior champ Curtis Liu did just that, hitting it to six feet, which helped get things off to a good start. But for another, the tee isn’t too desperately far from the clubhouse, with the result that Men’s champion Mike Aizawa was able to collect at least some of his breath. After all, he’d just run there from the parking lot, having driven in record time from Golden Eagle Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, where he’d already played 18 holes to qualify for the B.C. Match Play Championships.
And the good vibes just kept rolling for Liu, Aizawa, Women’s champion Kira Meixner and Senior Mens’ champion Mason Freedman, who burned through the tough par-72 layout with scores of 75, 74, 73 and 73 respectively. Typically, in a best three of four scores format, successful teams do a certain amount of ham and egging, but that was only necessary on a couple of holes, as Team Richmond just kept piling up the pars and birdies, ultimately leading to a score of six under, good enough for a seven-stroke victory over the second place team from host Seymour.
In his first year as tournament chair, Sean Crowther introduced a new wrinkle while presenting the Les Howard Trophy and individual awards, bringing along former Canucks goalie Corey Hirsch to help. We think it’s fair to say that a good time was enjoyed by all 17 teams, but congrats, Team Richmond on a well-deserved victory.
Richmond team members Mike Aizawa, Kira Meixner, Mason Freedman and Curtis Liu with the Les Howard Trophy
- Jim Sutherland