Carrigan’s 62 matches scores by Stephen Ames and Kent Eager at Copper Point Golf Club; Zone 4 wins Zone Championship; Royal Colwood GC wins Hamber Club Team

Kevin Carrigan (pictured above) tied the course record at Copper Point Golf Club July 10 to shoot himself into a four stroke day-two lead at the 111th BC Amateur Championship, co-hosted by the Springs at Radium in Radium Hot Springs and the Copper Point Golf Club in Invermere.

Carrigan, entering the week feeling under-the-weather and unable to play a practice round at the par 70-6,807 yard Copper Point Golf Club, started the day at -2 thanks to a day one 70 at the Springs. Opening with two straight pars, Carrigan would break down his round’s flood gates, going six under over his next seven holes, capped by an eagle on the par 5 18th hole (his ninth of the day) to make the turn in an astonishing 30.

He would continue his roll on the back side, making a birdie on the par 5 610 yard first hole (his 10th of the day) before carding his only blemish on the day, a double bogey six on the second.

Asked about how it felt to get off to such a great start, Carrigan was modest in nature.

“I hit my irons well but wasn’t particularly hitting it well off the tee so I just tried to keep it in play. I got a couple lucky bounces and made a couple of good putts. It makes it pretty easy to play when you can feed off guys like Kevin [Kwon] and Charlie [Hughes] who were playing so well out there.

Carrigan would bounce back from the double bogey, mixing in three more birdies over his next seven holes to close out his round in course record-tying fashion at eight-under-par 62 (70-62-132; -10). Carrigan joins the group of Canadians Kent Eger and PGA Tour professional Stephen Ames who have posted -8 at Copper Point.

“That’s really cool,” stated an elated Carrigan. “It is a wicked golf course and it was great fun to play. Those are really great golfers to join so it is an honour.”

Asked how he would focus heading into his second BC Amateur Championship in a row holding the lead after round two, Carrigan was straightforward.

“It is what it is. I have to play solid and stick to the game plan.”

Hoping to catch Carrigan and sitting in a tie for second only four strokes back of him at six-under-par 136 are West Vancouver’s Kevin Spooner (67-69) and Maple Ridge’s Kevin Kwon (66-70). All three Kevins are paired together in today’s third round.

Tied for fourth heading into the final 36-holes are Victoria’s Brent Wilson and Langley’s Charlie Hughes. Both players have carded identical 68-69’s in the first two rounds and are sitting in a comfortable position with plenty of golf left to play in the Championship. Eric Banks, a member of Team Canada and resident of Truro, Nova Scotia, is alone in sixth at -4 after rounds of 67-71.

Had it not been for Carrigan’s incredible play, Vancouver’s Stuart McDonald would have carded the days lowest round with a four-under-par 68. After rounds of 71-68, the member of Point Grey Golf and Country Club sits at three-under-par and in a tie for seventh with Vancouver’s Jacob Vanderpas (69-70-139), Surrey’s Adam Svensson (71-68-139) and defending champion Riley Fleming of Airdrie, Alberta (70-69-139).

Capturing the Hamber Club Team trophy are the contingent from Royal Colwood GC in Carrigan and Darren Day of Victoria. The duo from the island tied Swan-e-Set Bay Resort’s Kwon and Hughes but won due to retrogression.

Two East Kootenay players finished the day in the top 11, with Invermere’s Harry Ferguson and Kimberley’s Jared Dutoit finishing tied for 11th with one under apiece.

Creston’s Kowan O’Keefe finished tied for 18th with +1, while Cranbrook’s Scott Merriam and Kimberley’s Kevin Dereniwsky also made the cut, tied for 53rd, with +7s on the day.

Missing the cut were: Trevor Smith of Kimberley,+10; Billy Neilson of Golden, +12; Dale Stypula of Cranbrook, +14; Aaron Jenkins of Invermere, +18; Russell DuToit of Kimberley, +21; and Ryan MacLean of Radium Hot Springs, with a +23.

Victors in the Zone Team championship are Zone 4’s Spooner, Chris Moore of Vancouver, Port Coquitlam’s Riley Lamb and Philip Mak of Vancouver. It was a close race as Zone 4 narrowly edged the quartet from Zone 5 by four strokes.

The Championship continues today at the Springs at Radium for the low 73 players who made the cut at +8.

The top-3 competitors from the 111th BC Amateur Championship will represent British Columbia on Team BC at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship to be held August 6-9, 2013 at the Royal Colwood Golf Club and Gorge Vale Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia.

Spectators are welcomed and encouraged to attend the event. Entrance is free of charge.

Click here for information on start times and scoring (including score specifics/course specifics)

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