Ian Mulder watches his drive on the first hole of the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club on the weekend. Mulder shot 73-71 to take the overall title, and also helped his Yale Lions squad to a sixth-place place at AAA golf provincials this week in Port Alberni.

Abbotsford’s Ian Mulder took full advantage of his knowledge of his home course on the weekend, taking the overall title at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s stop at Ledgeview.

Mulder shot an opening-round 73 at the Cattermole Timber Classic, a score that was matched by fellow Abby golfer Mike Broadfoot. In the second round, though, Mulder pulled away from the pack with a 71 to take first place in the 17-and-up boys division. Broadfoot finished five strokes back after carding a 76, while Langley’s Harrison Taylor (78-75) was third.

“Coming down the stretch I thought I must stay confident by knowing I have the ability to win and persevere,” said Mulder, whose highlight of the tournament was draining a 15-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 11th hole.

In the boys 14-16 category, Abby’s Spencer Lightburn finished tied for second with rounds of 75 and 77, while Blair Coan (85-70) was sixth. Division winners included Kevin Kwon (boys 13 and under), Justin Hyun (boys 14-16) and Soo Bin Kim (girls).

Mulder, the lone returnee from Yale’s back-to-back B.C. champion squads in 2005 and 2006, led the Lions to a sixth-place finish at the AAA golf provincials in Port Alberni this week.

Yale shot a combined two-day team score of 623, just two strokes out of fourth place, and that would be a fine finish for most teams. But the Lions aren’t most teams – they’ve won three B.C. titles in the past four years, and coach Dale Pretty said his team wasn’t overly thrilled with the outcome.

“The boys were a little disappointed, mainly because the school won two years in a row,” Pretty said. “But sixth in the province is still a great finish.”

The 2007 edition of the Lions is comprised of Mulder, Coan, Lightburn, Connor Chafe and Tyler MacDuff. Mulder’s four-over 75 was Yale’s low round on Day 1, while Coan’s 73 was the Lions’ best effort on Day 2.

This marks the fifth straight year that Yale has placed in the top 10 at provincials.

Abbotsford News
June 02, 2007