By Dan Kinvig - Abbotsford News
Published: June 15, 2009

James Lepp had an excellent weekend on the Canadian Tour, finishing tied for third at the City of Surrey Invitational.

James Lepp says that golf isn’t his first priority anymore, but he sure could have fooled a lot of observers this past weekend.

The Abbotsford product turned in a stellar showing at the Canadian Tour’s City of Surrey Invitational, shooting 69-69-71-69 to finish at 10 under par. That left him in a tie for third place, good for a $7,400 payday.

“I’m pretty stoked about the result,” said Lepp, 25. “It doesn’t take long for me to get back to mid-season form.”

Not so long ago, Lepp was Canada’s preeminent amateur golfer. He finished atop the RCGA’s Order of Merit standings three years in a row (2003-05), and became the first Canadian to win the NCAA title in 2005. When he turned pro in the summer of 2006, he did so with great fanfare.

But last year, Lepp put his playing schedule on the back burner in order to focus on launching a business venture. Lepp’s company, Kikkor Golf, produces golf shoes and apparel for a younger demographic, and the 25-year-old is currently in the process of lining up retailers.

Despite his excellent performance on the weekend at Hazelmere Golf Course, Lepp said that the notion of playing full-time again isn’t overly tempting. “My focus for the next few weeks is definitely the business,” he said. “Getting some retailers lined up is definitely the priority right now. Then we’ll see how my time looks, and I might play the Winnipeg event (on the Canadian Tour) in a month or so.”

Hazelmere has always seemed to agree with Lepp’s game. He notched his first victory as a professional on the South Surrey layout in 2007, and it was no surprise to see him excel there again on the weekend. “The course sets up well for a guy who sprays the ball (off the tee) a little bit,” Lepp said. “If it were a course that were more tree-lined where I could have gotten in a lot of trouble off the tee, I don’t think it would have been the same result.”

CHIP SHOTS:

* CanTour rookie Adam Hadwin made the cut for the second straight week. The Abbotsford native shot 71-71-73-79 at Hazelmere, good for a T35 finish and a $933.75 payday.
* Local products Andrew Smeeth (75-74) and Ray Stewart (78-73) both missed the cut.