Gavyn Knight was in the zone when he won the 2020 Pheasant Glen Open, held July 18-19.
The 16-year-old Parksville golfer put up impressive scores in the two-day competition to clinch the open crown when he carded rounds of 69 and 68 for a two-day total of 137.
What made the win special for Knight, a product of Pheasant Glen’s Junior Academy, was that he outduelled two of Vancouver Island’s most notable golfers, Andrew Funk of Gorge Vale, who shot 142 to place second, and Greg Koster of Sunnydale, who came in third at 143.
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“I entered the competition with an open mind,” said Knight. “I didn’t even know where I was going to finish. I just wanted to do my best. And I did. I surprised myself. I won by five which really surprised me. It was fun.”
Pheasant Glen’s Aidan Goodfellow, a member of Simon Fraser University Clan men’s golf team where he has completed another outstanding season, finished tied for seventh after shooting 77-70 for 147.
In the low net category, international student Juan Pablo Gonzalez, also a member of Pheasant Glen’s Junior Academy, finished in first place with scores of 71 and 73 for a 144 total. Knight took second place just a stroke behind. Two other Pheasant Glen members, Ashton Sadauskas and Ben Roberts, shared third spot with Koster, with each posting a 146 total.
Knight has been working hard to improve his game and he credit his putting for helping him snag the Pheasant Glen trophy.
“I made a lot of putts,” said Knight. “I was surprised to make a lot of long putts that normally do not go in for me. They carried me. I was just tried make as many birdies [as possible] on the front nine and and stayed steady on the back nine. That plan really worked for me. I took the same approach the next day and I had a better score, which was great.”
Having notched his big win, Knight is eager to compete in his next two tournaments, the B.C. Amateur, at the Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna from July 28-30, and the B.C. Juvenile Championships, at the Cowichan Golf and Country Club in Duncan, Aug. 11-13.
“It feels good to win and I am hoping to do well in other tournaments,” said Knight.
Knight is a former member of the Ballenas Whalers golf team that won the Islands in 2018 and advanced to the provincials championships. He now attends Brentwood College in Mill Bay and plays golf for that school. He will be in Grade 11 this coming school year.
This summer, Knight has two courses he’s been playing on. He gets to sharpen his skills at Morningstar Golf Course where he can play for free as he now works there and at Pheasant Glen.
“I play golf just about every day,” said Knight. “I get to work on my game on two different courses. Morningstar is a pretty hard course to play on. I like it. It’s challenging.”
Knight wants to continue honing his game. He hopes to be able to land a scholarship once he finishes high school in the next two years.