Dave Zibrik/ Kevin Hogg (19) 9 & 8
Mark Burke/Mewail Kidane (1)
Congratulations to 2010 CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONS DAVE ZIBRIK and KEVIN HOGG for their fine play at today’s 36 Hole Finals at Northview’s Ridge Course. Westwood Plateau Academy’s New Head Professional (Zibrik) and Swan-e-set Amateur (Hogg) were too strong a force for the Defending Champions Burke/Kidane of the Golf Institute at Fraserview, blazing a total of 12 birdies and one eagle on their card over the duration of the match (28 holes).
Hogg and Zibrik fed off each other nicely the whole day, first Hogg setting the tone with a 9 iron on the 1st hole to 4 inches for the tap-in birdie. An unforced bogey on #3 from Burke/Kidane and a routine up-and-down to 2 feet for bird on #4 and Zibrik/Hogg took a 3-up lead early in this match. A win from Burke/Kidane on the par-3 fifth put the match back to 2-up, but only momentarily. Zibrik/Hogg’s steady team play continued on the par 4 sixth, with partner Hogg in for a solid par, Zibrik knocked down his 8 foot birdie for another win to go back to 3-up after six. Back-to-back birdies on #7 (Kidane) & #8 (Burke) kept the defending champions in the match thru the turn as both teams took par on the 9th to keep the match 1 up Zibrik/Hogg at the turn.
The start of the back nine went much the same as the front with Hogg making the first charge with a 20 footer for birdie on #10 and then stiffing his tee-shot on #11 to 8 feet over the water, ultimately free-ing up Zibrik on his tee-shot, which he stuck to 4 feet and made yet another birdie. Burke had his own 7 footer to make the half, but failed to capitalize and the match was back to 3-up thru 11. With Zibrik’s putter the only one to catch fire from 15 feet on #12, the match became 4 up thru as many holes. And after two consecutive halves on holes 14 and 15, Zibrik nailed another iron shot to 8 feet on the downhill 16th and capitalized for the team’s 7th birdie on the day to go 5-up through 16.
After Burke and Kidane failed to get their pitches up and down for par on the 17th, Zibrik/Hogg took an even bigger lead in this match to 6-up through 17. Birdies on 18 from both Zibrik and Burk kept the match at 6-up thru 18 holes.
After the lunchtime break, the players convened for the second half of the match. And it didn’t take long for Zibrik and Hogg to show that they were not interested in relinquishing their lead whatsoever. First it was Zibrik who drained a 12 footer for his birdie to halve the hole after Burke followed him in for birdie from 7 feet. Then it was his partner who took the turn on the next hole, chipping in for birdie from 20 feet to extend the match to 7 up through 20 holes.
With a lengthy birdie on the 21st from Burke it looked like for a moment there might be a glimmer of a comeback in the making, but only one hole later it was Zibrik back to his tricks on the putting green, holing yet another 12 footer for birdie to solidify their lead to 7-up thru 22.
Some great up and downs were made on hole 23 for pars by Zibrik and Kidane and some even greater second shots on the 24th hole by Zibrik and Burke left some 6-8 feet for birdie, which both failed to capitalize on and halves were made. More fine drives and second shots on the par 5- 25th hole left Zibrik and Burke sitting 15 feet and 10 feet for eagle. Although both players missed their eagles, they did tap-in for their birdies, and the match remained 7-up Hogg/Zibrik thru 25.
As outstanding as Zibrik played the first 25 holes of the finals, the icing on this match came from his amateur partner Kevin Hogg when he eagled the short par-4 26th from 5 feet and ultimately sealing the fait of the match with his 15 footer for birdie on the 28th hole to close the match 9 and 8.
At the end of the day, the team of Zibrik and Hogg had too much fire-power for the 2009 BC Match Play Champions, something they had showcased to past opponents through the course of the match play draw. In their last four matches alone, Zibrik/Hogg amassed an amazing better-ball score of -41 and showed to everyone in the field that they were truly deserved Champions! For their victory, Zibrik cashed a $1,800 winner’s cheque and Hogg received a $1,000 gift card. Runners-up Burke and Kidane received $1,000 each for their fine play for reaching the finals.
At the conclusion of the event, VGT Commissioner Fraser Mulholland paid tribute to some very important partners in the co-ordination of the 2010 BC Match Play event:
BC MATCH PLAY TITLE SPONSOR – CANADA BREAD. Special thanks to Roger Antoniazzi for his continued support of this event the past three years!
VGT’S TITLE SPONSOR – MARKETPLACE IGA. Thanks for supporting BC Golf Development for the fourth straight year!
BC MATCH PLAY VOLUNTEERS: Thanks to all of you who helped us organize and make this event a special tournament for the competitors who start their year with this as their first ‘MAJOR’ of the year.
ALL HOST GOLF COURSES – Special thanks to all the golf courses on our 2010 BC Match Play rotation. Once again, without your support, this 65 year storied event would not continue to live on each year!
VGT TEAM MEMBERS – Thanks for all your devoted work throughout this event and all the VGT events that were jammed in between the weekend matches. Great work team!!
We look forward to hosting the 2011 BC MATCH PLAY event for all competitors and would like to wish our 2010 Champions good luck in defending their title next year!!!
Best regards,
Fraser Mulholland
Commissioner
VGT
Capilano Golf & Country Club - April 11
by George Sterling
Match One: Mark Burke - Mewail Kidane (1) vs. Ryan Williams - Clark MacPherson (4)
An unanswered Birdie at the 3rd gave Burke/Kidane the first 1up lead. Clark returned the match to All Square at the 5th with a conceded Birdie. On 6, Ryan's 34 foot Birdie gets them a half with Mewail putting in from just 5 feet. Holes were halved until the ninth where bunker trouble caught Ryan and Clark. On the next hole Mewail, from 171, hit it to 3 feet and made another unanswered Birdie to go 2up through 10 holes of play. On the 11th, Par was enough for Mark and Mewail to go 3up. Then their lone Birdie at 13 Put them 4up with 5 remaining. Ryan answered back at the Par 3 14th with his Birdie from just over 2 feet. Burke/Kidane were back to 3up. With the 15th halved, Mewail's par putt on 16 from above the hole secured their win. Burke/Kidane 3&2.
Capilano Golf & Country Club - April 11
Match Two Dave Zibrick - Hogg (19) vs. Chad McAdie - Sonny Jager (15)
Zibrick/Hogg 5&4
Pitt Meadows Golf Club - April 4
by George Sterling
Match One Ryan Williams - Clark MacPherson (4) vs. Scott Sellers - Matt Powell (13)
Scott and Matt take the first lead at the 3rd hole with an unanswered Birdie , but an Eagle hole out from the fairway at the 5th returned the match to all square. Par was enough for Ryan and Clark to go 1up after 7 and a Birdie at the 8th put them 2up . Scott and Matt started the back nine with an Eagle to win the 10th but a Birdie for Ryan and Clark at 11 restored a 2 hole lead . Just par a the 12th put Ryan and Clark 3up which they held onto through to the 16th . Williams/MacPherson 3&2 .
Match Two Andrew Smeeth - Tom Huth (5) vs. Bill Hole - Yuya Kihara (12)
Andrew's up and down from the bunker is the only Birdie at the 1st hole . Par is enough at the 2nd for Andrew and Tom to go 2up . Holes were then halved until Bill's 12 foot Birdie at 7 and 8 foot Birdie at the 8th returned the match to All Square . Andrew answered back at 9 with his own 11 footer to regain a 1up lead at the turn . Yuya alone Birdied the 10th and the match was back to All Square . Andrew's 10 foot and Yuya's 9 foot Birdies Half the 11th. Andrew struck again at 14 from 8 feet . That 1up lead held to the end at 18 where all four players had Birdie putts with Andrew making his . Smeeth/Huth 1up .
Kings Links by the Sea - April 4
by Brian Small
Match One: Mark Burke - Mewail Kidane (1) vs. Tom Kenny - Jarad Boddy (16)
Burke and Kidane got off to a quick start and were two up after two holes. By the ninth hole this lead had become three up. After halving the next five holes, Kidane birdied the par 3 fifteenth finishing the match 4 and 3.
Match Two: Steve Jenkins - Kendal Yonemoto (9) vs. Scott O`Dell - Justin Fuller (25)
Jenkins and Yokomoto had built a three up lead after seven but led only two up after nine holes. The match looked out of reach for Scott and Justin after being down 5 by the twelfth, but they fought back winning the next three holes with birdies. On the 16th though Justin lost his ball in the left rough and Scott was faced with having to two putt a 50 foot down hill breaker. Kendall was able to grind out a par ending the match 3 and 2.
Beach Grove - April 4
by Vic Johnson
Match One: Chris Kobler- Galan Johnstone (2) vs. Chad McAdie - Sonny Jager (15)
The match between Kobler/Johnstone and McAdie/Jager at Beach Grove GC on April 4th was played in a little wind, and thankfully no rain.
Galan Johnstone started off the first hole with a great recovery shot to take the early lead 1 up. That only lasted one hole when Chad McAdie birdied to tie things up.
Chad's partner won the next hole with a par to go one up after three. Both teams settled down until the seventh hole when Chad McAdie birdied again to go up two holes.
On the eleventh hole a par put McAdie/Jager up three holes. Chris Kobler birdie the next hole to get them back to two down, but a par on the thirteenth put McAie/Jager back up three.
A birdie on the next hole by Johnstone brought them back to within two. The next three holes were tied and McAdie/Jager were declared the winners 2 and 1.
Both teams were fighting some bulky putters as there were plenty lip outs and near misses.
Beach Grove - April 4
Leigh Rogers
Match Two: Billy Noon - Dan Warburton (10) vs. Jarad Rempel - Danny Hebert (26)
The match took place on Easter Sunday at the very beautiful Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen, BC. Play started under partly sunny skies which later gave way to cloud with wind and chilly temperature.
Rempel and Hebert brought along their caddies, Scott and Cody while Warburton had his friend Sandra for support who also acted as cart chauffeur.
The group teed off precisely on time with Noon and Warburton winning the first hole going 1 up. They maintained their lead through the second hole but Rempel chipped in for a birdie on No 3 squaring the match.
It remained that way until the 5th when Noon and Warburton were able to birdie and take back the lead. No change through 8, then fear struck when Noon almost faced a lost ball situation on the 9th fairway. Luckily it was located prior to being declared lost. Strangely it had a branch seemingly stuck in the ground close to it, placed there either by an Angel or perhaps our lone gallery member. In any event, Noon and Warburton managed to win the hole with a birdie, going 2 up.
On No. 10, Warburton managed to chip in for a birdie, which saved the hole as Rempel and Hebert also birdied.
Noon and Warburton birdied 12 and 13 going 4 up but gave one back on 14 as Rempel and Hebert birdied the hole.
There were no further changes through 15 and 16 with Noon and Warburton being declared the winners at that point, 3 and 2.
All parties graciously shook hands and headed for the clubhouse.
Many thanks to Brad and Chelsea in the Pro Shop for their kind assistance and courtesy in providing carts to the groups, including the officials.
Congratulations to 2010 CANADA BREAD BC MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONS DAVE ZIBRIK and KEVIN HOGG for their fine play at today’s 36 Hole Finals at Northview’s Ridge Course. Westwood Plateau Academy’s New Head Professional (Zibrik) and Swan-e-set Amateur (Hogg) were too strong a force for the Defending Champions Burke/Kidane of the Golf Institute at Fraserview, blazing a total of 12 birdies and one eagle on their card over the duration of the match (28 holes). 
