Veteran teaching pro Phil Jonas leads Bryn Parry of Seymour Creek by only $178 on the pro side of the Order of Merit of the IGA MarketPlace Vancouver Golf Tour.
Pros and amateurs are preparing for the spring championship May 28 at Hazelmere Golf and Tennis Club, which also will host the Canadian Tour's Surrey Invitational a couple of weeks later, so the course will be in top shape.
Jonas, who teaches at Hazelmere and McCleery, has won $2,828 while Parry has $2,650. CanTour regular John Shinn is third with nearly $2,500. And one of his students, Dong Su, 19, claimed his maiden pro win recently at the Green Room Open at Squamish Valley. Su fired a six-under 66 to edge Shin by a shot to win top money, $1,100.
Last year as an amateur, Su finished with two thirds and a second against some of China's top professionals. This year he played in two China Tour events as a pro and is in the top 20 on the Order of Merit.
Meanwhile, Cleveland-Srixon is putting up a $500 bonus for the spring Order of Merit and will repeat it in the summer series.
Surrey's Derek Wray shot a three-over 75 to lead a field of 64 amateurs at Swan-e-Set Bay Resort for his second victory of the year on the VGT's amateur series.
"The course was in perfect condition," said Wray. "The greens were running with perfect pace and incredibly smooth. The challenge to the day was certainly getting the ball close to the hole with the greens getting firmer and firmer as the day went on."
With the 600 points for his victory, Wray has put a firm grip on the amateur Order of Merit. He's 400 points ahead of Matt Rohatensky. Wray was one shot clear of Joey Lemieux in his latest win.
BURTON LEADS PNGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Everett's Bob Burton had the first-round lead at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association's master's 40 championship at the new Talking Rock Resort and Quaaout Lodge in Chase.
Burton was the only player to beat par on Monday with a two-under 70 and two shot lead on the field.
The top B.C. players were Steve Berry of Sooke and Harry Ferguson of Invermere with 73s. Former CFL player Todd Wiseman of Kamloops shot 76 to share ninth.
THUNDERBIRDS TRYING TO DEFEND
The UBC men's golf team will be attempting to defend its NAIA championship this week at TPC Deere Run, west of Chicago, the home of the PGA's John Deere Classic.
Teeing it up for the Thunderbirds are Cory Renfrew, Andrew Robb, Seon Kim, Brendon Markiew and David Sherman, with four of the five scores counting.
UVic is also there and will be led by Parker Lilly, who was runner-up in the B.C. amateur last summer.
The T-Birds women's team finished fifth last week in South Dakota in the NAIA women's championship.