Minni Clutch Down the Stretch to Claim Victory

2024 ODLUM BROWN VANCOUVER OPEN & FUNDRAISING PRO-AM

Presented by MAUI JIM Canada & Vancouver Parks Golf
Aug.21-25, 2024
McCleery / Langara / Fraserview

AMATEUR JACE MINNI WINS 2024 ODLUM BROWN VANCOUVER OPEN IN DRAMATIC STYLE

Beach Grove Golf Club’s Jace Minni proved to himself (and to all his fans in attendance and watching online) that he has the game, and the nerves to come out win at the highest level with one of the most competitive fields in Vancouver Open history!

After two of the wettest days we have seen in August in rounds one and two, it was 27 year old Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alberta) who lead the way through 36-holes of the Vancouver Open after some brilliant rounds of 63 (-8) at McCleery in round one and 68 (-3) at Langara in round two. 

He would come into the final round at Fraserview two shots clear of a 22-year old amateur from Delta, BC (Jace Minni), and 4-shots clear of yet another 22-year old, Vancouver Pro (Ilrian Zalli).  Zalli has been playing some of the hottest golf in Vancouver Golf Tour’s history, winning 6 VGT titles this summer, plus a 7th impressive win at the 2024 Glencoe Invitational in Alberta. 

Harrison would arguably come into the final pairing of this year’s Vancouver Open with the most tour experience beyond VGT (having played his way into 6th place on the 2021 Mackenzie Tour money list).  But he admitted after round two in an interview that tour life has been challenging, and there would be some serious consideration to switch up full-time tour golf to something more local in 2025.  A win this week, however, may change everything.

Although Zalli may not have the same pedigree of tour experience beyond VGT as Harrison, he has stacked up quite the resume on the VGT the past 4-years since his rookie of the year performance in  2021.  Since then, Zalli has a total of 14 Pro wins on the Vancouver Golf Tour.

There was arguably no player hotter coming into this event.  In fact, with any decent showing in this event, Zalli would wrap up his 2nd VGT Player of the Year honors in just 4 years, and would be well on his way to smashing Nick Taylor’s record $35,000 earned in single season with is money earned on the VGT this year. 

If an incredibly hot hand isn’t enough reason for people to believe Zalli could erase the 4-shot deficit, the local knowledge Zalli possesses at Fraserview would make almost everyone in the crowd believe the title was within reach at 4 shots back.   Zalli grew up just steps from Fraserview as a young boy and has likely played 300+ rounds at Fraserview since the age of 9 or 10 years old.  And if this wasn’t enough for you to believe a comeback was inevitable, those who were present in 2022 saw him make just such a comeback against PGA Tour Canada & Korn Ferry player Stuart MacDonald, birdying the final 4 holes to win the 2022 Vancouver Open!

CLICK FOR 2024 VANCOUVER OPEN & PRO-AM PHOTOS

(Video courtesy of Sherlock Shen & Nolan O’Reilly)

So the wagers were heavy on Zalli making a giant comeback on Sunday and doing exactly what a 22-year old Adam Hadwin did back 13 years ago when he won his 2nd of 3 Vancouver Open title.

The crowd may not have been 4-deep as it was when Hadwin strolled the back-nine in 2011, but the drama from the final round pairing on Sunday was equally entertaining, if not more.

But what a lot of the crowd and onlookers didn’t know was that for as much local knowledge as Ilirian Zalli had at Fraserview, Minni (his rival from junior golf days) had an ace up his own sleeve…in his father Scott, who had caddied for him in round 2, and would be on the bag all day Sunday at Fraserview. 

Some would say his Dad had as much local knowledge of Fraserview (maybe more), having played there as a young boy for 10 years (11-20) almost every day of the year.  Not only that, but Minni’s Dad has been one of PGA of Canada’s top playing and teaching Professionals of his time, mentoring his son and daughter to both earn College Scholarships down in the USA.  All this while holding court the last 10 years as one of  Langara Golf Course’s superintendents.

So it turned out to be a fierce battled on Sunday between the 22-year-old Amateur Jace Minni and two Professionals – his good friend Ilrian Zalli (Richmond Country Club) and Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alberta).

All three players played some amazing golf over the 54-holes of the Championship and should be commended on their fine play.  They really separated themselves from the field all week and that should be acknowledged!

FINAL ROUND SUMMARY

Harrison who would lead the tee-off on hole one with a 2-shot lead over Minni and 4-shots over Zalli. 

But it was Zalli who made fast work of the front nine, birdying holes 2, 3 and 4 cutting into Harrison’s lead, now just one shot through 5 holes.  But Minni was not going quietly himself, birdying holes 2 and 4 to erase the 2-shot lead Harrison had on him through just 5 holes. 

Zalli would continue to hit some great shots into the closing four holes on the front nine, but he would fail to capitalize on each of his birdie attempts.  But sitting at 10-under par for the tournament, he had not only erased the 2-shot deficit with Minni, but he had closed the gap to just one shot on Harrison with just 9 holes to play.

BACK 9 – GAME ON!

After a tremendous birdie by Zalli on the PAR 4, 10th and another birdie on 12, Zalli not only draw even, but he would take the lead suddenly by 2 shots over both Minni and Harrison, as both players struggled – Minni bogeying the 10th and Harrison doubling the 11th.    

After all three players birdied the par five 12th after some narrow eagle chances missed, now they faced the 13th hole PAR 3 over water, one of the most daunting holes they would face the entire weekend. 

But unlike so many other groups that went through 13 that day, there was no train wreck to be seen from this group.  Both Harrison and Zalli made good work for their pars, and Minni took dead aim from some 30-feet for his birdie, and he drained the improbable birdie!!!

When they left the green, Minni had reached -11 and cut into Zalli’s lead at -12, now just one shot behind.  With just 5 to play, it was surely a 3-person tournament with Harrison now 2-shots back.  

Although Harrison would pull equal to Minni and one shot closer to Zalli with a birdie on 14, Zalli would counter right back with a birdie of his on hole 15.  And when Minni’s 10-footer narrowly missed, he would regain a 2-shot lead on both players with just 3 holes to play, and his 2nd Vancouver Open title coming closer to fruition. 

HOLE-BY-HOLE COVERAGE HERE ON OUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT. (Thx Taylor Seidel)

HOLE 16:

With both Harrison and Zalli on the green with middle distance putts, Minni stepped up and struck a beautiful iron shot into the tucked pin on 16th green to just 8 feet.  When both Zalli’s and Harrison’s birdies fell short, Minni rolled his putt confidently into the cup for his birdie.  He now trailed Zalli by just one shot, with Harrison now 2 back.

All three players now faced the challenging 17th, one of Fraserview’ s sternest par 4’s on the course.  Both Minni and Zalli would find the fairway and would wisely strike their iron shots to the front left side of the green, avoiding the bunker guarding the right half of the green.  Harrison on the other hand would struggle to navigate this hole, and after a disappointing double bogey, would ultimately end his bid for the Vancouver Open title, now 3 shots back. 

So it came down to a putt-off between Minni and Zalli on the 17th, with Minni facing around 3-feet for his par, which he stepped up and drained!  A tap-in for Zalli from 2 ½ feet, and he would walk to the  18th tee one shot up on Minni.  But nothing is a given in this game.  And when his putt caught the edge of the hole and did not fall, his bogey brought these 2 back to even coming down 18.

You couldn’t ask for more drama. It was now down to a 2-man showdown between two 22-year-olds who have battled it out since junior golf.  Only now it was for a much bigger title, and trophy. 

With the rain overnight, both players had to layup in front of the ravine guarding the 18th green and rely on their wedge play for their 3rd shots.  Minni laid up first from about 250 out.  But apparently had lasered the wrong distance and was (luckily) just two yards shy of finding the ravine.  He would face a very challenging pitch to the 18th green from about 80 yards. 

Zalli then laid up to perfection from 230 yards out and hit a beautiful sand wedge to 8 feet under the hole.  Now the pressure fell on Minni as he faced a downhill lie and fence staring him in the face within two yards of his ball.  He would have to navigate some overhanging branches while pitching his shot over the ravine guarding the final green.  

He bared down and hit the pitch to perfection, and the audience roared with approval as his ball skipped up within 5 feet, just right of the hole.  

With the fans circling the green in anticipation, Zalli would have first crack at his putt to put the pressure on Minni.  If he makes it, Minni’s 5-footer would surely look way longer for the tie. 

Zalli went through his routine that had given him so much success this season and took focus on the task.  But seemingly for one of the few times this year, he would not hit his mark on his 8-footer uphill as the ball did not turn into the cup.  He would now have to watch and see if Minni had what it took to seal the victory.

The 22-year old Amateur from Beach Grove Golf Club faced the biggest 5-footer of his life to get his name etched on the same trophy that PGA Tour winner Adam Hadwin had claimed 3-times. 

He lined up his downhill 5-footer, stepped over the ball with confidence, and NAILED IT right in the center of the cup!  The crowd erupted with joy, and so too did his Dad Scott, who embraced him with pride.  And so too did his Mom who was equally as excited for her son’s win.   

What a finish for Minni, birdying two of the last 3 holes, and in such dramatic fashion for the biggest  win of his golf career!

Although Minni was not eligible for the $12,000 first place cash prize in the Open Division due to his Amateur status, he was entitled to accept a maximum cash payout of $1,200 as per USGA and Golf Canada regulations. 

CONGRATULATIONS JACE MINNI – 2024 ODLUM BROWN VANCOUVER OPEN CHAMPION!

FINAL INTERVIEW WITH JACE HERE ON INSTAGRAM

Jace retained his Amateur status for the Vancouver Open, so that he could conclude his Amateur career at the Richmond Country Club’s Inaugural Amateur Invitational on Sept.27-28.  After which time he will look to start his Professional debut in the fall.  We wish Jace much success in the coming years and are very proud to have him represent us as the 2024 Vancouver Open Champion.

SILVER LINING FOR ZALLI – A RECORD SEASON ON VGT!

There was a silver lining for Zalli.  As disappointed as he was not claiming his 2nd Vancouver Open title in 3 years, with Minni not being able to claim the $12,000 cash prize offered for 1st place, Zalli took home the $12,000 cash prize as top Professional.  His runner-up finish in the event vaulted him even further ahead of his next competitor on the Srixon / Cleveland (VGT) Order of Merit, securing his 2024 VGT PLAYER OF THE YEAR TITLE, earning him a $2,500 CASH BONUS for the Q-school of his choice. 

With his $12,000 Van Open payday and $2,500 year-end bonus, Zalli has officially eclipsed Nick Taylor’s 2013 record season earnings on the VGT by over $14,000.  Zalli has now earned over $50,000 on the VGT for the 2024 season with the Tour Championship still to come.  Congrats on your record-setting season Ilrian!!

CHRISTINE WONG EARNS 4TH WOMEN’S TITLE IN A DRAMATIC FINISH & PLAYOFF WIN

With a record 23 female golfers in this year’s Vancouver Open field, we knew we were in for a great finish come Sunday!  And boy did the top women not disappoint the fans!

To no-one’s surprise, 3-time Vancouver Open Women’s Champion Christine Wong was fighting for the Vancouver Open title once again.  And no, not only for the Women’s Title. For the OVERALL title. 

In fact, through 27 holes, recording 3 birdies on her opening nine to reach 5-under par, Wong was within just 3 shots of the lead heading into the final nine holes at Langara. Although a couple of bogeys slowed her progress, she would rally with 2 more birdies for a 2nd round 68 (-3) for a total of 5-under par.  She would find herself in familiar territory in the 2nd last group heading into Sunday with her closest female challenger Sonja Tang just one shot behind at -4 after two solid rounds of 67, 71 at McCleery and Langara.

Tang, a 22-year old standout at UBC and who was recently recruited by University of Oregon Ducks, is no stranger to the podium.  Tang not only won both the 2022 and 2023 Canadian University Championships, but she followed this up with a win at the 2023 BC Women’s Open the next week. 

Sunday proved to be an epic battle between these two women, with Tang jumping out ahead early on the front nine with two early birdies and an opening 1-under par 35.  Wong struggled to get her day going with bogeys on 1 and 3, but fought back with birdies on 4 and 5.  A couple more bogies and one birdie on 9 left Wong 1 shot back of Tang heading up the back 9.

And what a close finish it was.  With a tail of two completely opposite rounds for these women, Tang played the much more consistent game with 3 birdies and only one bogey, while Wong had a roller coaster of a day sending off 7 birdies and 6 bogeys to close her championship with a 1-under par 71.

The drama came down to the final hole with both players sitting at 6-under par for the tournament and the Women’s Championship at stake.  Tang would hit the 18th green in regulation after a great approach shot to within 8 feet.  But her putt just lipped out and she would now sit and wait to see what Wong did on 18.  A birdie for the title and a par for a playoff.  What would it be?

Wong’s layup would end up leaving her with 130 yards to a back pin.  She took dead aim and hit her iron shot right over the flag, but it came down 4 yards too long and she would face a treacherous chip down the slope to the back pin.  Not risking a flop shot, Wong chipped it down the slope, past the pin about 15 feet from the cup.  She now faced a difficult left-to-right slider to force a playoff.  And she nailed it! What a clutch putt!

PLAYOFF DOWN 18 AGAIN!!

After signing their cards, and watching the Men’s competition unfold on 18, Tang and Wong went back down the 18th hole for a sudden death playoff to decide the Women’s Championship.  This time Wong’s approach shot was on the money, and when Tang’s birdie missed, she had no more than 8 feet for the win.  And in true Christine Wong fashion, she nailed it again, this time for the title!!

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINE WONG – 2024 VANCOUVER OPEN WOMEN’S CHAMPION (4X CHAMPION!!)

The 2024 Odlum Brown Vancouver Open featured a record sized 324 players in the field and a full field of 185 golfers in the Fundraising Pro-Am the Wednesday of the Championship. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL VANCOUVER OPEN CHAMPIONS!!

• OVERALL CHAMPION: JACE MINNI (-13)
• WOMEN’S CHAMPION: CHRISTINE WONG (-6)
• MEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPION: JACE MINNI (-13)
• WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPION : SONJA TANG (-6)
• SENIOR CHAMPION : STEVE SAVAGE (-1)
• ALL ABILITIES GROSS CHAMPION : MATT HALLAT (246)
• ALL ABILITIES STABLEFORD CHAMPION: JOHANNES GRAMES (84 PTS)
• OVERALL NET CHAMPION: ROSS MCMAHON (-12)
• DIVISION ONE CHAMPION: HENRY TRAN (228)
• MEN’S DIVISION TWO CHAMPION: FREDERIC KOUNPHACHANCY (232)
• WOMEN’S DIVISION TWO CHAMPION: VICKY HUGHES (265)
• DIVISION THREE CHAMPION: AUSTIN PHILLIPS (252)

VIEW FINAL RESULTS AND PRIZING

THANK-YOU’S

Message from the Commissioner:

On behalf of all our valued partners, sponsors, volunteers and committee members, I would like to thank all 509 contestants for playing in the 2024 ODLUM BROWN Vancouver Open & Fundraising Pro-Am Presented by Maui Jim and Vancouver Parks Board. We truly appreciate your involvement in this year’s event!

I cannot stress how impressed I am with the conditions of all three Vancouver City Courses, in spite of the challenging weather we faced Friday and Saturday.  A huge round of applause for all three superintendents and their teams for working extremely hard the weeks leading up to the event to make the conditions some of the best we have seen in the 18-year history of the event.

A special thanks to the Vancouver Parks Golf Management and their staff at all three facilities for working hand-in-hand with our core team and volunteer group to make the tournament experience second to none.

Corporate Support

Our gratitude goes out to our 18 YEAR TOUR TITLE SPONSOR IGA STORES OF BC, and many partners who have helped us launch the Vancouver Golf Tour so we can provide great tournament opportunities for our local players.

We would like to take this time to thank all our tournament sponsors, starting with our new TITLE SPONSOR of this year’s Vancouver Open – ODLUM BROWN, and our Presenting Sponsors MAUI JIM CANADA and VANCOUVER PARKS GOLF for allowing us to deliver one of the most anticipated golf championships in the Pacific Northwest.

Special thanks to our corporate partners and sponsors for all of their support at this year’s event:

MAJOR SPONSORS

IGA	ODLUM BROWN	MAUI JIM CANADA	VANCOUVER PARKS GOLF
JM MEDIA	GLOBAL BC	ME-N-EDS PIZZA	BOYD AUTOBODY & GLASS
CLARK WOODS LLP	BIMBO CANADA	2UNDR	GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC
GolfBC GROUP	BTM LAWYERS	HUGHES TRUCKING	JOHNSTON MEIER INSURANCE
GREENTEE COUNTRY CLUB

  SUPPORTING SPONSORS

PROVINCE OF BC	ALKISS WATER	OLD DUTCH CHIPS	THUNDERBOLT SIGNS
TRAVIS MATHEW	IMPACT CANOPIES	PROJEKCT LUGGAGE	WESTPOINT LAW GROUP

Please help us recognize and consider supporting our 2024 VGT SPONSORS: https://vancouvergolftour.com/sponsors/

VGT FUNDRAISING FOR PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Over the past sixteen years, VGT has donated time to various charitable golf events and has made significant charitable contributions at the same time. Through various initiatives at this year’s Odlum Vancouver Open & Fundraising Pro-am, VGT will be raising funds for a very worthy cause: The VGT Player Development Fund.

The past 3 years, VGT has raised a total of $60,000 for BC player development.  We are looking to make that total $100,000 by the end of our fundraising this year!

VGT Organizing Committee:

Running a golf tour takes passionate individuals who are willing to dedicate their time in pursuit of the VGT mission statement: ‘Preparing Tomorrow’s Champions!

The 2024 Vancouver Open Organizing Committee includes:

• Fraser Mulholland – VGT President & Commissioner, Van Open Tournament Chairman
• Holly Pearson – Financial Management
• Taylor Seidel – Director of Tournament Operations
• Barton Moore, Sierra Stubbs, Ben Le Marquand – Tournament Operations Assistants
• Kendall Payne (JM Media) – Marketing & Media
• Sherlock Shen – Social Media Manager
• Nolan O’Reilly – Videography & digital media
• Brian Small – Manager of Special Projects
• Helen Simpson – Player Communications & Registration
• Mike West – Website Development; multi-media
• Harvey Peters, Pat Johnson, Peter McIvor, Al Morris, Lise Booth, Al Carruthers, Alicja Krysiak – VGT Scoring / Timing / Registration, Set-up Team
• Ruth Reeves, Roseanne McIndoe – Volunteer Co-ordinators
• Bernice Pozdrowski, Greg Moody, Jerome Goddard, Davin MacLennan, Kyle Lee, Hitomi Ishikura, Moira Milligan, David Hill

Plus over 150 Volunteers!!

Our volunteers are an integral part of the Tour and as such, we would like to thank all our volunteers who have graciously donated their time this year during the Vancouver Open and over 30 VGT events in 2024!!

Special thanks to all of our photographers and videographers who spend countless hours digitizing this year’s Vancouver Open Championship. 

Please feel free to check out all of our images from the 2024 Vancouver Open on our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/vancouvergolftour/photos_albums

Can’t wait to launch the dates for the 2025 edition of the Vancouver Open & Fundraising Pro-Am!!  Thanks again for everyone’s support to make this year’s Odlum Brown Vancouver Open possible!! 

Sincere regards,

Fraser Mulholland
President & Commissioner
Vancouver Golf Tour