All Jeevan Sihota and Claire Lovan had to do was keep their nerve after opening the B.C. Juvenile Championships with statement rounds.
The pair were crowned Friday after flying out to early leads and never dropping back during the three-round provincial tournament for players 16 and under at Granite Pointe.
Sihota stunned the field Wednesday with a 7-under 65 for a five-stroke lead. From there, the 13-year-old Victoria native fired an even-par 70 on Thursday and finished with 74 Friday to win his first provincial title by an incredible 11 strokes.
“That was a good round. …,” he said of the first day. “It was a disappointing finish, but at the end of the day it got the job done.”
Sihota’s best moment was an eagle on No. 5 during the final round, when his drive put him within eight feet of the hole. “The course was shorter than what I’ve been playing. It’s quite tight,” he said. “I’d say the tough part about it was the walk. That was brutal.”
The low Kootenay player was Castlegar’s Nic Jenner, who finished tied for sixth at 9 over. Other local players included: William Watt of Castlegar (32 over), Castlegar’s A.J. Roberts (40 over), Rossland’s Xander Bankes (48 over) and Nelson’s Brendon Makeiv (91 over).
It was a similar result on the girls side.
Lovan used a 3-under 71 in the first round to establish a four-stroke lead. The 15-year-old Surrey native stumbled with a 77 on Thursday and a 76 on Friday, but her opponents never challenged and she finished ahead by four strokes.
“I was feeling pressured,” she said after winning her first provincial championship. “I didn’t expect to shoot under on a course like this, because it’s very challenging. So I surprised myself when I shot 3 under.”
Fifty-seven boys and 16 girls took part in the tournament, which showed the 97-year-old Granite Pointe is worthy of the provincial spotlight.
That spotlight won’t include Lovan for much longer — she’s got her eyes on even bigger stages.
“It feels good to win one,” she said. “I feel my game is slowly improving.”
That much, everyone who played at the tournament will agree, was an understatement.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the final scores for William Watt, A.J. Roberts, Xander Bankes and Brendon Makeiv.