A Royal Colwood golfer will be wrapping up another successful season on the course next week and is aiming for even better results this year.
Seventeen-year-old Nolan Thoroughgood competed in a number of provincial and national tournaments over the past few months, and will end the season with the Junior Players Championship in Florida, competing against 78 players from around the world Sept. 1 to 3.
It’s been a busy summer for the Royal Bay Secondary student. In July, Thoroughgood was one of two local golfers to compete in the 2017 B.C. Junior Boys Championship at the Squamish Valley Golf Club, where he placed fourth. The reigning B.C. Amateur champion, Thoroughgood finished 16th this year at the tournament.
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Nationally, he competed in the Canadian Junior Boys in Ontario, where he placed forth. On the heels of that tournament, he also picked up a gold medal in the individual golf category and bronze in the team category at the B.C. Summer Games earlier this month.
“I’ve been happy [with the results]. I didn’t play bad and I put up decent results, but I could definitely see a lot of room for improvement,” he said.
Thoroughgood’s play is a far cry from when he first started golfing five years ago.
It was during the summer when a friend convinced him to take a junior golf camp together. Shortly after, they committed to playing a nine-hole course, but it quickly became clear they wouldn’t be able to finish.
Thoroughgood couldn’t make contact with the ball, could barely keep it in play, and after four holes decided to give up. Despite the results, Thoroughgood was determined to get better – something about the sport hooked him right away.
“I enjoy the grind to get better. It’s addicting seeing results and I want to keep seeing myself get better and better,” he said.
And he’s only improved since then. Now, heading into his final year of high school, Thoroughgood will continue to practice throughout the off-season at the Royal Colwood Golf Course in preparation for next year.
“I just want to try and improve my game, so I can compete at a higher level,” he said. “This upcoming spring and summer I’ll try and play some bigger amateur events to broaden my level of play and play against bigger competition because that’s how you get better – you push yourself.”
kendra.wong@goldstreamgazette.com
