Kevin Black, head pro and club manager at Seven Hills Golf and Country Club, couldn't build on a fast start in last week's Titleist/Footjoy PGA of BC Championship tournament. But Black did earn a trip to the 2012 PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada, to be held in Florida in November, and snared one of four coveted spots on the Team B.C. squad that will battle other provincial club pros for the tourney's Inter-zone team matches.
"It's a fun thing," said Black, who will be making his second appearance as a B.C. head pro after qualifying four times as an assistant pro in Alberta. "I've been able to win it before, with Alberta, and it's fun to cheer on your teammates. Golf is such an individual game, usually you're pulling for your fellow golfers to all do poorly."
There was nothing poor about Black's first-round showing at last week's PGA-BC championships, held at Courtenay's Crown Isle Resort. He shot a four-under-par 68 to share third place going into the second round of the 54-hole tourney before struggling home with 74 and 76 over the final two rounds and finishing in a 13th-place tie at two-over.
"I started out quite well," said Black, "but I've got some issues to work out. I didn't finish as well as I'd have liked to, but making the (B.C.) team was one of my smaller goals, and I'm looking forward to getting better going on to Florida."
The top 17 head golf pros in last week's tournament earned individual spots to the Nov. 18-21 tourney in Port St. Lucie, Fla., while the top four earned spots into the team competition.
Last November, Black made his first appearance in the championships and placed 14th among 100 golfers with a 54-hole total of 214, two under par.