Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/130253
5/10/13 4:52 PM Page 1 PGA OF BC NEWS BY ALFIE LAU Clapp Set To Defend At Home Course Brad Clapp used the element of surprise to win the 2012 PGA of B.C. Championship and Assistants Title, but that won't be in his arsenal this year. Besides being the defending champion, he's also playing at his home course, a course he knows all too well. "There's a bit more pressure, but we have so many good players at Chilliwack that it's not hard to find a game on the first tee and that's what makes you keep on getting better and improving." Come June 3 and 4, Clapp will need to have his A- 78 game because the Chilliwack Golf and Country Club will be hosting tournaments to crown three different champions.The FlightScope/Cobra Puma Golf PGA of BC Assistants Championship, the PGA of BC Seniors' CLAPP WENT WIRE-TO-WIRE AT THE Championship presented 2012 TITLEIST / FOOTJOY PGA OF BC CHAMPIONSHIP by Kwikfit4u and the PGA of BC Women's Championship will all be contested Clapp, 26, is an assistant pro at the club and while at the tree-lined course where accuracy and a great he learns about the business, he hasn't put his own short game are always the secrets to success. playing career on the backburner. Clapp just narrowly missed qualifying for exempt status on the PGA Tour Canada at Q-School in Southern California earlier this year. "Yeah, it was disappointing, but I learned so much," said Clapp. "And that's something I've learned, that you have to play as many tournaments as you can and learn something from every round that you do play." And what was the biggest lesson he took from his Southern California experience? "You have to commit 100 per cent to every shot you hit," said Clapp. "There was one time when I was standing over the ball and I didn't know whether I wanted to draw or fade it and that can't happen. You realize that it's hard, but you have to commit mentally to your shot and that's the only way you can be a consistent pro." Clapp admits that he's a self-taught, feel player, but that doesn't mean he isn't open to advice, especially from Chilliwack Learning Academy colleague Jennifer Greggain. Greggain knows all about tournament golf, having competed at US Women's Open and two years of LPGA Tour golf. "I know I can throw ideas off her and that has helped in my mental approach to the game," said Clapp. "The one thing she does tell me is there's no substitute for tournament golf so you have to always be competing." "Brad has a lot of game," said Greggain. "All he has to do is continue putting himself into situations where he's competing. I know from my own experience that going through Q-School is one of the hardest things I've ever done." Clapp also has taken pride in teaching, but for a completely unexpected reason. "It's been a positive distraction because you can get so focused on your own game," said Clapp. "Working with the members at the club, you realize there's so much more to the game. It puts everything into perspective." Clapp is also looking forward to the new indoor learning facility at Chilliwack, which he'll be able to use to hone his own game, as well as the games of his students. "We're all drooling at working with the equipment there," said Clapp. For more information on the PGA of BC tournaments, go to www.pgabc.org IMAGE COURTESY OF PGA OF BC iG1304--rev