It didn’t last quite as long as he would have liked, but Matt Hopley still had the time of his life. The 15-year-old Kelowna resident, who this week became the youngest player to tee it up in a Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event, finished his GolfBC Championship with a nice up-and-down par from behind the 18th green at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club.

 Robby Shelton knew he had a share of the lead on the 18th tee early Friday evening, but decided he wanted it all to himself. Shelton got his wish. He will sleep on the lead at the GolfBC Championship for the second straight night.

It was a dream start followed by a nightmarish finish for Kimberley’s Jared du Toit in Thursday’s first round of the GolfBC Championship. Du Toit, playing in just his second pro event after finishing his collegiate career at Arizona State University, looked to have it on cruise control on the front nine at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club.

Golf professionals are forever tinkering with some part of their game and Robby Shelton seems to be on to something. Shelton was draining birdie putts all day during Thursday’s first round of the GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club. The 21-year-old from Mobile, Ala., made nine of them en route to an eight-under 63 that gave him a one-shot lead in the $175,000 Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event.

Thompson, a teaching pro at Golftec in Kelowna, proved it’s more about the swing than size when he won the charity long-drive contest Wednesday afternoon that officially kicked off the GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club.