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VICTORIA — First Nations, Métis and Inuit golfers will have a chance to compete in the inaugural Indigenous Championship British Columbia set for this May.

The tournament is a partnership with the Office of the Lieutenant-Governor of B.C. and the Osoyoos Indian Band, which owns the Nk'Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course. 

Christina Proteau, a competitive golfer, Indigenous woman and chair of the organizing committee, says she's looking forward to blending competition and reconciliation at the same event.

The championship will see 128 men, women and youth compete and play together from May 28 to May 30, and participants must register before April 28. 

The youth division will serve as the final qualifying round for golfers under 19 vying to represent B.C. at the North American Indigenous Games in Halifax this July. 

Ontario held its first Indigenous golf championship last year, and tournaments both there and in B.C. will each qualify golfers to compete in a national event this fall at Bear Mountain Resort in Langford, B.C. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2023. 

The Canadian Press