PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada Heads to Florida

PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada Heads to Florida

The PGA of Canada's best return to the PGA Golf Club's Ryder Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for the Titleist and FootJoy PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada.

 

The final PGA of Canada national championship of 2013 features one of the deepest fields in the championship's 39-year history. Highlighted by nine past champions and 40 of the top 100 players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC, the championship promises to be a thrilling affair from start to finish.

 

"With nearly half the field ranked inside the top 100 of the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC, this year's Titleist & FootJoy PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada is going to be an electrifying sprint to the finish," says the PGA of Canada's President Gregg Schubert. "We're going to be treated to some amazing golf by some of Canada's most talented PGA Professionals," he says, adding, "the player who hoists the trophy at week's end will surely be a deserving champion and will have bested one of the top fields in this championship's long and storied history."

 

The 54-year-old Brian Hutton of Burlington, Ont., who has this national championship two of the past three years looks to join PGA of Canada legends Gar Hamilton and Yvan Beauchemin as the only players to win the PGA Club Professional of Canada three or more times.

 

The ninth ranked player from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings says he feels at ease playing Florida golf.

 

"I spent a lot of time in Florida throughout the 1980's and at one time I called it home for a couple of years, so I've got a comfort level with the area," Hutton says. "I feel good with the conditions Florida golf presents like the wind and club selections-if you are not used to how the wind can blow at different times of the day and the difficulty of club selection, golf can become quite tricky."

 

Other top 10 players in the field include the third ranked Dave Levesque (Club de Golf La Prairie) who makes his Club Professional Championship of Canada debut; No. 5 Danny King (The Performance Academy at Magna) who won the championship back-to-back in 2005 and 2006; and Club de Golf Montcalm's Eric Laporte at No. 7 who won the 2012 PGA Championship of Canada and the Mike Weir Player of the Year award.

 

Former champions looking to win another Club Professional Championship include 2011 winner Roger Beale (Royal Westmoreland), 2004 champion Ian Doig (The Ian Doig Golf Academy), four time winner-1987, 1990, 1992 and 1997-Hamilton, 2000 winner Graham Gunn (Whitesands Golf & Practice Centre), Brett Burgeson (Country Hills Golf Club) winner in 2003, 2009 champion Benoit Boudreau (Le Parcours du Cerf), Dale Pederson (The Landings Golf Course and Teaching Centre) winner in 1999, and 2007 winner Eric Landreville (Club de Golf Belle Vue).

 

Other top 100 players in the field include Scott Allred (Elbow Springs Golf Club); Dean North (Carman Golf Club); Chris Barber (The Landings Golf Course & Teaching Centre); Martin Plante (Club de Golf Balmoral); Daniel Talbot (Centre de Pratique de Golf Sports Montreal); John Hastie (Lively Golf & Country Club); Dan Greenwood (Heron Point Golf Links); Jeff Buder (Point Grey Golf & Country Club); Jeff Chambers (Elmwood Golf & Country Club); Scott Knapp (Tor Hill Golf Course); Bruce Rogerson (Rick Smith Golf Academy at Legends on the Niagara); Paul Schweyer (Idylwylde Golf & Country Club); Chris Learmonth (Deep River Golf Club); Andrew Steep (Glendale Country Club); Chris Wehrle (Whistle Bear Golf Club); Rob Anderson (Kelowna Golf & Country Club); Vincent Cacchione (Whitlock Golf & Country Club); 2005 PGA Seniors' Championship of Canada winner Hocan Olsson (Mount Bruno Country Club); Matt Peavoy (Tamarac Golf & Country Club); Phillippe Mongeau (Club de Golf Terrebonne Inc.); Glen Mills (Assisiniboine Golf Club); Mark Strong (Richmond Country Club); Adam Chamberlain (Gowan Brae Golf Club); Darryl James (National Golf Academy at Shaganappi Golf Club); Kevin Black (Seven Hills Golf & Country Club); Bob Flaro (Club de Golf Rivermead); Geoff Kehler (St. Boniface Golf Club); and Scott Dickson (The Royal Montreal Golf Club).  

 

Competing players are also vying for much coveted ranking points with hopes of moving up the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC. Players who are ranked inside the top 64 following the Titleist & Footjoy PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada earn invites into the 2014 PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas.

 

The Inter-Zone Team Championship, which is comprised of four players per zone (and three scores per team counting), will also be handed out after 36-holes. In 2012,

Ottawa Valley and Quebec tied at 435, however, under the tie breaking procedure, the Ottawa Valley squad-Chris Barber, Marc Foucault (Kingsway Parc Club de Golf), Gunn and Learmonth-took home the title. Team Ontario finished third at 436.  

 

The $85,000 purse Titleist & FootJoy PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada takes place Nov. 17-20 at the PGA Golf Club's Ryder Course. The 90-player field will be cut to the low 70-players (and ties) after completion of the second round.

For first and second tee times, CLICK HERE.

 

To follow the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada online throughout tournament week, visit the PGA of Canada's Twitter feed, YouTube channel,Facebook page and website.