Holborn and Levesque Lead the Pack at the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship

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Holborn and Levesque Lead the Pack at the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship presented by Simmlands Insurance

Beloeil, QC (September 23, 2008) - A frosty first round of the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship got underway today at Club de Golf Beloeil in Beloeil, QC after an hour and a half delay this morning due to frost, leaving five groups to finish their round tomorrow morning after play was suspended due to daylight. Out of 135 of the country’s leading Assistant golf Professionals, Andrew Holborn, of Coppinwood, ON and Dave Levesque of The Country Club, ON currently share the lead with a score of six-under par 65.

Andrew Holborn recorded an outstanding nine birdies today en-route to his 65, including six birdies on the back nine. Holborn comes fresh off a win yesterday at the Ontario PGA Fall Championship at the Bay of Quinte, ON and a heartbreaking second place finish at the PING Ontario PGA Class “A” Championship last week at The Rock Golf Club. “Coming into the round today, I was definitely feeling a bit tired from the past few weeks with the two tournaments and a full work schedule. I wasn’t feeling quite comfortable with my game this morning but the delay allowed me some time to work on some shots and I felt I gained the confidence back.”

Holborn hit 13 greens in regulation and the five greens he missed did not prove to be troublesome for him, leaving accessible shots just off the fringe. “Today I putted very well, made all of the five foot putts and made a lot of the longer key putts that kept my score low, including one 35 footer on the 15th hole,” stated Holborn who placed fourth last year after heading into the final round tied for second place. “I felt very comfortable with this course, as it is very similar to The Briars Golf Club in Newmarket, ON, the course that I grew up playing with complex greens, so I think that added to my success today.”

Dave Levesque had a similar round to Holborn posting a 35 on the front nine and 30 on the back. Levesque notched four birdies and eagled the 11th hole to post a 65 this afternoon. Yesterday, Levesque had to withdraw from the Ontario PGA Fall Championship after the third hole due to falling and spraining his thumb, leaving him questionable for today’s round. “This morning I was unsure if I would be able to play because of my injury, but it only bothered me on the first few shots at impact and was much better after warming up,” stated Levesque who shot a 7-under-64 to set the course record at The Briars Golf Club last week at the Ontario PGA ELITE Apprentice Championship.

“I feel very comfortable at this course as I have played it in the past at a few Quebec PGA events,” states Levesque who shot 63 at the Jane Rogers Canadian Tour event earlier this year, placing fourth. “Today I was extremely precise and accurate with my game, driving straight and not getting overly aggressive with my putting, so tomorrow I will try to maintain the same amount of consistency with my game.”

Darryl James sits one shot behind Holborn and Levesque heading into the second round with a five-under par 66. On his way to a successful first round, James recorded a bogey-free trip around Club de Golf Beloeil by making five birdies. “Today I made a lot of solid putts and hit 15 greens, missing only three fairways,” states the Canadian Tour veteran. “The greens were in excellent shape and definitely rewarded skilled shots while still providing the flexibility and the receptiveness to be aggressive.”

This is James’ third year playing for the National Championship and he is currently competing on the PGA of Alberta Players’ Tour which is comprised of the top 60 players on the Order of Merit. This year James won the Alberta PGA stroke play event and the Order of Merit, setting a new record for money earned.

Just one shot behind James is local favourite, Remi Bouchard of Le Mirage, QC who shot a four-under 67 carding one eagle, three birdies and one bogey through his round, putting him at five-under on the par fives.

Bouchard is no stranger to being at the top of the leader board at this event. Last year he placed second behind champion Eric Couture and won this National title in 1988 in Gallaghers Canyon Kelowna, BC.

“The par fives were the key to my round today,” states Bouchard who leads the 2008 Order of Merit on the Bud Light Tour in Quebec this year, “In contrast to James, I hit my driver much more than I usually do as I have been striking it consistently, and it worked really well for me today on this tight course, especially on the second hole when I lined up my second shot and hit my three iron ten feet from the cup setting myself up for an easy eagle.” Tomorrow, Bouchard is planning on focusing on his putting after leaving four putts short of the cup.

After a delay of an hour and a half due to frost, David Girard-Allard of Ile de Montreal, QC drained the very first shot of the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants' Championship presented by Simmlands Insurance. Cheers were heard throughout the course as the first player off took an early two shot lead after sinking his first ever hole-in-one on the 10th hole par-three.

Club de Golf Beloeil has held many prestigious championships over the years, such as the 1989 and 2005 Canadian Senior Amateur, the 1995 Canadian Lady Amateur and the 1998 Québec Amateur. Beloeil’s course record was set by Canadian PGA Member Olivier Edmond of Quebec when he shot an outrageous 26 on the back nine, holing out twice totalling a record 61 for his round.

The second round of the Assistants’ Championship will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, September 24th with the field cut to 60 plus ties after tomorrow’s round.

It was a successful day on the course for the Alberta (Belbin-72, Black-69, Kureluk-70, James-66) Zone in the InterZone team competition. The InterZone competition is compiled of four players on each team representing the nine Canadian PGA zones. Leading into the final round of the competition, Alberta leads by two shots over the Quebec Zone (Cuthill-69, Bouchard-67, Roy-71, Gunn-73). The score is determined by the calculation of the best three scores in each four man team. The second round of the InterZone competition will continue tomorrow where a winner will be determined. The purse for the InterZone competition is $5000, with $500 going to each player on the winning team, $400 to each player on the second place team, and $350 going to each player on the third place team.

The total purse for the championship is $60,000 with the champion receiving a $9,000 first place cheque.

Due to the threat of frost, the format for tomorrow’s round will be a shotgun start at 12 noon EST for all competitors.

For more information contact:

Erica Duffy
Communications Coordinator
Canadian PGA
erica@cpga.com
800.782.5764 (x234)

Brad Moyer
Manager of Events and Employment
Canadian PGA
brad@cpga.com
800.782.5764 (x227)

About the CPGA:

Established in 1911, the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 3,500 golf professionals across the country with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. The National Office is located in Acton, Ontario with nine Zone Offices across the country. For more information, visit www.cpga.com