Jarvis Takes the Lead in First Round of Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship
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Jarvis Takes the Lead in First Round of Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship
- Unfortunate event leads to disqualification of three top contenders -
OTTAWA, ON (July 9, 2009) – The first round of the Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship got underway at The Marshes Golf Club in Kanata, ON today with Norm Jarvis leading the pack at three-under-par 69 holding a one stroke lead over Ray Stewart, Craig Marseilles and Hocan Olsson heading into the second round.
Jarvis posted five birdies and two bogeys on his journey through The Marshes. “I was never really into any trouble today,” stated Jarvis, former Champions Tour professional, “the golf course is in good condition and a bit wet, so if you keep your ball in the fairway, you are in good shape because you can take advantage of not rolling into the rough and can be a bit more aggressive with your shots.”
“The greens are a little soft with the recent rain and at times they can be a little tricky, as they don’t break as much as they appear to, so I tend to miss high if I approach them with a firm stroke,” stated Jarvis who recently played in the Canadian Tour City of Surrey Invitational. Although Jarvis mentioned putting was his weakest point in his game today, he did make some key 10 and 25 foot putts to save par and claim the top of the leaderboard.
“It’s a strong field out there and one of the best Canadian senior fields I have seen in a while. This is my first year playing in the event and it is great to see some old faces,” stated Jarvis who attempted to qualify for the US Senior Open last week finishing T4.
In a bizarre turn of events, a past champion, defending champion and a strong contender for the National title were disqualified after teeing it up on the improper deck, resulting in disqualification. Local favourite and past champion Graham Gunn (’06), defending champion Yvan Beauchemin (’08) and Champions Tour player Rod Spittle, were disqualified after they played the 5th hole (their 14th of the day due to crossover tee time) from the wrong tees, only noticing their error after hitting their tee shots on the 6th hole.
“The group didn’t rectify the error of teeing off from the wrong deck before they moved to the next hole, so once they teed off from the next teeing ground, they ruling is they were disqualified,” stated George Spare, Senior Rules Official. “Had they rectified the error before teeing off on the next teeing ground, they would have had a two stroke penalty. It’s truly a disappointment that we lost three marquee players due to this unfortunate event.” It was Graham Gunn who realized the error after the group teed off on the following hole. He then called the rules official for the appropriate ruling and then found out the entire group was disqualified.
In the Diamond Division (70 + years of age), Douglas Sullivan of Indian Mountain, NB fired a very impressive one-over-par 73 to lead by eight shots over defending champion Don Renaud of Kanata, ON. Past champion Ken Fulton of Port Hope, ON posted a one-over par 73 and leads the Super Senior division by one stroke over Barry Laphen of Ottawa, ON and John Irwin of Summerside, PEI.
The second round of the championship will take place tomorrow. The first tee time will commence at 7:30AM with the last group departing at 9:00AM, in a crossover fashion. For pairings and results please visit www.cpga.com
The $25,000 Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship is a three-day, 54-hole individual stroke play event. The Super Seniors’ (60 and older) and Diamond (70 and older) divisions are contested over 36 holes in two days.
The event is free for spectators to attend. For directions, please visit The Marshes Golf Club website: http://www.brookstreethotel.com/golf/index.htm
The Marshes Golf Club is one of the premier golf destinations and leading corporate-play facility in the National Capital Region. The Robert Trent Jones II design opened for public play in 2001 and has garnered many accolades. The 7,027-yard course includes six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s.
Tournament History:
The Canadian PGA Seniors Championship was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the Seniors’ Championship became an independent event and has stayed that way ever since. Among the Canadian golf legends to win this championship are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman, Bob Panasik and Al Balding. Norman won this championship a record seven straight years from 1979 to 1985 while Balding stunned the golf world by winning the championship at age 76 in 2000.
About the Canadian PGA:
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
For more information contact:
Erica Duffy
Communications Coordinator
Canadian PGA
erica@cpga.com
800.782.5764
Brad Moyer
Manager of Tournaments
Canadian PGA
brad@cpga.com
800.782.5764 (x227)