Jim Rutledge Wins Mr. Lube - Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship presented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon

(Milton, ON) July 8, 2010 - Champions Tour player Jim Rutledge of Victoria, BC put the finishing touches on his record setting performance with a final round 2-under-par 70 to win the Mr. Lube – Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship presented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon by a whopping ten shots over Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Dave Barr of Westbank, BC.

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After establishing a new course record at RattleSnake Point on Wednesday with a 10-under-par 62, Rutledge capped off the National Championship by breaking the overall tournament record with his 17-under-par total for three days. The previous record in the Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship was 12-under-par for 54 holes.



“I really wanted to come here to see some great friends and play in this event for the first time with the new sponsors and on a great golf course,” said Rutledge, who picked up $10,000 dollars for the victory and will now hop on a plane and fly to Winnipeg for the Player’s Cup on the Canadian Tour next week. “It was a fabulous week from start to finish and the Canadian PGA did a fantastic job of organizing and running this Championship.”

Rutledge is a rookie on the Champions Tour in 2010 with conditional status. He’s played well enough to qualify for five events on the Seniors’ circuit and currently sits 71st on the Champions Tour Money List with $82,550 in earnings. His victory adds a second Canadian PGA National Championship to his resume with the 1984 Canadian PGA Championship being his first.

“Winning a National Championship like this gives me some great momentum and confidence to keep it going on the Champions Tour,” said Rutledge, who is expected to get into the US Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club in a few weeks time. “I played with Mr. Lube President Stuart Suls in the Pro-Am and after raising some great money for Prostate Cancer and seeing Stuart’s commitment to this event it seemed like the entire week started off on the right foot.”

Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Dave Barr tried to put some early pressure on Rutledge with birdies on the 1st, 2nd and 5th holes but after another birdie on the 11th hole he had a couple of hiccups on the way in with bogeys on the way in. His final round score of 2-under-par 70 and 209 total was good enough to secure second place by himself while Champions Tour player Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, ON finished alone in 3rd place after a final round score of 70. Barr picked up $4,000 while Spittle grabbed $2,500 in earnings.

Rick Willan of Markham, ON and Ken Tarling of Sanford, ON rounded out the top five as the two studs of the Ontario PGA Senior circuit finished with a 54-hole total of 2-under-par 214.

Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Bob Panasik of Windsor, ON rebounded from his playoff loss yesterday in the Super Seniors Division to shoot 73 in the final round and finish alone in 8th position. “Not bad for a guy that’s 68 years old, eh” joked Panasik.

In the Super Seniors Division that wrapped up on Wednesday Don Green of Thornbury, ON outlasted Panasik after making par on the first playoff hole.

Bobby Breen of Brampton, ON adds the Diamond Division title to his very large trophy case after firing rounds of 73-76 to win by six shots over Don Renaud of Ottawa, ON.

The $50,000 Mr. Lube - Canadian PGA Seniors’ Championship presented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon is a three-day, 54-hole individual stroke play event. The Super Seniors’ (60 and older) and Diamond (70 and older) divisions was contested over 36 holes in two days.

Notes:

- Mike Newman of London, ON made a hole in one on the 162-yard 15th hole in the final round

- Spittle and Dave Bell of Windsor, ON qualified for the US Senior Open while Rutledge and Daryl Stubbs of South Delta, BC are currently alternates.

- The Copperhead course at RattleSnake Point was set up at 6,900 yards by the Canadian PGA National Championship Team

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.

For more information contact:

Adam LeBrun
Tournament Director
Canadian PGA
416.886.4819
adam@cpga.com  

Jeff Dykeman
Director of Business Development & Brand
Canadian PGA
1.800.782.5764 ext 232
jeff@cpga.com  

Georgia Dahle
Director, Corporate Communications
Mr. Lube Canada
Phone: 604 418 4755
gdahle@mrlube.com  

About the Canadian PGA:

Established in 1911 and the second oldest professional golf association in the world, the Canadian Professional Golfers' Association is a non-profit Association comprised of 3,600 golf professionals across the country. The Association’s mandate is to develop, promote and support our Members as experts in the game and business of golf and, in so doing, serve both its Members’ needs and those of the golfing public through the Association’s varied programs and events. The Association consists of the National Office located in Acton, Ontario and nine Zone Offices across the country. For more information please visit www.cpga.com  

About Mr. Lube:

Mr. Lube Canada is Canada’s leading quick lube provider in the routine automotive maintenance service category with 101 locations across Canada. Founded in 1976, Mr. Lube Canada has served over 34 million customers in its 34 year history. Headquartered in Delta, BC, the company also has a regional office in Mississauga, Ontario to support its national franchise network. For more information visit www.mrlube.com