Laura Bavaird Hangs on to Win the 2010 Canadian PGA Women’s Championship pres.by NIKE Golf
- Kim 3rd & Sherlock 11th in Professional Debuts -
BURLINGTON, ON (August 18, 2010) – On a day where the biggest workout may have come from the volunteers manning the leaderboard, Laura Bavaird of Grosse Ile, MI sealed the deal with a 4-foot par putt to win the 2010 Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented by NIKE Golf by a single shot over close friend Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, CA at Burlington Golf & Country Club.
Click here for final round scores and earnings.
An unbelievable day that saw lead change after lead change and charges made by girls that started the day well back of the final group, culminated with Bavaird rolling in the longest 4-foot putt of her entire life in front of the gallery stationed on the patio at Burlington G&CC. The first professional victory for the Futures Tour Player earns her a much needed cheque of $12,000 and an exemption into the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open on the LPGA Tour.
“It’s been quite a whirlwind kind of a day, I was up and down like a roller coaster on the front nine but I played steady golf after the turn and made par on every hole on the back nine,” stated Bavaird, who jumped in her car with runner-up Ferrero to Portland, OR as she will caddy for Ferrero in this weekend’s LPGA Tour event. “I can’t believe I haven’t played in this event before, everything was amazing from start to finish and I’m already looking forward to coming back to defend my Canadian PGA title next year.”
Ferrero finishes alone in second and made things very interesting for the final hole after she made one of the only birdies of the day on the 17th hole that runs alongside Lake Ontario. The LPGA Tour player made a great par save on the final green to put the pressure on her friend and upcoming caddy. After Bavaird rolled in her putt for the win, Ferrero was the first one there to give her a high five and a big hug. Ferrero took home $7,000 and said she will be back each and every year to the Canadian PGA Championship going forward after enjoying her first experience so much.
Seema Sadekar of Toronto finished in a tie for 3rd at 2-under par for the championship with defending champion Jessica Shepley of Oakville, ON and newly turned professional Sue Kim of Langley, BC. Sadekar actually had a share of the lead midway through the round thanks to a hot start that was likely fuelled by the home crowd that was rooting her on. After birdies on the 1st and the 3rd and Bavaird’s double bogey on the 4th hole, Sadekar had vaulted herself into the lead quicker than she even imagined.
“I started off so strong that I thought today was going to be my day and it was so much fun with the way the crowd was pulling for me,” said Sadekar, who will play in next week’s CN Canadian Women’s Open followed by a European Ladies Tour Event in India. “I’m going to keep being positive and I struggled a bit with my fairway woods on the back nine so I’ll work on that before I head to Winnipeg.”
Shepley had one of the biggest galleries of the day supported by local family and friends and had them buzzing as she made her way around the clubhouse with birdies on 10, 11 & 12 to join Bavaird and Sadekar at 4-under par for the Championship. A bogey on the very difficult 17th hole left Shepley with a final round score of 3-under par 68 and in a tie for 3rd.
Kim makes a significant splash in her professional debut after a great round of 2-under par 69 on Wednesday. With one of the sharpest short game’s in Canadian women’s golf, Kim reeled off five birdies and three bogies and made a terrific par save on the 18th hole to put a few more bucks in her pocket. Kim said her first career paycheque is one she will always remember.
Sadekar, Shepley and Kim all took home $4,166.67 for their strong play.
Andree Lapierre, Canadian PGA Professional at the Toronto Hunt Club, took home the Low Club Professional hardware after finishing in a tie for 13th place. She took home $1,390.00 and holds bragging rights until 2011.
17-year-old Augusta James of Bath, ON fired a final round 68 to take home Low Amateur honours. The former Ontario Bantam Champion and 2010 Ontario Junior Girls Champion is definitely a player to watch in the next few years.
Team Canada graduate Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, ON finished alone in 11th place and took home $2,000 for her first cheque as a professional golfer.
The $70,000 Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented by NIKE Golf is a 36-hole Championship and is kicked off by the Simmlands Insurance Pro-Am.
The 2011 Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented by NIKE Golf will be held at Bayview Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, ON during the Canadian PGA’s Centennial Year.
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
About Nike Golf Canada:
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For more information contact:
Jeff Dykeman
Director of Business Development & Brand
Canadian PGA
800.782.5764 ext 232
jeff@cpga.com
Adam LeBrun
Tournament Director
Canadian PGA
800.782.5764 ext 227
adam@cpga.com