Gord Burns makes 11 birdies on Tuesday to lead PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by GOLFTEC
Burns’ 62 leads Hendershott by one at Parcours du Vieux Village
Interview with the leaders can be found here
After turning 50 late last year, Gord Burns wasted little time showing what he is made of to the rest of the field at the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by GOLFTEC, making 11 birdies on his way to an opening-round 62.
“It started out right, hitting it to three feet on one and I was five under through the first six,” said Burns, who’s last PGA of Canada National Championship title came at the 2019 PGA Head Professional Championship. “There are a lot of par 5s the first 7 holes, so you really want to get on the right side of par early and I’m honestly really happy with how it went.”
Burns, who runs his own golf school in Holland Landing, Ontario, near Newmarket, may have taught his students plenty on Tuesday if they were watching; not settling for a good round, but working hard to put something special together.
“I’ve shot low before, so I tried to ride the momentum and not really think about score,” said Burns. “But I was feeling good today and the shots were going where I wanted them to go and I just tried to make some putts.”
Meanwhile, Dennis Hendershott, who won the 2021 PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by GOLFTEC at the same golf course, came out hot and was six-under in his first six holes; he narrowly missed a 10-foot eagle look that would have matched Burns on the last hole.
“Getting off to the start I did, getting some momentum, and making a bomb on the par 5, fifth, up the hill… This golf course you know you can shoot a low number but you have to be patient in case you don’t get off to a good start,” said Hendershott.
Meanwhile, just one win away from matching Moe Norman’s record of eight PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada titles, Jim Rutledge fired 30 on his back nine to record an opening-round 66 to sit four back. Rutledge is tied with Graham Gunn, who picked up his record 12th PGA of Ottawa Seniors’ Championship title earlier this month.
Last year’s champ Alan McLean is in contention once again, firing an opening-round 67 to sit in a tie with Scott Allred, Martin Plante and Parcours du Vieux Village Head Professional Marc Hurtubise.
Sylvie Schetagne also put together a great round on Tuesday, making six birdies to shoot an opening-round 69.
The fifth hole this week has been deemed our ‘E-Z-GO It’s Good to Go Hole of the Week’. Anybody who makes eagle will be put into a draw for $250 cash. Dennis Hendershott has the lone eagle on the hole after the first round.
Second round tee times begin at 8 AM ET on Wednesday.