Parry Breaks Course Record in First Round of the Titleist & FootJoy CPGA Assistants’ Championship

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Parry Breaks Course Record in First Round of the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship

QUEBEC CITY, QC (September 21, 2009) - Bryn Parry of Seymour Creek Golf Centre in North Vancouver, B.C. broke the course record by two strokes and has a commanding four-shot lead over the strong field heading into the second round of the 2009 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship presented by Simmlands Insurance.

The two-time Canadian PGA Assistant champion (1999, 2005) posted an incredible flawless round of seven birdies and one eagle en route to his 63 at Golf de la Faune in Quebec City, QC. At the turn, Parry was two-under-par and trying to match the remarkable play of his fellow competitor Carl Desjardins who had posted five birdies through the first seven holes. On the back nine, Parry excelled when he birdied the 10th, eagled the 11th, birdied the 12th, then 14th, and finally the 17th and 18th holes finishing with an outstanding 29 on the back nine. This feat almost matched his final round back nine of 28 last year at the same Championship in Beloeil, QC (finished T10 2008).

“Playing with guys like Carl in your group and collectively making four eagles between the three of us is such a help to your game because you watch each other hit perfect shots which in turn forces you to make the same adjustments in your game,” stated Parry who won the PGA of BC Pro-Assistant Championship earlier this year.

Parry has had an outstanding year on the Vancouver Golf Tour with four major wins this season, the Nickel Heating Open, the Chilliwack Open, the RBC Invitational Pro-am and the Vancouver Open. With his success on the Vancouver Tour, it has earned him the year-end title and a bonus $5,000 (U.S.) to pay his entry to the 2009 PGA Tour Qualifying School this October.

“I wish I could go play my second round right now,” stated a giddy Parry who could have left his wedges back at the hotel today. “I didn’t miss any greens and didn’t chip at all which is always a great feeling. I think I had one putt of ten feet on the fringe to save par, but the rest were tap ins.”

It seems that Parry’s game is hitting a hot streak after posting scores of 65 three times and 66 twice in the last three weeks with friends. “This is no doubt my best score posted in a tournament, but I know I can’t slip up tomorrow, I have to go full steam ahead or guys will catch up pretty quickly, I have to play the full 54 holes to my limit,” stated Parry who played on the Nationwide Tour in 2007.

Brian Groves of Kaneff Golf Academies in Ontario, Darryl James of National Golf Academy in Alberta and Vincent Dumouchel of La Prairie in Quebec are four shots behind Parry at five-under-par 67 heading into the final round.
Groves had a successful season in Ontario this year winning the 2009 Ontario PGA Assistants’ Spring Championship and is currently sitting tied for third position on the Order or Merit rankings. He carded seven birdies and two bogeys today en route to his 67. “I started off the day pretty well with five birdies on the front nine because the conditions were more than favourable this morning with no wind and clear skies, so I was able to take advantage of that.”

Dumouchel is a force to be reckoned with this year in the Quebec Zone. He is the leader on Tour in the Order of Merit and his target is to make $20,000 this September, a goal which seems to be in sight for the 25 year old. This month he has already won the match play event at $10,000, and the Taylor Made Carte Kose Championship at $4,000. He is currently leading on the money list and looks like a shoe-in for the Player of Excellence Award in Quebec for 2009.

Darryl James seemed to be surprised at his 67 today after having suffering some difficulty with his back before arriving in Quebec. “I definitely got everything out of that round that I possibly could,” laughed James, I really didn’t hit it well, but I scrambled and was able to sink some putts which saved me,” stated James who has had a solid year in Alberta and is currently third on the Order of Merit rankings.

The second round of the Assistants’ Championship will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22nd with the field cut to 60 plus ties after tomorrow’s round.

It was a successful day on the course for the Alberta (Belbin-68, Black-68, Kureluk-70, James-67) Zone in the InterZone team competition. The InterZone competition is compiled of four players on each team representing the nine Canadian PGA zones. Heading into the final round of the competition tomorrow, Alberta leads by two shots over the Ontario Zone (Groves-67, Levesque-70, Maunder-69, Smith-69).

The score is determined by the calculation of the best three scores in each four man team. 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.
Golf de la Faune, a links’ style course, is set in an astonishing natural environment. With eight water hazards, 45 sand traps, and oversized greens, the course will be pose a difficult challenge to the top Assistant professionals across the country.

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 (x234)

Brad Moyer
Manager of Tournaments
Canadian PGA
brad@cpga.com
800.782.5764 (x227)