Belbin and James Dominate Leaderboard Heading into Final Round
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Belbin and James Dominate Leaderboard Heading into Final Round of Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship
QUEBEC CITY, QC (September 22, 2009) – It’s a good day for Alberta, as Darryl James of National Golf Academy and Mike Belbin of Royal Mayfair Golf Club, AB capture the provincial championship and share the leaderboard heading into the final round of the 2009 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship presented by Simmlands Insurance.
Both at nine-under-par with their combined rounds, Belbin 68-67, and James 67-68, hold a one-stroke lead over Dave Levesque of Rattlesnake Point Golf Club, ON, John McCann of Fairtree Golf Centre, ON, Serge Thivierge of Vallee du Richelieu, QC and Kevin B. Tremblay of Les Dunes, QC.
Belbin posted six birdies and one bogey today, hitting every green and missing two fairways all day. “We were definitely lucky with the draw today, this morning the guys had the unfortunate weather, this afternoon, the conditions were very favourable, although it was a little tough to see because of the fog settling in the last few holes,” stated Belbin who played on the Canadian Tour with full status for five years.
Belbin had a successful year in Alberta placing third on the 2009 PGA of Alberta Players' Tour Overall Earnings list and claiming the 2009 Alberta PGA Match Play Championship, the first event on the Tour. He continued to play solid on the Tour, losing in a playoff in the second event, and then got some devastating news regarding the health of his father, naturally restricting the amount of competitive golf he could play. With all of the low scores posted over the past two rounds, Belbin knows that it is going to be a battle in the final round. “Tomorrow will be a war, because this is the type of course where birdies can be found, and they are there for taking if you want to grab them as long as you keep the ball in play.”
Sharing the lead with Belbin is fellow Alberta teammate Darryl James who is very familiar with the need to keep the ball in play. Whether it was the red eye flight, the intense wind, or just the narrow course bordered by marshes and environmental hazards, James’ first practice round found him searching for 12 lost balls. He quickly shook that out of his system after posting a five-under-par, then four-under-par today for a consistent two day total of nine-under-par 135.
“Today I just took just it one shot at a time, and tried to focus solely on each stroke,” stated 48-year-old James, “I honestly didn’t think my game was in the shape it needed to be in before I got here, so it has been a pleasant surprise over the last few days, but I can tell you that I am working really hard in each round, and it has been pretty mentally draining.”
Tied at eight-under-par and only one shot off the lead are four outstanding competitors all vying for the National championship title.
John McCann of Fairtree Golf Centre in Markham, ON climbed the leaderboard with a solid seven-under-par 65 today to add to his 71 yesterday. It was a turn of events as McCann, who was paired with Bryn Parry and Carl Desjardins, took charge today as opposed to yesterday when he was trailing the group throughout the round. “It was pretty funny, yesterday, I felt like I was playing poorly compared to those guys because they were at six and nine-under and I was fighting to make par,” stated McCann who lost the 2008 Assistants’ Championship in a playoff against Remi Bouchard. “Even when I eagled the 11th hole yesterday, I didn’t get the honours once off the tee the entire day, so we joked this morning after playing the first few holes well that it wasn’t going happen again.”
Past champion, Serge Thivierge of Vallee du Richelieu, QC (1977, 1979, 1980) matched his first round score of 68 today. He battled a dizzy spell on the first three holes, where he lost his focus while standing over his putter. He is looking to add another National championship 29 years later, and claims this may be his last as he looks to attain retired status next year.
Dave Levesque of Rattlesnake Point Golf Club, ON posted a 66 today to add to his first round 70 to include himself in the running for the title. This is a familiar spot for Levesque as he was leading the Championship last year, heading into the final round where he finished tied for third, only one stroke off the playoff. Today, Levesque found the course to be difficult and “was fighting in the corners” to save par after experiencing a few difficult lies in hazards.
Kevin B. Tremblay of Les Dunes, QC posted the low round for the day at 64 to add to his even-par-72 yesterday. Tremblay attributes his stellar play to a consistent driver after taking a few tips from friend and co-competitor Greg Cuthill on the range before his round.
Bryn Parry of Seymour Creek Golf Centre, BC struggled today, finishing with a two-over-par 74 to add to his course record-63 yesterday. “Every time I hit the ball I went left and I ended up in the hazards five times in seven holes just trying to be aggressive,” stated Parry. “Like yesterday, guys will make up eight or nine shots out here on the course, it’s very reachable and guys are going to change places every day.”
The Alberta Zone captured the the InterZone team competition, after competing against each zone across the country. Going into the final round with a two shot lead over Ontario, the Alberta team (Belbin-68,67, Black-68,71, Kureluk-68,70, James-67,68) arrived victorious with a final score of 408 over the Ontario team (Groves-67,72, Levesque-70,66, Maunder-69,72, Smith-69,69) with a total score of 412, and Quebec (Dumouchel -67,70, Houle-76,72, Morin-75,71, Tremblay-75,70) at 428. 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 final round of the championship will take place tomorrow, with 63 players making the cut at 149 or better. The first tee time will commence at 8:42AM with the last group departing at 12 noon. For pairings and results please visit www.cpga.com
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)