Laura Bavaird Shoots 65 to Lead the Canadian PGA Women's Championship pres. by NIKE Golf
- Kim 5th & Sherlock 12th in Professional Debuts -
BURLINGTON, ON (August 17, 2010) – On a blustery day at the picturesque Burlington Golf & Country Club, Laura Bavaird of Grosse Ile, MI kept her golf ball under control and leads by three shots over Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, CA after a brilliant 6-under par 65 in the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented by NIKE Golf.
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Steady crowds followed a number of groups all day but the place to be was on the beautiful patio overlooking the challenging finishing holes at Burlington G&CC.
Bavaird is playing in Canada for the first time and did so thanks to the encouragement of her friends from the Futures Tour. Bavaird did not have time to play a practice round and had to play the course blind. It didn’t seem to matter though as she stormed out of the gates with five birdies on her first ten holes and followed it up with two more on her final eight holes. Her only blemish of the day was a bogey on the par-3 11th hole.
“Making that birdie on the final hole in front of the gallery was a pretty sweet way to finish up a great round,” said Bavaird, the 2007 & 2008 Michigan Women’s Amateur Champion. “I heard some great things about the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship from other Futures Tour players and I sure am glad that I listened to them.”
Current LPGA Tour Member Lisa Ferrero of Lodi, CA took advantage of the front nine with five birdies on her first seven holes to jump to the top of the leaderboard on www.cpga.com . She cooled off a bit on the back nine with bogies on the 16th and 18th holes to finish at 3-under par 68. Ferrero is no stranger to major championships and has a national title under her belt – the 2000 US Junior Girls Championship run by the USGA.
Seema Sadekar of Toronto, ON is the leading Canadian after a 2-under par 69 on Tuesday and will play in the final group tomorrow with Bavaird and Ferrero. The Big Break Alumni and current native of Las Vegas, NV played smooth golf all day, recording three birdies, one bogey and fourteen pars.
“I played really steady golf all day, lots of fairways and greens,” stated Sadekar, who will tee it up in her 3rd career CN Canadian Women’s Open next week in Winnipeg, MB. “It would mean everything to win this Canadian PGA National Championship, I’ve been inconsistent all year but I would love to change that tomorrow.”
Defending Champion Jessica Shepley of Oakville, ON failed to convert the birdie opportunities on the front nine that all of the leaders took advantage off. She returned to the clubhouse at Burlington G&CC with a final score of 1-over par 72 and hopes to make a charge up the leaderboard before the final groups tee off.
Team Canada graduates Sue Kim of Langley, BC and Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, ON fired rounds of 71 and 73 respectively in their professional debuts. Kim played steady golf all day with two birdies and two bogies and sits in a tie for 5th place heading into the final round. Sherlock was near the top of the leaderboard early but stumbled on the back nine with a 4-over par 38 and sits in a tie for 12th place.
“It really didn’t feel all that different playing as a pro today, it was just another round of golf,” said Kim, who along with Sherlock will play next week in the CN Canadian Women’s Open on the LPGA Tour. “I’m excited for tomorrow though as I’m sure it will feel really different when I win some money for the first time and I hope it’s as much as possible.”
The Low Canadian PGA Club Professional is Andree Lapierre of the Toronto Hunt Club. Lapierre is at even-par after an impressive 71 in the late afternoon winds. She would have been even lower if it wasn’t for a double bogey on the 18th hole.
The final group will tee off at 12 noon EST.
The $70,000 Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented but NIKE Golf event was kicked off by the Simmlands Insurance Pro-Am on Monday and will conclude with the final 18 holes of stroke play tomorrow.
The winner of the 2010 Canadian PGA Women’s Championship will take home the $12,000 first place cheque and earn an exemption into the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open.
The Canadian PGA Women’s Championship presented by NIKE Golf is free for spectators to attend. For directions, please visit the Burlington Golf & Country Club website at: http://www.burlingtongolfclub.com/index.cfm?ID=78
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:
Based in Thornhill, Ontario, Nike Golf Canada markets, sells and distributes industry leading Nike Golf equipment, apparel, balls, footwear, bags and accessories throughout Canada. Nike Golf is passionately dedicated to honouring and respecting the traditions and heritage of the game, and to providing committed golfers with the best equipment in the game. For more information on Nike Golf Canada, visit www.nikegolf.ca
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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