Billy Walsh Wins PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy

Billy Walsh Wins PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy

(Saskatoon, SK) September 12, 2013 – Billy Walsh of Markham, ON made a birdie on the first playoff hole against Lindsay Bernakevitch of Richmond, BC to win the 2013 PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FooJoy at The Willows Golf & Country Club in Saskatoon, SK.

Walsh fired a final round 4-under par 68 that including a timely eagle on the par-4 17th and a clutch par on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Bernakevitch at 12-under par for the championship.

Click here to view the final round leaderboard.

“This is awesome, it hasn’t sunk in yet but it was really fun to have my friends here from Ontario cheering for me on the 18th green,” said Walsh, who finished runner-up at the 2013 PGA Championship of Canada earlier this summer. “I was hitting good shots all day and kept grinding it out and I finally made some putts when I needed to.”

Walsh and Bernakevitch went back to the tee on the difficult 18th at The Willows for the playoff and both players found the 1st cut of rough on the right hand side. Bernakevitch knocked his approach to 12-feet to the left of the hole while Walsh hit it 15-feet below the cup. Walsh calmly walked up and drained the birdie putt in front of the crowd and was crowned the champion when Bernakevitch’s putt just slid by the cup on the left hand side.

Halpen, who lead the championship for the majority of the back nine, stepped to the 18th tee with a one shot lead after driving the 17th green and two-putted for birdie. He leaked his tee shot into the right trees and tried to hit a big fade from 190 yards that flew over the green and bounced out of bounds. He knocked his next shot short into the water hazard before finally tapping in for a quadruple bogey 8 for a 1-over par 73, finishing the championship in 5th place.

2013 PGA Champion of Canada Bryn Parry of North Vancouver, BC missed a 5-footer for par on the 18th green to join Walsh and Bernakevitch in the playoff and finished in a tie for 3rd with Greg Machtaler of Summerland, BC.

Jeff Graham of Lloydminster, AB had the shot of the day after making a hole-in-one on the 210-yard par-3 15th hole. Graham fired a final round 4-under par 68 to finish in a tie for 9th overall.

The $60,000 PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy takes place Sept. 9-12 and is contested over 54-holes (with a 36-hole cut to the low 60-players and ties).

To follow the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Titleist & FootJoy online throughout tournament week, visit the PGA of Canada’s Twitter feed, YouTube channel, Facebook page and website.

-30-

For more information:

Jeff Dykeman
Director of Business Development & Brand
647-400-4460
jeff@pgaofcanada.com

Adam LeBrun
Managing Director of Championships & Events
519-853-5450 EXT. 227
adam@pgaofcanada.com

About the PGA of Canada-THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE GAME OF GOLF: Established in 1911, the PGA of Canada is the second oldest and third largest professional golf association in the world. The PGA of Canada is a non-profit association comprised of 3,700 golf professionals across the country. The association's mandate is to develop, promote and support our members as experts in the game and business of golf and, in so doing, serve both its members' needs and those of the golfing public through the Association's varied programs and events. The association consists of the national office located in Acton, Ont., and nine zone offices across the country.