Four Pros Tied for the Lead heading into the Final Round of the Titleist & FootJoy CPGA CPC

Four Pros Tied for the Lead heading into the Final Round of the Titleist & FootJoy CPGA CPC

Four Pros Tied for the Lead heading into the Final Round of the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA (November 18, 2008) – There is a four-way tie heading into the final round of the prestigious 2008 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship. Four revered players are in the hunt for this esteemed National title and exemption into the 2009 RBC Canadian Open. Marc Girouard of St-Sauver, QC, Dean North of Winnipeg, MB, Kyle German of Surrey, BC and Danny King of Milton, ON lead the field with a three-under-par 141 giving them all a two-shot lead over the rest of the field.

The element of wind, speedy greens and complex pin placements sums up the difficult conditions for the participants today. Marc Girouard, Head Professional at Balmoral Club de Golf in Morin Heights, QC entered the second round with a one-over par 73 and posted an outstanding 68 today on the Wanamaker course. “Today I putted very well, other than the trio of three-putts that I had, whenever there was a time that I was in birdie range I made it,” stated Girouard who finished 12 shots below the scoring average today. “I found the conditions to be tough but I feel like I actually played stronger in these tough circumstances. Today I focused on keeping my driver low, because with the winds like this, if you hit it in the rough you will undoubtedly have a tough shot to the hole and the with the greens quite speedy, you need to make sure that you keep the ball on the right side of the slope.”

Tomorrow, the weather is calling for a high of 17 degrees Celsius with strong winds and a slight chance of rain. Girouard believes that there is no guarantee when it comes to the crowning the champion tomorrow. “We are 107 golf professionals, there are no PGA Tour players here and the guys who are competing today don’t play tournament golf everyday so it is never over until the last hole. What happened to me with my low round today could happen to someone else tomorrow, but for now, I am very happy with where I am standing and I am having a lot of fun at the tournament.”

Dean North, Head Professional at Selkirk Golf & Country Club in Selkirk, MB posted a 70 today to add to his 71 yesterday. “It was tough out there today, with the wind and some of those pin placements, the golf course was unrelenting,” stated North. “I kept thinking to myself, if I can just get through this hole with par I will be okay and then I would get to the next hole and think the same thing because the course is such a challenge right now. If you went into today’s round expecting to make birdies then it was going to be a monster of a day, so I had to just keep telling myself that even par is amazing.”

Kyle German, Head Professional at Point Roberts Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, BC is proving he is a force to be reckoned with, firing a 68 to match the low round of the day. In the first round, German shot 73 with seven birdies including a ten on the 18th hole which was his ninth hole of the day. “Today when we stood on the 18th tee we had to have a laugh because of what happened in the first round,” stated German, “I posted a ten yesterday on 18 and a three today, so I felt much more confident birdying the 18th and finishing my round today with this score.” German found that the key to success in the trying conditions was solid ball striking in the approach shot as well as precise reading of the greens. “I felt quite confident with my putter and just focused on enjoying myself out there, I mean I’m in Florida playing golf, and at home it’s raining and cold so I can’t complain.”

Danny King, Head Teaching Professional at The Academy Tee at Magna posted a 72 today adding to his 69 yesterday. “I found that the pins were tricky today,” stated King, the 2005 and 2006 champion, “the wind definitely effected placement of the ball and it was an overall tough day on a tough course. The day just seemed to drag with the cold weather and the tough grind. I think tomorrow will be a bit of a match play event,” stated King, “but I believe you just have to stay patient out there and focus on making the greens and getting the ball tight to the pin.”

The Ontario Zone team (Danny King– 69-72, Matt Peavoy – 71-77, Dan Clark – 68-76, Dan Greenwood – 78-77) had two successful rounds to claim the InterZone team competition, after competing against the eight other zones across Canada. Going into the final, leading by three shots over Alberta, Ontario arrived victorious with a final score of 434 over the British Columbia Zone team 436, and the Quebec Zone team with a total score of 437.

The score for the InterZone competition 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 the field cut from 107 players to 72 players including ties. The first tee time will commence at 7:40AM with the last group departing at 11:30 AM. For pairings and results please visit www.cpga.com

Tonight all participants will enjoy a complimentary barbeque provided by Resort Owners Group, the Official Winter Homes of the Canadian PGA.

The CPC purse is $85,000 and the Champion will receive an exemption into the 2008 Canadian Open to be held at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, ON.

Owned and operated by the PGA of America, The PGA Golf Club is a public facility designed by Tom Fazio with rolling hills, majestic pine trees and challenging water hazards. The course has been selected for numerous awards including the 2004 “Best Places To Play” by Golf Digest. For more information, visit www.pgavillage.com

About Acushnet:

The Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra brands have a tradition of excellence that have always been predicated on providing golfers with quality and performance superior golf equipment. The Canadian PGA Golf Professional has a tradition of excellence devoting their careers to helping golfers improve and enjoy the game. Together, Acushnet and the Canadian PGA Golf Professional share a successful relationship of providing the golfer with best in class products and services. For more information, visit www.titleist.com and www.footjoy.com

About CPGA:

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 Events and Employment
Canadian PGA
brad@cpga.com
800.782.5764 (x227)