Levesque in the Lead with One Round to Play at Titleist & FootJoy CPGA Assistants’ Championship

Levesque in the Lead with One Round to Play at 2008 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship presented by Simmlands Insurance

Beloeil, ON (September 24, 2008) – The second round of the 2008 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship presented by Simmlands Insurance started with a bang as the field headed out at 12 noon in a shotgun format after yesterday’s frost caused five groups to start this morning pushing the second round back. Dave Levesque of The Country Club, ON fired rounds of 65-69 for a two day total of 134 to lead by one shot over Remi Bouchard of Le Mirage, QC, Billy Houle of Joilette, QC and Kevin Black of Mill Woods Golf Club, ON.

Levesque had a solid round today with a total of four bogeys and six birdies. “I felt that my game was much better yesterday than today, because I didn’t putt as well and hardly made any up and downs,” stated Levesque who was the player of the year in the Quebec Zone in 2005. “I haven’t played this course in two years but I feel very confident on this track and it’s nice to be back to play in Quebec.”

Levesque believes the key to his round today was to stay patient in the shotgun format. “It’s my personality to keep calm and tolerant under this type of situation and that type of persistence helped me in the consistency of my game,” states Levesque who is feeling confident heading into the final round with his sprained thumb finally healing.

Three players sit one shot behind Levesque in the hunt for the Canadian PGA National title. Remi Bouchard of Le Mirage, QC carded four birdies and one bogey on the way to his 135 two day total (67-68). “The conditions were great on the course, although early in the round the wind seemed to be swirling and made it difficult to read some shots,” states Bouchard who is leading the 2008 Order of Merit on the Bud Light Tour in Quebec this year. “The wind really affected me on 12 where I hit it well over the green and then two putted which pushed me back to three-under.” Bouchard is once again heading into the final round in second place which is the same position he was in last year at the 2007 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Assistants’ Championship. “Tomorrow is anyone’s game, the guys I am competing against in the top five are fairly young, and so I’m hoping my experience will somehow give me an advantage in the final round.”

Billy Houle of Joliette, QC is also looking to win his first Canadian PGA National title with opposite rounds of Bouchard carding a 68-67 over the two days. “Today was a grind out there, but I don’t get too fired up in tough situations which sets me at an advantage,” states Houle who is having a successful year on the Quebec PGA Bud Light Tour. “Even though I played stronger yesterday, my short game was the key to my success today, and it has been extremely strong this year, so I just had to focus on keeping my ball in play and allow my short game to excel.” Houle is looking to once again showcase his stellar play in the last pairing tomorrow, “I am very excited for the final round as this championship has been a lot of fun for me with such a strong field and National title at stake.”

Kevin Black of Mill Woods Golf Club, AB also had a strong showing, shooting the lowest round (66) of the day today building on his 69 in the first round. “Today I played very similar to yesterday but I carded two eagles on the back nine which helped with the confidence,” stated Black who won the 2007 Match Play Championship in the Alberta Zone. “I hit my four iron better than I have in weeks today on 11 and had a 20 foot putt for eagle and then on 17 hit a strong drive then a three wood finishing the round with a 30 foot putt almost in the dark,” states Black. Tomorrow Black will play in the final pairing with Levesque and Houle and is looking to stay consistent and shoot once again in the 60’s while working on draining the 10 foot putts that have been giving him a difficult time this week.

Quebec continues to have a great day, not only having two players in the top three but also winning the InterZone team competition, after competing against each zone across the country. Going into the final round two shots behind Alberta, the Quebec team (Cuthill 69-69, Bouchard 67-68, Roy 71-68, Gunn 73-72) arrived victorious with a final score of 412 over the Alberta team (Belbin 72-72, James 66-71, Black 69-66, Kureluk 70-78) with a total score of 414, and Ontario (Bogle 75-67, Millage 72-68, McCann 69-69, King 74-70) at 419. 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 65 players making the cut at 149 or better. The first tee time will commence at 8:33AM with the last group departing at 12:00 noon. For pairings and results please visit www.cpga.com

Club de Golf Beloeil has held many prestigious championships over the years, such as the 1989 and 2005 Canadian Senior Amateur, the 1995 Canadian Lady Amateur and the 1998 Québec Amateur. Beloeil’s back nine record was set by Canadian PGA Member Olivier Edmond of Quebec when he shot an outrageous 26, holing out twice totalling a stellar 61 for his round.

The total purse for the championship is $60,000 with the champion receiving a $9,000 first place cheque.
Weather: Sunny and 24 degrees

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)

About the 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