A First Round Signed by Ryan Gerard
Joey Savoie, Brandon Lacasse and Francis Tanguay stand out among Quebecers
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Blainville, August 4, 2022 – The first round of the Québec Open went to Ryan Gerard on Thursday at Club de golf Le Blainvillier. The American shot a -7 (65) to take the lead in the provisional overall ranking of the tournament, which will continue until Sunday.
"I was patient on the course today. It was a little rainy and windy, so I took my time picking my spots to attack," said the Raleigh, North Carolina native, who has been successful on the course of the Laurentians area.
"I had to make the right decisions at the right times, and I followed my game plan to the T. In the end, I was able to execute at the right times and things worked out in my favour."
The 22-year-old will have to keep an eye on several of his rivals, including fellow Americans Mitchell Schow, Van Holmgren and Bryce Hendrix, who are tied for second place at just one stroke off the lead (66).
Québec's Joey Savoie will also be a player to keep an eye on in the second round on Friday. Buoyed by the energy of the crowd and his friends and family who came out for the occasion, the Pinegrove golfer started his tournament strong and is currently tied for eighth place at -4 (68).
"There was a lot of energy, so much energy supporting me this morning! I was very excited to be able to play a tournament so close to home and I really started off with a bang. I could see the lines well and I was able to take several shots off par on the front nine. It gave me confidence," explained the player who plans to keep the same strategy on Friday.
"The mindset is to take it one shot at a time and to focus on the moment. I was playing well, but I still made some mistakes. It happens quickly and that's what golf is all about. Fortunately, I was able to finish my day with a birdie and I'm motivated for tomorrow.”
Brandon Lacasse's -4 (68) also puts him in the top-10 of the leaderboard. "I played really well all day and almost never missed the fairway on my tee shots. It gave me good opportunities for birdies, but the putts just wouldn't sink," said the Knowlton golfer, who is brimming with ambition for the rest of the event.
"My preparation for the tournament has been excellent and I know that if I continue to play like this, I am capable of moving up the leaderboard. I can't wait to play again in a few hours!"
Francis Tanguay is another one who recorded a good performance in the opening round of this 88th edition of the Québec Open. Called in at the last minute due to a withdrawal, the golfer and General Manager of Club Triangle d'Or quickly shook off the rust before wrapping up his day at -3 (69).
"I really didn't have any expectations," admitted the player, who is currently tied for 19th place, wearing a smile at the end of the day.
"It's been nearly eight years since I last competed in a tournament! I made a double bogey early at the beginning of the round and my level of stress dropped down. Then I relaxed and took advantage of my many years of experience as a member of Le Blainvillier to finish with a good round. Now I’ll have to keep doing the same thing to get to the weekend rounds.”
There are 14 other golfers from the province participating in the Québec Open this week. Of these, Étienne Papineau (Pinegrove, 70) and Hugo Bernard (Club Laval-sur-le-lac, 70) are in the top-60 after the first day of activities.
The 156 participants will return to Club de golf Le Blainvillier early Friday morning to play the second round, after which a cut to the top 60 and ties will be made to advance to Saturday and Sunday.
The Golf Québec team would like to thank its partners belairdirect, Bolloré, Cruise, DHC Avocats, Enviro Connexions, Labatt, Mana Yerba Maté, Groupe immobilier Mathieu Ménard inc., MD Financial, and Snack Pow. They made the week's activities and this world-class competition possible this week at the Blainvillier.
About Golf Québec – Initiate passions, build dreams
Founded in 1920, Golf Québec is the provincial sport federation whose mission is to increase participation in golf and develop excellence. Some of Golf Québec’s core services include the Golf in Schools Program, First Tee as well as Get Linked initiatives, the Introduction Tour, Junior Golf Development Centres (JGDC), Rules of Golf, World Handicap System, course rating services, Golf Fore the Cure, as well as the Québec Golf Hall of Fame. In addition, Golf Québec conducts regional and provincial championships to bring the local golf enthusiasts to surpass themselves and eventually reach the upper spheres of professional tours. For more information, please visit https://www.golfquebec.org/en/.
About the Québec Open
Golf Québec has been the promoter of the Québec Open since 2019 and has paid out over $300,000 in prize money. This event is part of the PGA TOUR Canada. Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who is currently ranked 99th in the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, won the first edition in 2019. For more information, please visit https://www.omniumduquebec.com/en/index.html.
About Club de golf Le Blainvillier
Located in the northern suburbs of Montréal, in the heart of an immense natural wooded area, Le Blainvillier is a 36-hole private golf club with a solid reputation. With two championship courses offering exceptional playing conditions, the Royal and the Héritage, Le Blainvillier is a great challenge for golf enthusiasts of all levels. Designed by architect Graham Cooke, Le Blainvillier opened its doors on May 18, 1991, under the direction of professional Raymond Richer. In 2004, Le Blainvillier was designated as a Centre d'entraînement de l'élite des juniors du Québec (CEP). For more information, please visit http://www.golfblainvillier.com/.
About PGA TOUR Canada
FORTINET CUP: The season-long points chase mirrors the competitive structure of the points-based competitions on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. Through the sponsorship, the Fortinet Cup offers a new $100,000 player bonus pool—with $25,000 to the winner—to the top Fortinet Cup points-winners. The top-five Fortinet Cup points-earners gain membership to the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour, while Korn Ferry Tour benefits are available to those finishing sixth through 10th. In addition, the Fortinet Cup winner will also be exempt into the PGA TOUR’s 2023 RBC Canadian Open. For more information, please visit https://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us.html.
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Sources:
Sara Wright, PGA TOUR Communications
Cell.: 719 310-2606, sarawright@pgatourhq.com
Jay Fawler, PGA TOUR Canada Communications
Cell.: 519 817-7336, jayfawler@pgatourintl.ca
Éric Couture, Golf Québec Competition Director
514 252-3345, ext. 3394 – Cell.: 514 269-3054 – ecouture@golfquebec.org