Eight Athletes Stand Out at the Assante Optimiste Classic

 

Montréal, June 3, 2024 – Last weekend, Mirabel's Glendale Golf Club was the scene of the 15th Assante Optimist Classic, where eight young athletes took top honours in the various categories presented for the occasion.

Last year's bantam champion, Kate Guo (St-Hyacinthe/Québec team) successfully defended her title this year, winning once again in the bantam category thanks to her two-round total of 156 (+13). Second all day on Saturday, behind Lorie Rosa (Lanaudière), Guo was able to catch up and tie, at first, then to win in a sudden-death playoff.

"It's very special and I'm very proud of myself. It was rather unremarkable in the first round, but I recovered well in the second. I was pretty stressed before the playoff, but it went really well in the end," commented the winner.

In the girls' overall category, Antonia Ho (Ottawa Hunt) won thanks to an exceptional second round and a cumulative score of +2 (145). She was tied with Charlotte Boudreau (Île de Montréal/Québec team) after the first day of activities.

"I'm really happy to wear this medal around my neck. I played two good rounds, but today (Sunday) was particularly good, I played under par for the first time in a tournament!" said Antonia Ho.

In the other girls' categories on the program, Florence Ho (165, Ottawa Hunt) was crowned champion in the pee-wee division, while Amy Ma (88, public golfer) finished first in the mosquito category.

 
 
 

On the boys' side, Thomas Grenier (Thetford) posted a two-round total of -1 (142) to win the first-ever tournament of his career on the provincial scene.

"I made an excellent putt on the last hole which made me very proud. I was pretty confident before the tournament started and everything went really well during the two rounds of the tournament. I think I played very well and I'm happy with my performance," he said.

Arnaud Guimond (147, Vallée du Richelieu) in the bantam category and Adam Lauzon (151, Vallée du Richelieu) in the pee-wee category were also champions of their respective divisions, as was Rafael Dagenais (76, Victoriaville) in the mosquito category.

Several members of the Québec team were also on hand this weekend at the Glendale Golf Club.

 
The top three positions in the overall junior, bantam, and pee-wee divisions of the Assante Optimiste Classic, for boys and girls, will earn an exemption into the NBIII Canadian Championship at Kanawaki on July 29 and 30, 2024. Exemptions will also be granted for the prestigious OPTIMIST International Junior Golf Championship to be held later in the season in Florida. 

The Golf Québec crew now turns its attention to the presentation of the Men's Provincial Match Play Championship presented in collaboration with belairdirect from June 3 to 5 at the Whitlock Golf Club.

Golfers will compete in two divisions: amateurs and seniors.

The competition will first be played in an interclub format in groups of nine players. Each player will face a total of six different opponents, and the two leaders in each group will move on to the next phase, which will be played on a traditional hole-for-hole basis.

While Michel Daneau (Continental) will be defending his title from last year in the senior category, no previous winners will be in action in the amateur division. The door is therefore open to all participants!

Many Thanks to Our Partners

In 2024, Golf Québec is proud to count on the collaboration of belairdirect for the presentation of the Men's and Women's Provincial Tours. In addition, the Golf Québec volunteers, referees, and employees will be dressed by adidas throughout the golf season. Competitors will not be forgotten as TaylorMade will supply them with the official TP5 and TP5X golf balls in the main provincial events.

About Optimiste Golf Junior Région St-Laurent

The mission of the Optimiste Golf Junior Région St-Laurent club is to hold the annual Classic and to develop projects for young golfers. This event is held in partnership with Golf Québec and is financially supported by major sponsor Assante Québec, as well as numerous other sponsors. This qualifying tournament covers all sectors of L'Optimistes Francophones Canadiens, namely: Central Québec, Lower St. Lawrence and Acadia, Lower St. Lawrence - North Shore, Southern Québec, Western Québec, and Eastern Ontario. For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/qcoptimistgolf/home.

About Assante – Wealth Management
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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, to develop excellence in golf, and to promote and govern the game of golf. Golf Québec provides discovery and introduction programs such as First Tee – Premier départ Québec as well as core services such as the Rules of Golf, Course Ratings, World Handicap System, and 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.

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Sources: 

Sandrine Bigras, Competition Director
Cell.: 514 560-7699, sbigras@golfquebec.org
 
Maëlisse Dieuzède-Cophire, Marketing and Communications Manager
Cell.: 514 600-9403, mdieuzedecophire@golfquebec.org