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Under pressure, William Duquette is crowned at the Duke of Kent (right)
Christophe Sylvain earned the André Gagné trophy for best player from the Québec City area (left)

Québec City, July 6, 2021 – William Duquette will leave the 87th Duke of Kent tournament wearing the famous plaid jacket, an event of the Men’s Provincial Tour presented in collaboration with belairdirect. Leading after the first round, the Club Laval-sur-le-Lac golfer managed to avoid a playoff and beat defending champion Christophe Sylvain by a single shot to win this Tuesday at the Royal Québec Golf Club.

"I feel great! Obviously, winning is always fun and it's been a long time since I won a tournament. To finally win one feels good," said Duquette after being crowned with an overall score of 139.

"I hit the ball really straight today. I didn't get in trouble too often and I didn't make many mistakes. I think that's what kept me in the tournament," he added. An early birdie on the third hole quickly boosted his confidence as well.

After shooting a 73 (+1) on Monday, Christophe Sylvain bounced back with a five-under par (67) to jump 22 spots on the leaderboard and challenge the eventual winner.

Representing the Lorette Golf Club, he delivered a strong performance to finish his round with six birdies on his last nine holes, which allowed him to win the André Gagné trophy offered to the best player from the Québec City area.

"I made a great shot on the ninth to save the par. Then I got it close on the tenth for birdie and just kept going. The putts were sinking in the cup and I was blessed to be able to play well and give the winner a little bit of trouble. I am really happy with my round," said Christophe Sylvain, who earned the André Gagné trophy for the third time in his career.

"Everyone who knows André Gagné in Québec City area also knows that, in amateur golf, he is one of the best, if not the best, who has ever played. To win his trophy is amazing and to be able to shake his hand at the end of the day is always quite special.”

Once Christophe Sylvain's show was over, William Duquette knew he had to keep pushing if he wanted to protect his lead. Despite the pressure, he captured the victory on the 18th hole, under the watchful eyes of the spectators.

"I like to know the scores when I get to the end of a tournament, and I knew a -4 was in," he said. "I had to make a putt from about 20 feet and got within two feet. It was relatively easy, but it was still kind of stressful."

David Twedell and Charles-David Trépanier, both from the Royal Québec Golf Club, finished in third place with an overall score of 141 (-3). No less than 24 representatives of the host club were in action on Monday during the first round, which included 141 golfers.

Tied with Duquette after day one with a 69 (-3), Claude Pelletier (Donnacona) ultimately tied for 17th (145, +1).

This was the second leg of the 2021 Triple Crown. As a reminder, Christopher Vandette (Kanawaki) took top honours on the second sudden-death playoff hole at the Alexander of Tunis last week at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club. Vandette finished the Duke of Kent in a tie for 14th place (144).

Golf Québec's next men's event will be the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, the Provincial Amateur Championship, presented at Summerlea from July 9 to 12.

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/.

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Written by Sportcom on behalf of Golf Québec

Sources:

Jean-Pierre Beaulieu, Executive Director
514 252-3345, ext. 1 – golfquebec@golfquebec.org

François Roy, Assistant Executive Director
Philanthropy, sponsorships, and communications
514 252-3345, ext. 2; cellular 514 349-4653 – froy@golfquebec.org

Olivier Turcotte, Coordinator, Marketing and Partnerships
514 252-3345, ext. 9 – oturcotte@golfquebec.org