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Get the complete results – Assante Optimiste Classic

Montréal, June 4, 2023 – Host of the Assante Optimiste Classic since 2012, Mirabel's Glendale Golf Club hosted the 14th edition of the tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Players in the junior (15-18 years old), bantam (13-14 years old), pee-wee (11-12 years old), and mosquito (9-10 years old) categories walked the course with the goal of finishing first in their division and qualifying for next month's Optimist International Junior Championship in Miami.

The battle was particularly fierce between Antoine Jasmin (Le Blainvilier/Québec Team) and Zach Pageau (Vallée du Richelieu) in the junior boys' category. Henry Dao (Vallée du Richelieu) was the leader after Saturday's round, one shot ahead of Jasmin and Pageau. Jasmin's score of 72 on Sunday enabled him to win the tournament, one stroke ahead of Pageau and four ahead of Dao.

As the winner explained, he was in a perfect situation before the final round: "I prefer to be a little behind the leader than to be the leader. I feel I have less pressure and that's what motivates me to stay in my game and control my emotions."

Jasmin has already competed four times in the Optimist International Junior Championship, where he came third in the 14-15 age group in 2021, securing him a place in the Tournament of Champions, again in Florida, which he won. He will therefore skip this year's Optimist tournament to allow someone else to take his place.

"At the beginning of the year, I didn't think my game would be this good. I had some performances that really made me see my potential. I played very well at the end of the week, but I think I could have played even better and avoided a few mistakes," concluded the golfer who will be aiming for a place at the U.S. Junior Championship.

In the junior girls' division, it was Kirra St-Laurent (public golfer) who came out on top after two days of competition. Tied for second with Mackenzie Cloutier (Le Blainvillier/Québec Team) after the first round, one shot behind Anne-Léa Lavoie (Royal Québec/Québec Team), St-Laurent took the lead on Sunday and maintained it to the end, three shots ahead of Cloutier and six ahead of Lavoie.

"It was a good day. I played better than the other girls in the lead and didn't crack under pressure," said the teenager.

Bantams: Ups and Downs

Oscar Ricketts (Beaconsfield/Québec Team) prevailed in the boys' bantam category thanks to a five-shot lead over Félix Lavoie (Vallée du Richelieu).

"I was at minus 3 after 12 holes on Sunday and then I didn't play as well, but I was able to hold on until the end. I thought about playing one shot at a time. I'm often in the habit of starting strong and slowing down afterwards," revealed the player who won his second tournament of the year. "It could have been better, but I'm happy.

Kate Guo (St-Hyacinthe), won the girls' bantam category. In her first season in this category, she was in the lead after 18 holes on Saturday.

Even though her second nine on Sunday wasn't up to her expectations, she posted a card of 85, +21 overall, which was enough to retain the overall lead, four shots ahead of Julianne Yuck (Elm Ridge) who finished at +25.

"The stress doesn't really bother me, but it was my swing at the end that wasn't as good," explained the winner, who will turn 13 this summer and has already won two other tournaments in 2023.

Pee-wee: Bourgeois and Payer Grab the Victory

Four shots ahead of Benjamin Careau (SE Golf-Royal Québec, Club Performance) after day one, Zack Bourgeois (Le Blainvillier) was able to hold on to the lead in the boys' pee-wee category, even though he didn't play his best golf as he explained.

"I got off to a good start today, but it all went wrong on the fourth or fifth hole. But I learned a lot," said Bourgeois, who shot 78 and 83 to finish the day four shots ahead of Adam Lauzon (Vallée du Richelieu). "I wanted to play well, to boost my confidence, and I'm going to improve for the other tournaments."

Laurianne Payer (Le Blainvillier) celebrated her long-awaited first victory. First on Saturday and Sunday, she concluded the girls' pee-wee competition at +30, five shots ahead of her closest rival, Florence Ho (Public Golfer).

"I've been taking part in tournaments for two years now and I've never managed to finish first, so it was a real pleasure to win a tough tournament! My goal this year was to win a tournament, and I achieved it. I'm really proud of myself!

Mosquitoes: A Big First for Romy Vigneault

Raphaël Dagenais (Beloeil) put up a good fight against William Landry (Les Saules) on the front nine of the boys' pee-wee tournament. In the end, it was Dagenais who prevailed with a card of +11, five shots ahead of his nearest rival.

"I expected to play a little bit better. More like 78 or 79, but I played really well, and my iron shots were good at the end. I was really precise," said the 9-year-old winner, who scored his first victory in 2023.

Romy Vigneault (Stoneham), the only girl entered in the mosquito girls' category, completed her first 18-hole tournament at the young age of 9. What's more, it was from the pee-wee girls' tees that she performed on Sunday. Smiling during the interview, she says she had a great time, even if her feet did hurt for a while to complete the round.

"I had a lot of fun and came here for the experience, even though I knew I wouldn't win (against the pee-wee)."

The next tournament sanctioned by Golf Québec will be the Men's Match Play Championship, on Wednesday, June 7, at Club de golf Continental. This will be followed by the Golf Québec First Nations Championship on June 19, at the Kanawaki Golf Club.

About Optimiste Golf Junior Région St-LaurentThe 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.

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Sources:

François Roy, Assistant Executive Director

Philanthropy, sponsorships, and communications

514 252-3345, ext. 3392; cellular 514 349-4653 – froy@golfquebec.org

Sandrine Bigras, Competition Director

514 252-3345, ext. 3396 – Cell.: 514 560-7699 – sbigras@golfquebec.org

Émilie Bérubé, Marketing, Communications and Business Partnerships Manager

Cell.: 514 463-5229 – eberube@golfquebec.org