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Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, July 19, 2023 – Three! That's the number of categories Ann-Sophie Bourgault was crowned in on Wednesday at the Provincial Women's and Junior Girls' Championships, presented in collaboration with belairdirect.

 

The Royal Ottawa representative dominated throughout the week at Club de golf Lac St-Joseph in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, finishing at the top of the junior, juvenile, and amateur rankings. After shooting 71 (-1) and 72 on the first two days, the 16-year-old put in her best performance of the tournament on Wednesday with a 67 (-5).

 

"I'm really satisfied with the way I played, and it gives me a lot of confidence," said Ann-Sophie Bourgault, surrounded by her three trophies.

 

"I worked a lot on my mental skills, I was confident, and I took it one step at a time.

 

The final round played out as a déjà vu from last year as Bourgault teed off alongside reigning junior and amateur champion Anne-Léa Lavoie (Lorette/Québec Team) as well as Élizabeth Labbé (Lévis/Québec Team), the 2021 amateur champion.

 

"There was a bit of pressure because of my top ranking. Last year, I was leading the tournament too, but it didn't end very well! This year, I just wanted to come back and beat my score," shared the three-time champion, who recorded six birdies and a single bogey to take her cumulative score to 210.

 

Élizabeth Labbé, with a score of 75 on Wednesday, finished second in the amateur rankings at 223, while Léonie Tavares, from the St-Raphaël Golf Club and a member of the Québec Team, came in third (228), just ahead of Lavoie (230), the best player in the 17-18 age group.

 

Charlotte Boudreau (Île de Montréal/Québec team) rounded off the juvenile podium at 237.

 

 

A provincial champion's trophy as a birthday present, who could do better? Suzanne Ricard (Royal Montreal) celebrated in the best possible way by reclaiming the title she had won in 2021.

 

While no other competitor in her category finished a round under par this week, Suzanne Ricard did so on her first two outings with cards of 70 (-2) and 71 (-1).

 

"It's been a great tournament for me! It's the first time I've played a tournament with under-par rounds," she said, all smiles, a few minutes after the other golfers had sung happy birthday to her.

 

"Winning on my birthday was the icing on the cake! It's a great present but getting there wasn't a piece of cake!"

 

The player who finished the tournament with a round of 76 posted a total of 217 at Club de golf Lac St-Joseph, a course she particularly likes because of the diversity of its tee shots. Going into the final round, she held a nine-shot lead over her nearest rival, Marie-Thérèse Torti (Vallée du Richelieu).

 

"What I've been able to do this week is to stay focused on my mechanics and my momentum, without thinking too much about the result. I'm going to try to keep that momentum going," said Ricard.

 

Awarded the title of Mid-Amateur Champion for the fifth time in her career last week, Torti finished second, 12 shots behind the winner (229).

 

Jocelyn Smith (Milby) and Hélène Chartrand (Summerlea) tied for third place with a total of 243.

 

Nancy Walker Sportsmanship Award

 

Since 2004, the Nancy Walker Sportsmanship Award is presented within the Golf Québec Women's Tour to strive upon the importance of respecting fellow competitors, tournament officials, and the game of golf. The award was named for Nancy Walker, who had a tremendous impact on the Association in the many roles and functions she accomplished while at the CLGA – Québec Branch. A total of three plaques is awarded through the season to honor a golfer in each category: junior, amateur, and senior.

 

This year, Ji Hee Shin (Atlantide) was chosen by her peers in the amateur division, Justine Émond (Le Blainvilllier/Québec Team) and Miranda Thompson (Lorette) shared the honours in the junior division, while Marlene Desbiens (Murray Bay) and Jocelyn Smith (Milby) were elected in the senior division.

 

 

To round things off on a high note, the three Québec teams that will represent the province at the various Canadian championships were announced at the end of the day!

 

In the junior division, Anne-Léa Lavoie, Léonie Tavares, and Mackenzie Cloutier (Blainvillier/Québec Team) will be wearing the colours of the Fleurdelisé from July 24 to 27, in Hampton, New Brunswick.

 

 

 

A week later, Cloutier and Tavares will team up with Team Canada’s Céleste Dao (Summerlea) in the amateurs' competition to be held in Halifax from August 1 to 4.

 

Suzanne Ricard, Marie-Thérèse Torti, and Hélène Chartrand will be Québec's three senior players.

 

 

 

"It's great! It's a great group of women, we all know each other, we help and encourage each other, it's wonderful and I'm really happy," said Suzanne Ricard.

 

The Canadian Senior Women's Championships will be held from August 30 to September 1 in Woodstock, Prince Edward Island.

 

In the meantime, the action continues for Golf Québec! The Provincial Junior Boys' Championship is under way at the Ki-8-Eb Golf Club in Trois-Rivières until Friday.

 

Two major events are scheduled for next week. The Men's Provincial Amateur Championship will be held at Club de golf des Boisés de Joly from July 24 to 27, followed by the Québec Games in Rimouski from July 26 to 28.

 

 

In 2023, 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.

 

 

For more than 60 years, belairdirect has been providing complete car and home insurance solutions direct to the consumer. Belairdirect also provides insurance for motorcycles and off-road vehicles. Products are available in Québec, Ontario, the Maritimes, Alberta, and British Columbia. Belairdirect pushes boundaries by offering inventive products like The Accident Forgiveness. Today, the insurance company offers multiple services on the web to help consumers compare and choose a car and home insurance that’s right for them.

 

belairdirect is an online quote leader with numerous web-based tools to get quotes, including the 3-minute quote app (for car insurance). belairdirect is a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation. For more information, visit https://www.belairdirect.com/.

 

 

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:

 

François Roy, Assistant Executive Director

Philanthropy, sponsorships, and communications

514 252-3345, ext. 3392; Cell.: 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

514 252-3345, ext. 3393; Cell.: 514 463-5229 – eberube@golfquebec.org