Golf Canada – Four tie at even-par at Club de Golf La Vallée du Richelieu

SAINTE-JULIE, Que. – A field of 29 fought against 60km/h winds at Club de Golf La Vallée du Richelieu, with Gianfranco Guida, Jean-Philip Cornellier, Tim Alarie, and Marc-Étienne Bussières earning exemptions into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier on July 18.

Guida of Maple, Ont., stayed bogey-free through 15 holes with a birdie on 13 and an eagle on 14 to claim a share of the top spot.

“It was playing really tough because of the wind, but the greens were very pure,” he said. “Playing golf in Australia really taught me how to play into the wind. You just have to hit a lot of knockdowns and you have to know what clubs to hit.”

The 27-year-old is hoping that the final qualifier will lead to a spot in the RBC Canadian Open field. “My career is at the tipping point of whether I’m going to continue doing it. I’m glad in the sense that hopefully if I get through it will be big validation, and I can continue playing and find it easier to find funding.”

Co-leader Jean-Philip Cornellier of St-Césaire, Que., tallied four birdies on the day, two of which came back-to-back on holes 14 and 15. Tim Alarie of St-Jérôme, Que., and Sherbrooke, Que., native Marc-Étienne Bussières also finished with matching 72s.

At T5, former Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Chad Merzbacher (Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Pierre-Alexandre Bédard (Chibougamau, Que.) will join Guida, Cornellier, Alarie, and Bussières at the Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 18.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open. Otherwise, the top 15 per cent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event.

A minimum of four players from the 18-hole stroke play final qualifier will gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open field.

There is one RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier left to be played:

• June 20 – King’s Forest Golf Club, Hamilton, Ont.

Additional information regarding the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in Quebec can be found here.

RBC CANADIAN OPEN REGIONAL QUALIFIER – QUEBEC RESULTS

• 1. Marc-Étienne Bussières, Sherbrooke QC, *36-36-72 E
• 1. Gianfranco Guida, Maple, ON, *38-34-72 E
• 1. Tim Alarie, St-jérôme, QC, *35-37-72 E
• 1. Jean-Philip Cornellier, St-Césaire, QC, *37-35-72 E
• 5. Étienne Papineau (a), St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, *37-36-73 +1
• 5. Chad Merzbacher (a), Eden Prairie, MN, *36-37-73 +1
• 5. Pierre-Alexandre Bédard (a), Chibougamau, QC, *37-36-73 +1
• 8. Iannick Lamarre, St-Lambert, QC, *36-38-74 +2
• 9. Marc Bourgeois, Dieppe, NB, *39-36-75 +3
• 10. James Colin Davis (a), Montreal, QC, *38-38-76 +4
• 10. Dylan Dethier, Williamstown, MA, *36-40-76 +4
• 12. Griffin Jones (a), Manotick, ON, *37-41-78 +6
• 12. Vincent Blanchette (a), St-jean-sur-richelieu, QC, *38-40-78 +6
• 12. Beon Yeong Lee, Montreal, QC, *36-42-78 +6
• 12. Mathieu Perron, St. Hubert, QC, *36-42-78 +6
• 16. Raphael Nolet (a), Terrebonne, QC, *39-40-79 +7
• 16. Lucas Duperre Vanden Hecke, Montréal, QC, *40-39-79 +7
• 16. James Rim (a), Ajax, ON, *37-42-79 +7
• 19. Raphael Even-Hen (a), Montreal, Quebec, *38-42-80 +8
• 19. Sun Kim (a), L’ILE PERROT, *39-41-80 +8
• 19. Louis-Francois Charpentier (a), Montreal, QC, *41-39-80 +8
• 19. Komkrit Koinapan, Ajax, ON, *39-41-80 +8
• 19. Massimo Roch (a), Montreal, QC, *39-41-80 +8
• 24. Baylee Wise (a), King City, ON, *40-41-81 +9
• 25. Benoit Boudreau, Longueuil, QC, *40-42-82 +10
• 26. Myles McDonald (a), Hogansburg, NY, *40-43-83 +11
• 27. Jordan Pittman, Clarenville, NL, *41-43-84 +12
• 28. Mark Craik (a), Rothesay, NB, *46-43-89 +17
• 29. Steven Diabo, Beauharnois, QC, *49-49-98 +26

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ABOUT THE 2016 RBC CANADIAN OPEN
Part of the FedExCup, stars of the PGA TOUR will compete for $5.9 million (US) at the RBC Canadian Open, July 18-24, 2016 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. Conducted by Golf Canada for more than a century, the RBC Canadian Open provides an opportunity for Canada’s top talents to compete against the world’s best golfers while also leaving a significant impact in the event’s host community. The RBC Canadian Open is proud to support Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada as the event’s official charity partner. Established in 1904, Canada’s national open golf championship is the third-oldest national open golf championship worldwide next to the British Open and the U.S. Open. The RBC Canadian Open is proudly sponsored by RBC, Shaw, BMW Group Canada, Molson Canadian 67, WestJet, TaylorMade adidas Golf, Boston Pizza, Ballantine’s, Toronto Star, Coca-Cola, Santa Carolina Wines, CHIN Radio TV INTERNATIONAL, and Metrolinx. For tickets or tournament information, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com or call 1-800-571-6736.

GOLF CANADA – LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing close to 310,000 golfers at more than 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our goal is to be relevant to and respected by all Canadian golf enthusiasts from coast to coast. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.

For more information:

Dan Pino
Director, Corporate Communications
Golf Canada
(t) 1-800-263-0009 x 406
(c) 416-434-5525
(e) dpino@golfcanada.ca