Rutledge Goes Full-Time On Champions Tour

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge tied for second at Champions Tour qualifying school in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week to earn full status for 2012.

Rutledge shot a 68 in the final round after posting scores of 68-62-70 to finish at 16 under.

In 16 starts this season, he earned $297,666 in 16 starts, most earned through qualifying.

Rick Gibson, also of Victoria, tied for 38th, while Ian Doig of Seaforth, Ont., tied for 52nd.

Montreal Events Gets New Dates, New Site

Canada’s only Champions Tour event has a new date and a new venue.

The Montreal Championship, which will be played for the third time, will take place the week of June 18-24 at La Vallee du Richelieu Golf Club in Sainte-Julie, Que.

The first two events took place the first weekend of July at Fontainebleau Golf Club.

Opened in 1965, La Vallee du Richelieu, features two championship courses, Vercheres and Rouville. The tournament will be played on Vercheres, a 6,950-yard, par 72, which recently underwent a renovation by Graham Cooke and Associates.

T12 For Spittle At Senior British

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., shot a final round 72 to finish in a tie for 12^th at the Senior British Open at Walton Heath in Surrey, England, on Sunday.

Spittle finished four-under for the tournament to finish eight shots back of winner Russ Cochran of the United States. Mark Calcavecchia, the last player to win the Canadian Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver where it finished on Sunday, was runner-up at 10-under in England.

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge was six-over for the tournament and tied for 49^th.

Spittle Leads In Britain

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., shot a five-under 67 on Friday to move into a three-way tie for first place at the Senior British Open being played at Walton Heath in Surrey, England,

Spittle is tied with Mark Calcavecchia and his fellow American Lee Rinker. Ironically, Calcavecchia won the Canadian Open the last time it was played at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, where that event is being played this week.

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge is tied for 43^rd at two-over.

For complete scores, click here.

Montreal Championship Is Cooked

John Cook wasn’t about to let the Montreal Championship slip away this time.

One year after losing by one shot to Larry Mize, Cook went one rung up the ladder, winning the second edition of the $1.8 million Champions Tour event.

With a final round six-under 66, Cook finished three trips around Fontainebleau at 21-under under 195, three strokes in front of overnight leader Chien Soon Lu.

In 2010, Cook led on the final day before Mize tore it up on the back nine to hoist the trophy, but on Sunday, Cook recorded a four-under 32 on the front side to build a three-shot lead. Lu closed to within a pair of shots after 14, but Cook wouldn’t allow him to get any closer and sealed it with a long birdie putt on the par three 17^th.

“It was a battle all day. I never felt comfortable, which is a good thing in this game,” said Cook, the 1983 Canadian Open champ who takes home $270,000 U.S. with his win in Montreal.

Canadian Rod Spittle made a spectacular charge Sunday, firing a course record 10-under 62 to get to 15 under for a share of seventh. His Sunday run included an eagle on the opening hole.

“Everyone has just been so gracious. It’s just very special coming home. I’m very proud of my Canadian flag on the bag. It’s been a great week and to finish like this is beyond words,” said Spittle.

Freddy Won’t Be Ready For Montreal

Chronic back problems have forced fan favourite Fred Couples to withdraw from the the upcoming Montreal Championship at Club de golf Le Fontainebleau in Blainville, Que.

Couples finished fifth at the inaugural Champions Tour event last year.

“Better health permitting, I look forward to returning to Canada for the 2012 Montreal Championship,” said Couples.

Tournament director David Skitt said Couples’ health is his main priority right now.

“We hope that Fred can overcome this injury and return to competitive golf as soon as possible,” said Skitt.

“We still have a superb field which includes Charles Schwab Cup leader Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin, John Cook, Loren Roberts, Hale Irwin, Jay Haas and Tom Kite not to mention defending champion Larry Mize scheduled to compete in this year’s championship” he added.

“We also expect to communicate other notable player commitments later this week.”

Industry Notes: June 16, 2011

Futures Tour member Katy Harris of Humble, Tex., shot a final round four-under par 67 to capture the season’s second event on the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Tour at Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que. Harris carded six birdies on the day to finish with a score of 138 (-4) to edge opening-round leader Isabelle Beisiegel of Saint-Hilaire, Que. by two strokes to secure the victory. With the victory, Harris earned $10,000 and an exemption into this year’s CN Canadian Women’s Open. The final CN Canadian Women’s Tour stop takes place June 27-29 at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont. … Victoria’s Jim Rutledge and Montreal’s Daniel Talbot have been given exemptions into the Montreal Championship, which will take place in a couple of weeks at Club de golf Le Fontainebleau in Blainville, Que. Also earning exemptions were Fulton Allem of South Africa and American Jerry Pate. A final exemption from the Champions Tour all-time victory category will be announced later this month … HIRZL North America has appointed MKRAK Management Inc. to distribute its HIRZL glove line in Canada. MKRAK will be responsible growing the presence of the performance glove line in the Canadian marketplace, focusing on national retailers and pro shops across the country.

Ryder Cup Skipper Headed To Montreal

Corey Pavin, the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup captain and 1995 U.S. Open champion, is among three additions to the field for this year’s Montreal Championship, which gets underway at Club de golf Le Fontainebleau in a couple of weeks.

Joining Pavin, a 15-time PGA Tour winner, at the Champions Tour event, will be 14-time winner Hal Sutton, another former captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, and 15-time Champions Tour winner Jim Thorpe.

More Players Commit To Montreal Event

Hale Irwin and Mark Calcavecchia are returning to the second Montreal Championship in July.

The Champions Tour event will be played June 30 to July 3 at Club de golf Le Fontainebleau in Blainville, Que.

“Both are legendary players with outgoing, fan-friendly personalities and are stellar additions to what we expect will be one of the great fields of the Champions Tour season,” said tournament director David Skitt.

Irwin and Calcavecchia joined previously-committed players such as 2010 champ Larry Mize and fan favourite Fred Couples for this year’s event.

Couples, Mize Commit To Montreal Event

Fan favourite Fred Couples and defending champion Larry Mize are among the early commitments to the Montreal Championship, a second-year Champions Tour event to be played July 1-3 at Club de golf Le Fontainebleau.

“My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience in Montreal last year,” said Mize, the 1987 Masters champion. “The fans were very knowledgeable and appreciative of good shots. The Champions Tour and the players are eager to return for another outstanding championship.”

The inaugural Montreal Championship drew 54,000 fans and was named the 2010 recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Champions Tour.

“The feedback from the Champions Tour has been overwhelmingly positive,” said tournament chairman Ronald Corey. “Our team is hard at work preparing another championship befitting these legends of the Champions Tour and we invite everyone to come out and show their support for the tournament.

The Desjardins returns as presenting partner through the 2013 tournament. Other supporting companies include Lexus, Jean Coutu, Sports Experts and Vidéotron.

The 2011 Montreal Championship will feature bilingual television coverage, with The Golf Channel airing English coverage and Quebecor’s TVA picking up the French broadcast.

“I’m very excited to be going back to Montreal. There were a lot of people out there last year, which is always fun for us,” said Couples.

The feeling is mutual, according to tournament director David Skitt.

“Thousands of fans followed Fred around Fontainebleau during the first Montreal Championship, and there is little doubt he remains one of the most popular, fan-friendly players in the world,” said Skitt.

“We fully expect this year’s field to be one of the strongest of the Champions Tour season, and Fred’s commitment to the championship gives Quebec golf fans an idea of the quality of players that will be here this summer,” he added.

Spittle Maintains His Momentum

There have been predictions that Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., will be the story of the year in Canadian golf, a forecast that the humble Spittle shrugs off while pointing out that it’s only February.

Still, it’s tough to ignore two top-10s in three starts on the Champions Tour so far this year, including a tie for sixth at the Ace Group Classic in Naples, Fla., on the weekend. Read more

Montreal Event Earns Champions Tour Honours

The Champions Tour recognized its outstanding tournaments for 2010 and a Canadian newcomer was among those events being honoured.

The new Montreal Championship, first announced last February and played in July, was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award.

The event was recognized for its new ideas and its feel and look of a major championship by the Champions Tour, which went on to say it was one of the best first-year events in its history.

Former Masters champ Larry Mize won the inaugural Montreal Championship.

The End Was Near For Spittle

I received several e-mails from GNN readers about Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., winning the AT&T Championship on the Champions Tour just over a week ago, every one of them illustrating how Spittle is so highly regarded among his peers here in Canada.

A chat with Spittle immediately demonstrates why he is held in such esteem because for every complimentary adjective that comes his way, he is quick to deflect it back at people who have helped him along the way, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Bob Panasik being one of them. Read more

Canuck Wins On Champions Tour

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., went from being a Monday qualifier to winning his first Champions Tour event yesterday at the AT&T Championship Sunday in San Antonio, Tx.

Spittle, 55, closed with a four-under 67 to finish at 12 under after birdies on 15 through 17 to force the playoff with Sluman, who also had a 67 Sunday.

Spittle, who now has a Champions Tour exemption next year, became the 11^th player to win on the Champions Tour after Monday qualifying and the first in six years. He clinched the victory with a par on the first playoff hole at the par three 18^th at Oak Hills Country Club.

For more information, click here.

Mize Ends Drought In Montreal

Larry Mize won his first championship in 17 years at the inaugural Montreal Championship at Club de Golf Le Fontainebleau in Blainville, Que., on Sunday.

Mize, the 1987 Masters champ, finished the three-day Champions Tour event at 17-under, one shot better than second round leader John Cook, who posted a 68 on the final day.

Dan Forsman (65) and Corey Pavin (67) were three off the pace, while fan favourite Fred Couples shot a 68 to tie for fifth.

Jim Rutledge of Victoria, B.C., came in with a 70 to finish 38th at six-under. Quebec pros Yvan Beauchemin and Daniel Talbot were 55th and 63rd, respectively, while Dave Barr of Kelowna, B.C. was 74th.

After Cook missed a birdie putt on 18, Mize’s eyes became somewhat misty. “I was holding back some emotion,” he admitted. “I teared up a little bit. It’s been a long time. Once it happened, it was hard to keep that emotion back.”

“You know, it’s hard to believe,” added Mize, who knew he needed to go low.

He did just that, reeling off three straight birdies, beginning on the par-five 14th to stay one step in front of a charging Cook. The lone blemish on his scorecard was a bogey on the par-four 12th.

Cook was looking for his second victory in Canada, 27 years after winning the Canadian Open. He had a gift three-foot birdie putt on the driveable par four 16th, but missed. On the closing hole, Cook had another look, but his 25-foot birdie try rolled just by the cup.

“Some of these are harder than others to take,” said Cook. “I just came up a bit short.”

Starting the final day three shots back, Couples birdied his first hole, but gave that back on the second. The 15-time PGA Tour champion had four birdies in a seven-hole stretch starting on the eighth, but just couldn’t get that extra push.

“Larry played an unbelievable round,” said Couples. “He just kept going and going, so that was nice to see.”

Big Names Crowd Top Of Leaderboard

The inaugural Montreal Championship at Club de golf Fontainebleau in Blainville, Que., is promising to be a shootout on the final day.

John Cook, the 1983 Canadian Open champion, will look to notch his second career win in this country. Cook matched his opening day six-under 66 and sits at 12-under with a one-shot lead over Russ Cochran, who posted a 68.

D.A. Weibring set a course record 63, two shots better than the old mark, to get to nine-under and within striking range, along with seven other players including Craig Stadler (65), Fred Couples (66), Corey Pavin (67), David Frost (68), Larry Mize, (68), James Mason (69) and Peter Senior (68).

After an opening day 71, Victoria’s Jim Rutledge rebounded with a 69 and holds a share of 34^th at 4-under.

Following a birdie on his second hole of the day, Cook saved par with a 15-footer on three. On the par five seventh, he knocked a five iron to seven feet before cashing in the eagle putt.

Despite missing just two greens in his first two days, Cook knows he will need another low round Sunday. A quick look over his shoulder should give him all the incentive he needs.

“There are some impressive names there, for sure,” said Cook. “I might be leading, but Sunday is the telling day. I really won’t worry about anything until the back side. If I can give myself chances, I can’t ask for anything more than that.

“These guys won’t lay down and I’m not going to lay down.”

Cochran faltered with a double-bogey on four followed by a bogey on the sixth. He settled down to record birdies on eight and nine and played his final 11 holes at five-under. With just 50 putts in two days, Cochran admits his putter is bailing him out.

“I’m really happy with the way I made some putts to get going,” Cochran said. “Overall, I didn’t play great, but I got the ball in the hole pretty well. The putter’s the best it’s been all year.”

Making just his second Champions Tour start, Mark Calcavecchia made a Saturday charge, but didn’t do it the easy way. When his day was over, his scorecard featured an eagle, seven birdies and three bogeys.

At eight under, Calcavecchia is looking for his third win in Canada after triumphs at the 1997 Greater Vancouver Open and 2005 Canadian Open.

Couples eagled the par five seventh and added four more birdies on his back nine, including a 10-footer on the closing hole.

“I’m now back in the tournament and I’m in great shape for (Sunday),” Couples said. “I can only do what I can do and today was a better day to move myself up the leaderboard and give myself a shot to win tomorrow.

“There were a lot of people out there, which is a lot of fun,” he added. “This is a phenomenal event, as good as or better than any of our big tournaments we play. I’m pretty sure they’re going to break a record with people out here for the week.”

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