Danny’s King Of The Hill … For Now

Two-time Canadian PGA Club Professional champion Danny King will be living up to his name when the updated Canadian PGA player rankings are released either today or tomorrow after completion of last week’s PGA Championship of Canada at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary.

“This was a big one because you get a lot of points from it and it kind of jump starts you, pushes you ahead of the field,” said King, who is expected to jump from No. 3 to No. 1 in the rankings, replacing Bryn Parry of North Vancouver. Read more

CPGA Champ Recalls Grinding Finale

Vincent Doumouchel was ranked 36^th in the nation coming into last week’s PGA Championship of Canada, but still felt he had a reasonable chance to win an event that hadn’t been played since 2005, when it was a Nationwide Tour event.

When Jon Mills, who just played in the U.S. Open, won that Canadian PGA event six years ago, Doumouchel was just 21 years old and was yet to turn pro, so to have the tournament revived in a match play format set up an opportunity that was special.

“I’ve played in some big tournaments. I played in the U.S. Amateur. I’ve played a lot of college golf. (The Canadian PGA) was one of the big events in my career,” he said.

He was in tough against the likes of Bryn Parry of North Vancouver and Danny King, a two-time Canadian PGA Club Pro champion who is expected to move into No. 1 spot on the rankings this week, but the field didn’t dampen his expectations. Read more

CPGA Event Was Beneficial For Cottonwood And The Community

We just got through an exciting week at Cottonwood, where the PGA Championship of Canada was won by Vincent Dumouchel of Quebec.

I’ve always loved match play and thought that some of our finer tournaments should be played in that format.

It was just so much fun to watch these guys grind it out. Then, to have some of the finest players in Canada say afterwards, `Oh my gosh, that’s way more stressful than any tournament I’ve ever played in,’ indicates how exciting the tournament was, especially with all of those upsets in the first round.

To see Brian McCann of Ontario win holes 15 through 17 in the championship match, then have Vince make the seven-footer on 18 to force it into extra holes and win in windy, brutal conditions made for compelling golf.

For our purposes, this event really showcased Cottonwood. This is a great match play golf course, very sneaky which sets it up nicely for that format.

These players are used to playing around 7,500 yards, but we’re around 7,000. There’s so much risk/reward out there and that’s what you want for a match play event.

I had more guys come up to me and say the golf course is in such great shape. Vince said to me that our greens were the best he’s played this year, so that’s a tribute to the golf course and, obviously, our superintendent Tyler Patroch.

The players who participated were first-class guys, especially with our members and staff. Our members are always engaged and this tournament was no exception with many of them volunteering and when they weren’t on duty, they followed the groups out there, even in pouring rain and the wind.

The players would introduce themselves to the standard bearers and the walking scorers and the spotters and afterwards, when they walked in and our members were having lunch, they’d come over and thank them for their contributions.

Gregg Schubert, myself and our other pros are proud Canadian PGA members and to be able to host this event and be a part of a little bit of history was great, as was having our owner Lyle Edwards here for the pro-am with Mr. Lube, which raises funds for prostate cancer research.

As you may have read in my previous blog, Lyle just lost his dad to prostate cancer and we announced the evening of the pro-am dinner that prostate cancer research is becoming one of the official charities for Cottonwood.

This event did a lot for the Canadian PGA and its members, but it also did a lot for the community and the golf course.

Dumouchel Takes CPGA; King Is No. 1 In Rankings

Vincent Dumouchel of Candiac, Que., won the 2011 PGA Championship of Canada on the 19th hole to claim his first national championship at age 27 at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club on Saturday.

“This is unbelievable, this trophy looks like the Stanley Cup of golf,” said Dumouchel, former Quebec Zone Player of the Year.

“This is the biggest win of my life and with all the past champions and the great players I was able to beat in the last few rounds, this is very special,” added Dumouchel.

Playing in high winds, cool temperatures and rain, Dumouchel and Brian McCann of The Academy at BraeBen in Mississauga, Ont., went head-to-head through 19 holes.

Dumouchel almost let the win get away after leading 3-up through 14 holes. McCann went on to win the 15th, 16th and 17th holes, looking like he was going to pull off the remarkable comeback.

For the third match in a row, Domouchel rolled in an incredible putt on the 18^th to take the match into extra holes.

Playing the par five first as the extra hole, McCann caught a bad break as his ball ended up under a tree, his only option being a short punch out.

When he failed to get it up and down for par, McCann looked over at Dumouchel’s 10-footer for birdie and told him to pick it up — he was the champion.

“This one really hurts for me, but it doesn’t change the fact that this was a fantastic championship,” said McCann, the 2010 Canadian PGA Assistant’s Champion.

“My putter was hot for the first few days, but it went really cold today and gave a few holes away.  That putt Vincent made on 18 to send it to extra holes, was impressive. He worked for this and he deserves it by winning six straight matches.”

The match for third place was won by Danny King of The Performance Academy at Magna in Aurora, Ont., 2-up over Dean Brown of Royal Regina Golf Club.

The Canadian PGA Player Rankings will see a major shuffle when they are refreshed next week.  Both Dumouchel and McCann and will vault up the list, while Danny King will grab the No. 1 spot from Bryn Parry of North Vancouver.

Final Four Set At CPGA

Four rounds later, the top four pros representing each bracket are headed to the semi-final matches of the PGA Championship of Canada at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club on Saturday.

Third seed Danny King of The Performance Academy at Magna carried a lead throughout the round against Alberta favorite Brett Burgeson, of Country Hills Golf Club. Burgeson bogeyed the short par four 15th, while King made par on holes 16 and 17 to win the match 2 and 1.

“It was another grueling test today against Brett, a guy who you have to go out and beat because he never makes any mistakes,” said King, the 2005 and 2006 Canadian PGA Club Professional Champion.

“Everyday I’ve been checking out the past champion signs of Knudson, Panasik, Trevino and Palmer and I would love to win again (Saturday) morning to have a shot at adding my name to it,” he added.

King wins the Moe Norman bracket and goes on to play 23rd seed Vincent Dumouchel, of Vercheres, Que., who won the George Knudson bracket in the only match to go to 18 holes against fellow Quebecer Dave Levesque of the Summerlea Club.

Brian McCann of The Academy at BraeBen continued on a winning streak, beating fellow Ontario competitor Bill Walsh of The Golf Lab.

McCann started his second round of the day four under par on the front nine. Walsh then recorded birdies on 14 and 15, but it was not enough to catch McCann who won the Al Balding bracket.

“I’m having a blast. The Canadian PGA has done a brilliant job for us this week,” said McCann, a former Nationwide Tour player. “Winning the Canadian PGA Assistant’s Championship last year in Victoria gave me a lot of confidence and I think it’s still helping me this year as well.”

Dean Brown of the Royal Regina Club knocked out Chris Barber of The Landings Golf Course and Teaching Centre (Ont.) 3 & 1. The winner of the Stan Leonard bracket will be matched up with McCann in Saturday’s semi-final.

The semi final matches begin at 7:30 am with the match between Brown (Sask.) and McCann (Ont.); while Dumouchel and King will tee off at 7:45am.

With Levesque bowing out, King is on track to secure the No. 1 position on the Canadian PGA player rankings should he win in the final on Saturday.

The final match for the P.D. Ross Trophy is set for 1:30 p.m., while the third-place match will take place at 1:15.p.m.

Round 4 Match Results From Friday:

Dean Brown (Royal Regina) def. Chris Barber (Landing Golf Course and Teaching Centre) 3 & 1

Brian McCann (The Academy at BraeBen) def. Bill Walsh (The Golf Lab) 2 & 1

Dave Levesque (Summerlea Club) def. Vincent Dumouchel (Vercheres Inc.) 1 up

Danny King (The Performance Academy at Magna) def. Brett Burgeson (Country Hills) 2 & 1

For information on earlier matches Friday, see the Canadian PGA website by clicking here.

Home Boys Move On At CPGA

The wind, rain and cool temperatures didn’t stop three local players from moving on to round three of the PGA Championship of Canada at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary.. 

Brett Burgeson of Country Hills, Mark Corrigan of Pinebrook and Darryl James of National Golf Academy at McCall Lake each won their respective matches and will compete in the round of 16.

.“It was a tough day out there today,“ said Burgeson “I played 12 good holes and that was enough to win. 

“In the middle of those holes I managed to birdie six, seven, eight and nine. All day long, my putter really made the difference,” he added.

Other highlights include second seed Dave Levesque (Que.) advancing, as well as number three seed Danny King (Ont,). 

The match between 12^th seed Mike Belbin (Alta.) and 21^st seed Brian McCann (Ont.) went to an 20 holes after Belbin three-putted the 18^th forcing the match to extra holes. 

At one point, Belbin looked as if he had it wrapped up after taking a 4-up lead through nine holes, but McCann birdied 10, 11 and 12 to get right back in it. 

On the extra holes, McCann made a clutch 15-foot birdie  putton the 19th to stay alive, before winning on the 20th hole to send one of the country’s most dangerous players back home to Edmonton.

 Jeff Chambers, seeded 64^th coming in, received a phone call from Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall congratulating him on his victory over No. 1 Bryn Parry in the first round. 

Chambers’ smile continued for most of his second round match with Dean Brown until Brown roared back at the end to win 1-up and move on to the third round. 

The following are second round results:

Dean Brown (Royal Regina) def. Jeff Chambers (Elmwood G&CC) 1 Up

 Reg Millage (The Clublink Academy At Glen Abbey) def. Scott Knapp (Tor Hill Golf Course) 6 & 4

Chris Barber (The Landings Golf Course and Teaching Centre) def. Ed Maunder (Deerfield Golf & Country Club) 1 Up

 Jeff Buder (Point Grey G&CC) def. Benoit Boudreau (Le Parcours Du Cerf) 3 & 1

 Dan Greenwood (Heron Point Golf Links) def. Shingo Akizuki (Mayfair Lakes). 3 & 2

Bill Walsh (The Golf Lab) def. Douglas Morgan (The Redwoods) 1 Up

Mark Corrigan (Pinebrook G&CC) def. Conor O’Shea (Academy at Piper’s Heath) 1 Up 

Brian McCann (The Academy at BraeBen) def. Mike Belbin (Royal Mayfair) on 20th Hole

Dave Levesque (Summerlea Club) def. James Harper (McCleery) 4 & 3

 Matt Palsenbarg (Northview G&CC) def. Myles Johnson (Spallumcheen G&CC) 4&3

Vincent Dumouchel (Vercheres Inc.) def. Pat Marcia (Royal Regina) 1 Up

 Billy Houle (Berthier Inc.) def. Andrew Holborn (Coppinwood) 2 Up

 Danny King (The Performance Academy at Magna) def. Jeff Gross 6 & 4

Darryl James (National Golf Academy @ McCall Lake)  def. Ian Doig (Ian Doig Golf Academy) 5&3

Brett Burgeson (Country Hills) def. David Zibrik (Westwood Plateau) 2 & 1

Bruce Rogerson (Brantford G&CC) def. David Bolton (Savage Creek)  4 & 3

The Malevolence, Magic And Mystery Of Match Play

About the only thing that many of the top seeds will dislike more than the results from a bizarre first round at the PGA Championship of Canada will be the updated Canadian PGA rankings when they come out the middle of next week.

Going into Wednesday’s action, there was plenty of talk about how anything can happen in match play. Read more

Prairie Power In A Day Of Upsets

It was a day full of surprises at the first round of the PGA Championship of Canada played Wednesday at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary.

The biggest upset of the day came when No. 1-ranked Bryn Parry, of North Vancouver lost to 64th seed Jeff Chambers, of Swift Current, Sask. Chambers battled a day of nerves and excitement in pulling an upset that many didn’t think was possible.

After struggling on the first hole, he settled into the match in a hurry, eventually getting the score to 3-up through 10 before Parry got it back to all square after 15 holes.

At 1-up going to the 18th hole, Chambers rolled in a clutch 10-footer for bogey on the final hole to seal the deal.

“It was a battle from the beginning”, said Chambers who coaches the Maple Leaf Junior Teams at International events and Saskatchewan provincial teams at national championships.

“It was the first time I met Bryn Parry and I’ve heard he’s won everything,” added Chambers.

“I was really nervous during the first few holes but then I settled in and made a few birdies. I took the advice that I give my young students and concentrated on my breathing and my shots,” he said.

Twelfth seed Mike Belbin of Royal Mayfair Golf and Country in Edmonton and No. 53 Edd Boudreau hit the opening tee shots of the new event at 7:30 am in front of the P.D. Ross Trophy.

Boudreau won the first hole and pushed the match to extra holes, but Belbin was able to dodge the Victoria native, winning the match on the 19th.

The Saskatchewan zone made its presence felt as four professionals moved on to round two, including Dean Brown, Scott Knapp, Pat Marcia and Jeff Gross.

Parry wasn’t the only top ranked player to be taken out in the first round of matches at the Championship. Other upsets included:

• Shingo Akizuki (B.C.), the 61^st seed, upsetting fourth seed Ken Tarling (Ont.)
• Mark Corrigan (Alta.), the 60^th seed, beating fifth seed Dean North (Man.)
• Myles Johnson (B.C.), the 50^th seed, upsetting 15th seed Phil Jonas (B.C.)
• Pat Marcia (Sask.), the 58^th seed, beating seventh seed Kyle German (B.C.)

The second round of the PGA Championship of Canada continues Thursday. First roumd results are below:

• Jeff Chambers (Elmwood G&CC) def. Bryn Parry (Seymour Creek) 1 up
• Dean Brown (Royal Regina) def. Scott Allred (Elbow Springs) 4 & 2
• Reg Millage (Clublink Academy At Glen Abbey) def. Geoff Kehler (St. Boniface) 3 & 2
• Scott Knapp (Tor Hill Golf Course) def. John Rushnell (Oshawa GC) 4 & 3
• Chris Barber (The Landings Golf Course/Teaching Centre) def. Lenny Cyr (Seymour G&CC) 2 up
• Ed Maunder (Deerfield Golf & Recreation Centre) def. John Hastie (Lively G&CC) 4 & 3
• Benoit Boudreau (Le Parcours Du Cerf) def. David Moro (Credit Valley G&CC) 2 & 1
• Jeff Buder (Point Grey Golf & Country Club) def. Keir Smith (The National) 4 & 3
• Shingo Akizuki (Mayfair Lakes) def. Ken Tarling (Ken Tarling’s Golf Academy) 2 & 1
• Dan Greenwood (Heron Point Golf) def. Ryan Bastien (St. Andrews East ) 4 & 2
• Douglas Morgan (The Redwoods) def. Andrew Steep (Glendale CC) 2 & 1
• Bill Walsh (The Golf Lab) def. Yvan Beauchemin (Le Fontainebleau ) 2 up
• Mark Corrigan (Pinebrook G&CC) def. Dean North (Carman GC) 1 up
• Conor O’Shea (Academy at Piper’s Heath) def. Gord Scutt (Golf Town Victoria) 1 up
• Mike Belbin (Royal Mayfair GC) def. Eddward Boudreau (Arbutus Ridge G&CC) Belbin in19 holes
• Brian McCann (Academy at BraeBen) def. Daniel Garagan (Pinewood Park) 8 & 7
• Dave Levesque (Summerlea Club) def. Marc Foucault (Kingsway Parc) 6 & 4
• James Harper (McCleery Golf Course) def. Scott Dickson (Shaughnessy G&CC) 3 & 2
• Myles Johnson (Spallumcheen G&CC) def. Philip Jonas (Hazelmere) 1 up
• Matt Palsenbarg (Northview Golf & Country Club) def. Ron Kenesky (Hidden Lake G&CC) 1 up
• Pat Marcia (Royal Regina) def. Kyle German (Northview G&CC) 3 & 2
• Vincent Dumouchel (Vercheres Inc.) def. Adam Chamberlain (Gowan Brae GC) 2 & 1
• Billy Houle (Berthier Inc.) def. Todd Fiske (River Bend GC) 2 & 1
• Andrew Holborn (Coppinwood) def. Daryl Stubbs (Cove Links Golf Course) 1 up
• Danny King (Performance Academy at Magna ) def. Mike De Courcy (Scarboro G&CC) King in19 holes
• Jeff Gross def. Blair Buttar (Glendale G&CC) 9 & 8
• Darryl James (National Golf Academy @ McCall Lake Golf) def. Brian Dueck (Estevan Woodlawn) 6 & 4
• Ian Doig (Ian Doig Golf Academy) def. Kevin Black (Seven Hills G&CC) 1up
• Brett Burgeson (Country Hills GC) def. Sergej Dronov (University GC) 3 & 2
• David Zibrik (Westwood Plateau Golf Academy) def. Chris Toth (Riverside GC) 3 & 2
• David Bolton (Savage Creek GC) def. John McCann (Fairtree Golf Centre) on19th hole
• Bruce Rogerson (Brantford G&CC) def. Eric Laporte (Montcalm Club De Golf)) 2 & 1

For today’s matches, click here.

The Longshot Moves On

Jeff Chambers was the ultimate longshot going into the first round of match play at the PGA Championship of Canada, which got underway Wednesday at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary.

The head professional at the Elmwood Golf and Country Club in Swift Current, Sask., ranked 115th on the Canadian PGA national rankings, apparently didn’t get the memo that he was supposed to lose to top seed Bryn Parry as Chambers walked away with a victory.

Afterwards, he talked to Jeff Dykeman of the Canadian PGA.

The Top Dog Becomes The Hunted

According to published reports emanating from the west coast (see Kyle German’s blog on the GNN home page), North Vancouver’s Bryn Parry is living up to the No. 1 ranking he holds going into the PGA Championship of Canada, which gets underway Wednesday at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary.

“I’ve been playing pretty well. (Recently) I’ve managed to play golf three times. I’ve had a 66 at Marine Drive, a 64 at Chilliwack and a 67 at Quilchena. Those three scores are 18-under,” said Parry.

“My golf’s good. I’ve been hitting it really well. I’m not typically a fast starter, so I’m excited about where my game is this early in the year. For me, that’s a pretty good start,” he added.

“I’ve been getting the driver in play and giving myself lots of chances – high stat numbers for fairways and greens, lots of chances for birdies, not a whole lot of punishment on the short game, just kind of stress-free,” he said. Read more

I’ll Be An Ontario Homer During CPGA Event

I admit that I’ll be a homer while I watch the results come in from this week’s PGA Championship of Canada at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club near Calgary.

With me, it’s all about relationships and we’ve got Andy Holborn from Coppinwood out there, along with other great Ontario guys such as Danny King, who I’ve always admired, and Ken Tarling, who is a great friend and a great player.

As a Toronto guy, I’m always rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs – they may not always win, but I’m rooting for them as a homer and that’s what will be fun about watching the outcome of this week’s tournament.

Trust me, I know there are great players from other provinces. Bryn Parry from North Vancouver is the No. 1 seed, I have to go with logic there. Look at his accomplishments and I’m sure he takes great pride in being the top guy going in.

If Bryn came in as the No. 8 guy, he might not have his mind as much on the business at hand, but being the No. 1 seed, he knows that everybody is gunning for him, so I think he’s going to be ready.

What really set a great tone for this event was the news on Monday that RBC was coming in as a sponsor of the new Canadian PGA rankings and that the top player on a certain date will get an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.

RBC is great for golf in Canada already, with its involvement with the Canadian Open. RBC is also great with its relationship with the PGA of America and it’s wonderful that they’ve now embraced the Canadian PGA. Such a grassroots tie-in seems so natural.

It’s great for the association to have such a great sponsor in RBC. They can do nothing but help us in the future.

I’m proud that the Canadian PGA Championship is back and I’m looking forward to following it. I love the history of the event, but I’m also looking forward to the future of it.