BROMONT, Québec – A new host site in a familiar province welcomes players as PGA TOUR Canada moves east for this week’s Québec Open powered by Videotron Business, the fourth event in this year’s 10-tournament schedule. Situé à une heure au sud de Montréal, le Golf Château Bromont accueillera 156 joueurs de 12 pays, dont 31 Canadiens et 11 natifs de la province hôte du Québec.
“It’s pretty cool to start at a place where I played a lot of junior golf,” said 18-year-old Jean-Philippe Parr from Saint-Célestin, Quebec, who will make his debut on the PGA TOUR Canada circuit this week as an amateur. “Having several of my friends here this week only adds to the excitement, and I’m eager to see where my game stands.”
Parr is just weeks away from his high school graduation and will continue his already impressive amateur career at the University of Tennessee this fall, alongside another member of the Golf Québec and Golf Canada team, Laurent Desmarchais, who is also part of the field this week on a sponsor’s exemption.
“I grew up on this golf course. It’s my home,” added Desmarchais, 22, who holds the course record of 62 at Golf Château Bromont. “Being able to play with friends and have the chance for my family to see me play for the first time in years makes this week very special to me.”
A familiar course for Quebec-born players presents a brand new challenge for PGA TOUR-U graduates, who will have another chance to prove their pedigree and make a name for themselves in a new province. Among the recent PGA TOUR U graduates who have participated in the PGA TOUR Canada during the first three tournaments, four rank among the top 10 – John Pak (2), Connor Howe (5), Sam Choi (6), and Chase Sienkiewicz (10).
Pak, a 2021 graduate from Florida State University, finished as the top player of the PGA TOUR University in its inaugural class of 2021, securing full member status of the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022. This year, Pak is currently tied for second in the Fortinet Cup standings with 500 points after winning the season’s second event, the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Brandt.
Howe, from Ogden, Utah, is fifth on the Fortinet Cup points list. The Georgia Tech graduate finished in the top 10 twice – a tie for second at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Brandt and a tie for ninth at the ATB Classic.
Choi, from Malibu, California, is number 6 in the Fortinet Cup race. The University of Pepperdine and University of New Mexico graduate placed in the top five three times, finishing fourth in the season’s first two tournaments and tied for fifth at the ATB Classic two weeks ago.
Sienkiewicz, from Sacramento, California, is number 10 in the Fortinet Cup standings. The University of Arizona graduate tied for eighth at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist and tied for fifth at the ATB Classic.
Each believes that the high level of competition in college has prepared them to make a smooth transition to professional golf.
“You see it here, on the Korn Ferry Tour, and even on the PGA TOUR with a lot of these guys. It shows how good young golfers have become and how competitive college golf is. It has prepared us well to come here, and I think we’re not afraid of anyone. We want to measure up against the best,” said Howe.
“Just look at PGA TOUR-U to see that there are a lot of opportunities,” added Choi. “Guys like Adrian Dumont de Chassart (University of Illinois) have already won on the Korn Ferry Tour, and I think I’ll get there soon. It’s just about getting mentally prepared.”
Sienkiewicz added: “College golf is brutal. You see guys like Ludvig (Aberg of Texas Tech) and Sam (Bennett of Texas A&M) tearing up golf courses now. Knowing that I can play at the same level as these guys when I’m playing well is very promising.”
Tommy Kuhl, from Morton, Illinois, who played at the University of Illinois alongside Dumont de Chassart, is number 32 on the Fortinet Cup points list and received an exemption to play in last week’s PGA TOUR’s John Deere Classic. In his PGA TOUR circuit debut, he shot 70-71 and failed to make the cut.
This week will also mark the professional debut of Travis Vick, from Houston, who played at the University of Texas. He was 12th on the PGA TOUR University points list this season and helped the Longhorns win the 2022 NCAA national championship. Vick, a three-time All-American, was mentored by 1983 PGA Championship winner Hal Sutton and finished as the top amateur at the 2022 U.S. Open.
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, from the University of Arkansas, qualified for the PGA TOUR Canada through PGA TOUR University but remains an amateur to compete in next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. He will turn professional afterwards.
The first three tournaments of the PGA TOUR Canada season have seen three different winners: Québec’s Étienne Papineau, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Pak, from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and Davis Lamb, from Bethesda, Maryland. Papineau has made the cut in all three tournaments and holds a slim 42-point lead in the Fortinet Cup standings. All three players are present this week.
The Fortinet Cup offers a $100,000 bonus to players, with $25,000 going to the winner. The winner is granted full status for the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, while the second to fifth places receive conditional status.
KEY INFORMATION
In addition to Parr and Demarchais, Québécois such as Brandon Lacasse and Dom Lalonde, both from Châteauguay, as well as Marc-Olivier Plasse, from Mercier, will make their second consecutive appearance at the Québec Open powered by Vidéotron Business. Veterans Yohann Benson and Marc Hurtubise have also joined the field.
Joey Savoie, a native of Québec, is back on the PGA TOUR Canada for his second tournament of the season. Savoie missed the cut at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist in mid-June before heading to Mexico to finish his season on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica circuit, finishing 11th at the Bupa Tour Championship in Tulum and 41st on the Totalplay Cup points list. This is the third time he has participated in a PGA TOUR Canada tournament in the province of Québec. His best result in his home province was last year when he tied for 13th place with a score of 9-under par.
Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju is the top returnee from last year’s event. He finished sixth at the 2022 Québec Open. Yellamaraju missed the cut in the first two PGA Canada Circuit tournaments this summer but rebounded by finishing fourth at the ATB Classic in Edmonton, where he shot a 66 in challenging playing conditions. The left-hander is 14th on the Fortinet Cup list.
The Québec Open was established in 1909. Current PGA TOUR Canada member, Jake Scott, won the event in 2018 – when it was not yet part of the PGA TOUR Canada schedule – with a birdie on the first playoff hole. He is, however, part of the field this week and will undoubtedly be looking to repeat the feat. Other notable winners of the Québec Open include Canadians Dave Barr (three times), Dan Halldorson, and Charlie Murray, who won the first tournament and then went on to win the title nine times.
Golf Château Bromont is a picturesque course that traverses a valley with breathtaking views of Mont Brome. Howard Watson and Graham Cooke designed the course. Watson worked with legendary Stanley Thompson and Robert Trent Jones. Watson has designed over 150 courses worldwide, including 67 in Québec. Cooke, after apprenticing with Watson, started his own company and has designed and built over 100 golf courses. Cooke was an accomplished amateur who won numerous victories.
QUOTES
“I want to finish the season strong in Canada. I think I have the tools to contend for a tournament title, and I’d really like to win one of the last seven. That’s my goal.” – Joey Savoie
“Last season was a good season. I didn’t have full status at the start of the season, so keeping my card for this year was very important. I had a few misses early in the season, but when it happens, it happens. You don’t always play as well as you’d like.” – Sudarshan Yellamaraju
“I’ve never been in a position to win in a tournament like this. I’d say I proved to myself that I can make the shots I need to.” – Davis Lamb, after his win at the ATB Classic
TOURNAMENT RECAP
Dates: July 13-16, 2023
Social Media: Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @PGATOURCanada @OpenBromont
Hashtags: #FortinetCup
Host Course: Golf Château Bromont
Par/Course: 70 (35-35), 6,812
Field: 156 players from 12 countries and territories
Countries: Argentina (1), Australia (3), Canada (31), England (2), France (1), Germany (1), Hong Kong (1), Japan (1), Korea (2), Mexico (3), Switzerland (1), United States (111).
Fortinet Cup Points: The winner earns 500 points.
Purse: $200,000 (Canadian), with $36,000 for the winner.
Cut: The top 60 professionals, and ties, after 36 holes, plus any amateurs in the top 60.