PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA (November 17, 2008) – Competition is heating up on the Wanamaker course at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida as Scott Allred of Calgary, AB fired a scorching four-under par 68 in the first round to lead the 2008 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship by one shot over Danny King of Milton, ON and Dan Clark of Aurora, ON.
After playing in chilly and windy conditions this morning, Allred, Head Professional at Elbow Springs Golf Club, carded five birdies and one bogey en route to his 68 finish today. “When I got here this morning I was a bit concerned about the weather as I had an early tee time and I thought the wind and the cold would affect my play, but I hit my driver well and just tried to get my ball in good position and keep it in bounds which seemed to work for me in my round today,” stated Allred who won the Alberta Zone Club Professional Championship this past July.
“Today I had about 34 putts in total and on the front nine six of them were within ten feet of the pin, but you have to be careful to not set yourself up above the pin as the greens are in fabulous condition, rolling quite true and undulating quite a bit,” notes Allred who has played in this event seven times. “The key to success today out there was to play consistent fairways and greens and get it as close to the pin to be as aggressive as possible,” states Allred who just arrived back from Hawaii after playing in the Pro Team Classic Pro-Am averaging scores of 69.
Dan Clark, Head Teaching Professional at Golden Ridge Golf Range in Gormley, ON is one shot off the lead after carding a 69 today with five birdies and two bogeys. “This morning I found it to be very challenging out there as wind is always an issue with me, but I kept it together, putted very well, drove the ball in play, and didn’t make any big mistakes,” stated Clark who has played in this event since 2001 after trying to qualify for the European Senior Tour. “Tomorrow I am going focus on the same techniques as today, but the course is very ‘user friendly’ leaving some room for error, but not too much to take advantage of.”
2005 and 2006 champion Danny King had a solid day on the course carding a three-under 69, with five birdies, one eagle and a triple bogey on 10. “On the 10th hole I hit it in the left rough, and then used my wedge to hit it out, but I guess there was mud or something on it and it just went 40 degrees left which lead to the triple,” states King who has recently been working with Canadian PGA Member Sean Foley on varying swing techniques.
King, the Head Teaching Professional at Magna in Aurora, ON was four-under on the front nine with his eagle on seven before his slight hiccup on ten. “It’s demanding out there,” states King regarding the change in course from the Ryder to the Wanamaker, “the green sites are a little more demanding than last year so you’ve got to hit some good, quality shots. I think the other course isn’t as challenging. This course is a little more difficult off the tee, so you have to gear back a little bit in order to place your shot appropriately.”
One thing that most players have mentioned is the difficult undulation of the greens on the Wanamaker course. “There are a lot of slopes to these greens. If you’ve got anything side hill or downhill, they’re tricky, really tricky,” states King who narrowly missed qualifying for the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School only a few weeks ago. “Q-School was a funny animal,” states King who has now attempted the challenging task for the sixth time, “I played really well the first three days and didn’t get a lot out of the round. The last day there was 50 mile an hour winds and rain. Everyone has a story, but it was not ideal conditions. You’re only as good as your last round, right?”
One note of interest is the hole-in-one by Gary Boyce of Mississauga, ON on the sixth hole. Boyce who is the Head Professional at The Rock in Minett, ON hit his four iron 175 yards to drain his third career hole-in-one.
It was a successful day on the course for the Ontario team (Danny King – 69, Matt Peavoy – 71, Dan Clark – 68, Dan Greenwood - 78) in the InterZone team competition. Ontario scored a total of 209 to lead the InterZone competition by three shots over the Alberta Zone. The score is determined by the calculation of the best three scores in each four man team.
The second round of the InterZone competition will continue tomorrow where a winner will be determined. The purse for the InterZone competition is $5000, with $500 going to each player on the winning team, $400 to each player on the second place team, and $350 going to each player on the third place team. Title sponsor of the event, Acushnet Canada was onsite for the practice rounds and on the range providing all Canadian PGA Professionals with the latest innovative Titleist & FootJoy products and equipment.
Today Titleist executives were present on the first tee and recorded an 88% ball count with the ProV1 golf ball. Also onsite for the tournament is Association partner SkyCaddie – “Official Rangefinder of the Canadian PGA” who lent their distance measuring devices to all participants and unquestionably added to the improved pace of play with over 81% of the field using the GPS rangefinders.
The second round of the championship will take place tomorrow, with the field being cut after the first 36 holes to 70, plus ties. The first tee time will commence at 7:30AM with the last group departing at 12:42, in a crossover fashion. For first round results please click here. For second round tee times please visit www.cpga.com The CPC purse is $85,000 and the Champion will receive an exemption into the 2009 RBC Canadian Open to be held at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, ON.
The 2008 Titleist & FootJoy Canadian Club Professional Championship kicked off last night with the Club Car Canadian PGA Awards Show. Plaques were presented to the 2007 Canadian PGA National Award Winners: Ted Stonehouse – Jack McLaughlin Junior Teacher of the Year, Eric Thorsteinson – Merchandiser of the Year, Derek Ingram – Teacher Professional of the Year and Patty Howard – Club Professional of the Year.
Owned and operated by the PGA of America, The PGA Golf Club is a public facility designed by Tom Fazio with rolling hills, majestic pine trees and challenging water hazards. The course has been selected for numerous awards including the 2004 “Best Places To Play” by Golf Digest. For more information, visit www.pgavillage.com
About Acushnet: The Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra brands have a tradition of excellence that have always been predicated on providing golfers with quality and performance superior golf equipment. The Canadian PGA Golf Professional has a tradition of excellence devoting their careers to helping golfers improve and enjoy the game. Together, Acushnet and the Canadian PGA Golf Professional share a successful relationship of providing the golfer with best in class products and services. For more information, visit www.titleist.com and www.footjoy.com
About CPGA: Established in 1911, the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 3,500 golf professionals across the country with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. The National Office is located in Acton, Ontario with nine Zone Offices across the country. For more information, visit www.cpga.com
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