Port St. Lucie, Florida (November 25, 2009) Ben Boudreau of Longueuil, QC stole the show at the Titleist & FootJoy Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship after he birdied the 18th hole in regulation and then birdied it again in a playoff to claim the Canadian PGA National Championship over first and second round leader Jeff Buder of Vancouver, BC.
Canadian PGA TV clips of the final putt and an interview with Boudreau are available at http://www.cpga.com/
“I was two shots back on the final hole but I thought if I could hit a big drive down the fairway I would have a chance to make a birdie and I just tried to do it all over again in the playoff,” said Boudreau, who now earns an exemption into the 2010 RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto. “Jeff and I had a wild fight all day long and I know he is a little disappointed but he played great golf all week and I’m just happy to be the last man standing.”
Boudreau, Head Professional at Le Parcours Du Cerf, made four birdies and no bogies during his trip around the Wanamaker Course at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida but it was his back-to-back birdies on the hardest hole on the golf course for the win that had everyone talking after the round.
“He had to putt first to save his par before I had a shot at my birdie on the last hole and when he missed it I said to myself this is it, just knock it in,” said Boudreau, who just got back from the final stage of Champions Tour Q-School where he finished tied for 72nd place.
Boudreau, who played in the 1994 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, looked like he was going to run out of steam in his pursuit of Buder but after making great par saves on the 16th and 17th hole the dramatics for the 18th hole fell into place.
“I’m so excited to play in the Canadian Open next year at St. George’s,” said Boudreau, who’s scorecard was surprisingly vacant of any birdies on the par-5’s in the final round, rare considering he is one of the longest players in the field. “I don’t know how I did it but I didn’t think about it all day until the final putt dropped.”
Buder pegged it in one of the first groups in round one and lead the Championship for almost 54 straight holes but an errant tee shot into the left fairway bunker on the 18th hole led to a bogey and allowed Boudreau the chance to sneak in the birdie for the tie.
“I’m obviously a bit disappointed not to close it out but my hat is off to Ben after making birdie on the hardest hole on this entire golf course, not once but twice,” said Buder, Head Professional of Point Grey Golf & Country Club. “I had a fun week and I’ll be back next year to see if I can win this thing.”
2005 & 2006 Champion Danny King fired a 4-under par 68 to finish alone in 3rd place. If not for a double bogey on the ninth hole King would have joined the playoff with Boudreau and Buder.
Almost 90% of the 105 Canadian PGA Professionals that played in the Championship used SkyCaddie – Official Rangefinder of the Canadian PGA during the event, contributing to the fantastic pace of play throughout the week.
Boudreau wins $12, 000 for the victory and will also receive an exemption into the 2010 RBC Canadian Open to be held at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto, ON.
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 quali! ty 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 http://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 http://www.cpga.com/
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