(Golf Québec)Trois-Rivières, July 21, 2023 – Rain and thunderstorms might have forced the organizers to cancel the fourth and final round of the Provincial Junior Boys’ Championship, but this didn’t prevent Max Corcoran from building on his previous day’s comeback to win the Québec junior title in a playoff.
Only two of the 156 participants in the tournament walked the course at Club de Golf Ki-8-Eb on Friday, Corcoran and Antoine Jasmin, both tied at -1 (215) at the top of the overall standings after 54 holes.
With the final round cancelled, the rivals took advantage of a brief period of clement weather to battle it out in a playoff, with the main prize at stake in this 94th junior edition, the category reserved for 17-18 year-old players
On this occasion, they teed off on the 18th, a 411-yard par 4.
After two difficult shots to start the round, Corcoran managed to tie the hole with a 20-foot putt that was good for par. The Ottawa resident and member of the Loch March Golf & Country Club then headed for the same tee with renewed confidence.
He continued with a drive down the fairway and a successful approach shot, then closed the books with another long putt for birdie and, more importantly, victory.
“After my first shot of the day, I didn’t really believe in my chances. I knew I had to do something special to catch up and I managed to come back strongly with my putter twice rather than once,” commented Corcoran, all smiles after the playoff.
“Winning is an incredible feeling! I don’t think I fully realize it yet, but it might hit me a bit later today (Friday). This was my last chance to win a tournament on Golf Québec’s Provincial Junior Tour and I’m very proud of my performance. We’ll be celebrating tonight!
The 18-year-old had to draw on his reserves to achieve his goal after a difficult start to the tournament on the first two days of action. Four shots over par at the time, he recorded the best round of the event on Thursday with a card of 67 (-5), which enabled him to tie with Jasmin for the lead at -1.
“I wasn’t at my best at the beginning of the week, but I worked hard after the second round, and it paid off. Everything started to go right, and I caught up with the leaders, much to my surprise,” explained Corcoran, who went through the whole range of emotions at the end of the tournament.
“Before the cancellation this morning, we were watching the British Open on TV, so it wasn’t too bad,” he continued, laughing. “But before we went into the playoff, I started getting really nervous, so nervous that my back was shaking. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life!”
Antoine Jasmin, a Québec team player, Le Blainvillier representative, and winner of the 2023 Assante Optimiste Classic, had to settle for second place.
Just behind him, his provincial teammate and reigning junior champion Anthony Jomphe (Chicoutimi/Québec team,) tied for third place with Jake Houston (Royal Montreal), overall winner of the 2022 Assante Optimiste Classic. The duo finished the event with a cumulative score of 217 shots (+1).
Henry Dao Earns the Juvenile Title
The Provincial Junior Boys’ Championship also crowned a new winner in the juvenile division, where 114 contenders aged between 13 and 16 (as of August 1) were competing this week.
It was Henry Dao who, with a cumulative score of +2 (218), claimed the 64th Québec title in the history of the category. While he was delighted to be go back home with one of the two trophies at stake, the Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu athlete would have liked to do more on the greens of the Trois-Rivières course to be in contention for the overall ranking.
“It’s an honour for me to win in the juvenile category, but I was hoping for even more! Unfortunately, I missed several good opportunities to convert putts into birdies and that cost me this opportunity,” analyzed the 16-year-old golfer after the awards ceremony.
Despite this slight disappointment, Dao was still able to highlight several positive points from his time at Ki-8-Eb, where he posted his best round on Wednesday with a 71 (-1).
“I was hitting the ball really well at the beginning, so that makes me feel better. I’m working with a new coach, and we made a lot of changes to my game following an injury I sustained at the start of the season, but we’re really seeing the results. Now I’ll have to practise even more with my putter,” said the player who is brimming with ambitions for the future.
“There are still a number of good tournaments to come, and I want to use the great exposure Golf Québec is giving me to prove what I can do. I’d like to try out for Team Canada and eventually play on the American University Tour, so this is the kind of results that will help me achieve my goals,” concluded Dao.
He was followed in the juvenile rankings by Charly Pinel (Bellechasse/Québec team), with a cumulative score of +4 (220). Andy Mac (Vallée du Richelieu), and Atlas Ibit (Camelot) tied for third at +7 (223).
Ibit got off to a roaring start with scores of 71 and 72, but his third round of 80 knocked him down two places in the standings.
On the Road to the Canadian Championships
True to tradition, a few golfers received their official passes for the upcoming Canadian Junior Boys Championship, to be held at the North Bay Golf Club in Ontario from August 13 to 17.
Antoine Jasmin, Henry Dao, and Thomas Lemay (Ki-8-Eb) were chosen to represent Québec in the team competition by virtue of their ranking in the quota’s order of merit.
In the same vein, 11 of their compatriots from the province also received an exemption for the national individual tournament: George Siozos (Le Blainvillier), Jake Houston, Zach Pageau (Vallée du Richelieu), Charly Pinel, Andy Mac, Thomas Carrière (Vallée du Richelieu), Théo Desroches (Le Blainvillier), Raphaël Vézina-Ouellet (Pinegrove), William Cartier-Watchorn (Balmoral), Félix Cloutier (Venise), and Loïc Simard (Vallée du Richelieu).
Finally, three other golfers qualified based on their overall ranking at the Provincial Junior Boys’ Championship: Rhett McLean (eQuinelle Golf Club), Ekveer Minhas (Elm Ridge), and Guillaume Paquette (Le Blainvillier/Québec team).
Golf Québec is now turning its attention to organizing the 106th edition of the Men’s Provincial Amateur Championship, presented in collaboration with belairdirect. The tournament, which is the final stage of the men’s Triple Crown, will take place from July 24 to 27 at the Club de golf Les Boisés de Joly.
At the same time, but at Club de golf de Bic, in Rimouski, golf activities will begin at the Québec Games. Three days of competition are scheduled from July 26 to 28.
