Robert Mackay had a game plan going in to the 2nd round of the Golf Quebec Alexander of Tunis on his home Rivermead course. That game plan was to play steady golf just as he had done on Day 1 of the Tunis when he posted a score of 3 under par 69 placing him in a tie for 3rd place and one stroke off the lead.
In the penultimate group, Robert was teamed with club-mate Julien Sale and Olivier Daneau from the Continental golf club. While they were posting interesting numbers on each hole; Julien had 7 birdies, 5 bogies and 1 bogie in his round while Olivier recorded an eagle, 6 birdies, 5 bogies, and a double and a triple bogie, Robert was recording pars on 15 holes along with a bogie on the 8th hole and birdies on holes 12 and 14.
After it was all said and done, Robert posted his two-day total score of 4 under par and he had to wait for the final group to finish their second round. Move along folks as there was nothing to see there and Robert was toasted with a tall boy by another club member after he was declared Golf Quebec’s Tunis Champion for 2017.
“The highlight of my golf career”, is how the new Tunis Champion described his win. “I started out one stroke behind and missed a makeable birdie putt on the first hole. I bogied the 8th hole and had a good chance for a bird on number 9. I birdied holes 12 and 14 and played steady golf the rest of the way. The guys in my group were really good guys and they played some beautiful golf.”
After the trophy presentation Robert was asked to say a few words. “I would like to thank the people who put in the time and effort to make this tournament a success. Head Professional Bob Flaro and Greenkeeper Derrick Power did a great job setting up the course for play on the two days. I better thank my caddy Margaret MacLaren. She’s worked at many of these events just waiting for something like this to happen. I would also like to thank Ralph (Kuster) who’s helped me for many years. I was very fortunate to hang on for the win. Congratulations also to all of the competitors over the two days. There was some great golf played at Rivermead.”
Marc-Olivier Plasse from Kanawaki Golf Club finished alone in 2nd place by one stroke with his two-day total score of 141 (71-70). Mr Plasse also finished 2nd at the Duke of Kent last week. Tied for third place overall with two-day total scores of 142 were Boucherville’s Angie Ethier (73-69), Levis’ Loick Laramee (71-71) and Rivermead’s Julien Sale (70-72).
The Alexander of Tunis is one of the three of Golf Quebec’s Triple Crown Tournaments with the others being the Duke of Kent and the Quebec Amateur, which is being held this year at Eagle Creek Golf Club from July 24-27. Since its start in 1950 the Tunis has been hosted by Ottawa Hunt Golf & Country Club, Rivermead Golf Club and Royal Ottawa Golf Club exclusively on a set rotation until 2014 and 2015 when Rideau View Golf Club and Camelot Golf & Country Club were introduced into the rotation.
Robert Mackay is the first local winner of the Tunis since 2008 when Marc-Etienne Bussieres from the Royal Ottawa Golf Club was the winner. He also joins the list of notable local amateurs who have hoisted the Tunis trophy including R. D. Pollock, H. R. Greaves, Bob Stimpson (3), Glen Seely (3), Pete Zebchuck, Don Cordukes (2), Don Davidson, Joe Galon, Mike Brown (3), Bill Holzman (2), Tom Larocque, Brad Fritsch, Lee Curry (3) and Chris McCuaig (2).
It was also a great day for 30 local amateurs who made the cut and were able to play on the second day of the Tunis.
Congratulations to the Golf Quebec team of organizers as well as the Ottawa Valley Golf Association volunteers and rules officials who produced another fine tournament.
Leaderboard
| Pos | Player | Today | Thru | Total | R1 | R2 | Total | Points | Bourse/Purse | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Mackay Rivermead GC | -1 | F | -4 | 69 | 71 | 140 | 4,000 | $0.00 | |
| 2 | Marc-Olivier Plasse Kanawaki | -2 | F | -3 | 71 | 70 | 141 | 3,840 | $0.00 | |
| T3 | Angie Ethier Boucherville | -3 | F | -2 | 73 | 69 | 142 | 3,720 | $0.00 | |
| T3 | Loick Laramée Lévis | -1 | F | -2 | 71 | 71 | 142 | 3,720 | $0.00 | |
| T3 | Julien Sale Rivermead GC | E | F | -2 | 70 | 72 | 142 | 3,720 | $0.00 | |
| T6 | Christophe Sylvain Lorette | -1 | F | -1 | 72 | 71 | 143 | 3,360 | $0.00 | |
| T6 | Olivier Daneau Continental GC | +2 | F | -1 | 69 | 74 | 143 | 3,360 | $0.00 | |
| T6 | Étienne Papineau Pinegrove | +2 | F | -1 | 69 | 74 | 143 | 3,360 | $0.00 | |
| T9 | Cédric Laverdure Laval-sur-le-Lac Club | +1 | F | E | 71 | 73 | 144 | 3,120 | $0.00 | |
| T9 | Étienne Brault Pinegrove | +1 | F | E | 71 | 73 | 144 | 3,120 | $0.00 | |
| T11 | David Iaderosa Hylands Golf Club | -1 | F | +1 | 74 | 71 | 145 | 2,900 | $0.00 | |
| T11 | Olivier Arsenault Val des Lacs GC | E | F | +1 | 73 | 72 | 145 | 2,900 | $0.00 | |
| T11 | Raphael Lapierre-Messier Pinegrove | +2 | F | +1 | 71 | 74 | 145 | 2,900 | $0.00 | |
| T11 | Dwight Reinhart Eagle Creek GC | +5 | F | +1 | 68 | 77 | 145 | 2,900 | $0.00 | |
| T15 | Louis-Francois Charpentier Knowlton | +4 | F | +4 | 72 | 76 | 148 | 2,560 | $0.00 | |
| T15 | Jean-Michel Paré Victoriaville | +5 | F | +4 | 71 | 77 | 148 | 2,560 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Robert Mustard Camelot G & CC | E | F | +5 | 77 | 72 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Jérôme Gaudreault Lorette | +1 | F | +5 | 76 | 73 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Jared Coyle Carleton Golf & Yacht | +2 | F | +5 | 75 | 74 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Brendan Smith Dufferin Heights | +2 | F | +5 | 75 | 74 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Stephen Layne St. Raphael GC | +3 | F | +5 | 74 | 75 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Emile Provost BlainvillierGC | +3 | F | +5 | 74 | 75 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Charles-David Trepanier Lorette | +3 | F | +5 | 74 | 75 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Chris Henri Royal Montreal GC | +5 | F | +5 | 72 | 77 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Jean-Sebastien Vachon Beauce | +5 | F | +5 | 72 | 77 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T17 | Mark Coldham Ottawa Hunt & GC | +9 | F | +5 | 68 | 81 | 149 | 2,320 | $0.00 | |
| T27 | Timothy Sullivan Rideau View GC | +2 | F | +6 | 76 | 74 | 150 | 1,720 | $0.00 | |
| T27 | William Lecky Cornwall | +3 | F | +6 | 75 | 75 | 150 | 1,720 | $0.00 | |
| T27 | Vincent Mucci Le Versant | +4 | F | +6 | 74 | 76 | 150 | 1,720 | $0.00 | |
| T27 | Maxime Marengère Rivermead GC | +5 | F | +6 | 73 | 77 | 150 | 1,720 | $0.00 | |
| T27 | Adam Poulin St-Georges GC | +6 | F | +6 | 72 | 78 | 150 | 1,720 | $0.00 | |
| T32 | Antoine Beaupre-Vachon Laval-sur-le-Lac Club | +3 | F | +7 | 76 | 75 | 151 | 1,520 | $0.00 | |
| T32 | Chris McCuaig Ottawa Hunt & GC | +4 | F | +7 | 75 | 76 | 151 | 1,520 | $0.00 | |
| T32 | Christopher Bockstael Ottawa Hunt & GC | +4 | F | +7 | 75 | 76 | 151 | 1,520 | $0.00 | |
| T32 | Max Rochette Camelot G & CC | +6 | F | +7 | 73 | 78 | 151 | 1,520 | $0.00 | |
| T32 | Richard Brochu Rivermead GC | +7 | F | +7 | 72 | 79 | 151 | 1,520 | $0.00 | |
| T32 | Cullen Chung Royal Montreal GC | +7 | F | +7 | 72 | 79 | 151 | 1,520 | $0.00 | |
| 38 | Phillipe Lynch Beaconsfield | +4 | F | +8 | 76 | 76 | 152 | 1,280 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | David Huxham Beaconsfield | +3 | F | +9 | 78 | 75 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | Philip Morgan Beaconsfield | +5 | F | +9 | 76 | 77 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | Jean-Francois Guillot Kingsway Park | +5 | F | +9 | 76 | 77 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | Warren Sellors Windmill Heights | +5 | F | +9 | 76 | 77 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | Gabriel Gingras Camelot G & CC | +6 | F | +9 | 75 | 78 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | Scott Ray Camelot G & CC | +6 | F | +9 | 75 | 78 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| T39 | Jordan Rochon Cornwall | +10 | F | +9 | 71 | 82 | 153 | 1,240 | $0.00 | |
| 46 | Simon Desjardins The Royal Ottawa GC | +6 | F | +10 | 76 | 78 | 154 | 840 | $0.00 | |
| T47 | Taylor Collins Camelot G & CC | +5 | F | +11 | 78 | 77 | 155 | 836 | $0.00 | |
| T47 | Ryan Mitchell Royal Montreal GC | +5 | F | +11 | 78 | 77 | 155 | 836 | $0.00 | |
| T47 | Guillaume Bélanger Tempête | +9 | F | +11 | 74 | 81 | 155 | 836 | $0.00 | |
| T50 | Benjamin Perron St-Georges GC | +6 | F | +12 | 78 | 78 | 156 | 820 | $0.00 | |
| T50 | Mathieu Bellemare Lorette | +6 | F | +12 | 78 | 78 | 156 | 820 | $0.00 | |
| T50 | Anthony Lemoine-Hoefsmit Rivermead GC | +7 | F | +12 | 77 | 79 | 156 | 820 | $0.00 | |
| T50 | Kurtis Barkley Cedar Glen GC | +8 | F | +12 | 76 | 80 | 156 | 820 | $0.00 | |
| T54 | François Parenteau Milby | +7 | F | +13 | 78 | 79 | 157 | 800 | $0.00 | |
| T54 | Rodney Morgan Beaconsfield | +7 | F | +13 | 78 | 79 | 157 | 800 | $0.00 | |
| T54 | Stéphane Bédard Royal Quebec GC | +7 | F | +13 | 78 | 79 | 157 | 800 | $0.00 | |
| T54 | Nikolai Tolstoy Rivermead GC | +9 | F | +13 | 76 | 81 | 157 | 800 | $0.00 | |
| T54 | Emile Ménard Pinegrove | +9 | F | +13 | 76 | 81 | 157 | 800 | $0.00 | |
| T54 | Jeremiah Shields The Royal Ottawa GC | +10 | F | +13 | 75 | 82 | 157 | 800 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | André Gauthier Hawkesbury Golf & Curling | +8 | F | +14 | 78 | 80 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Martin Carré Public Golfer-Golf Québec | +8 | F | +14 | 78 | 80 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Jean-Marc Cabana Summerlea G&CC | +8 | F | +14 | 78 | 80 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Jean-Sébastien Bonin St. Raphael GC | +9 | F | +14 | 77 | 81 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Brendan Kuffner The Royal Ottawa GC | +9 | F | +14 | 77 | 81 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Gabriel Massé-Barbeau Continental GC | +10 | F | +14 | 76 | 82 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Peter Harrison Ottawa Hunt & GC | +10 | F | +14 | 76 | 82 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| T60 | Jason Allen Hylands Golf Club | +11 | F | +14 | 75 | 83 | 158 | 600 | $0.00 | |
| 68 | Alexandre Gauthier Beloeil | +10 | F | +15 | 77 | 82 | 159 | 452 | $0.00 | |
| 69 | Doug Eccles Royal Montreal GC | +11 | F | +16 | 77 | 83 | 160 | 440 | $0.00 | |
| 70 | Marc-Olivier Amnotte Mirage GC | +11 | F | +17 | 78 | 83 | 161 | 420 | $0.00 | |
| 71 | Mark Swansburg Pembroke | +12 | F | +18 | 78 | 84 | 162 | 400 | $0.00 | |
| 72 | Joey Fraser St. Raphael GC | +16 | F | +19 | 75 | 88 | 163 | 360 | $0.00 | |
| T73 | Francis Trépanier Mémorial | +15 | F | +20 | 77 | 87 | 164 | 320 | $0.00 | |
| T73 | Jonathan Gagnon Milby | +14 | F | +20 | 78 | 86 | 164 | 320 | $0.00 |
