(Golf Quebec) Drummondville, August 1, 2023 – Kate Guo (St-Hyacinthe) was brilliant on the second day of the Bantam, Pee-Wee, and Mosquito Provincial Championship at Club de Golf Drummondville. After a round of 84 (+12) on Monday, Guo returned to the drawing board before embarking on her second day where she shot 78 (+6) to defeat Léanne Sarrazin (Vallée du Richelieu) and take top honours.
“I’m really happy, it was a great experience. I was trying to relax before the final round, and I didn’t want to think too much about the score. I had to take my time and concentrate on what I could control. Léanne had a good lead, I believe, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy”, commented the winner.
Guo experienced quite an emotional week last week, winning all three events in which she took part at the Club de Golf Bic during the Québec Games Finals.
“It’s really special! I can say that I accomplished my mission. It was a huge challenge in Rimouski, and I never thought I’d win all three competitions. I’m very satisfied with the last few days,” she added.
Sarrazin eventually finished second at +23 (167), while Gracelyn Xiao (Rivermead) also made a spectacular comeback on Tuesday to claim third place in the competition at +30 (174).
On the boys’ side, Chase Jerome (Royal Ottawa Golf Club) was in a league of his own during the two days of competition in Drummondville. The 2021 pee-wee champion was the only athlete to play under par overall and was crowned bantam champion.
“I’m really proud of the results, but also of my scores. It’s always a goal of mine to play under par or close to it. I’m also so happy to have won this tournament two years after my victory in the pee-wee category. Even so, today’s win (Tuesday) was super special,” said Jerome.
After a round of 70 (-2) on Monday, the 14-year-old carried on where he left off on Tuesday, finishing with a par (72). A consistency that makes the winner very proud.
“The course is quite difficult, but I was able to make some long putts that paid off at the end of the day. I started strongly from the very beginning and was able to recover quickly when I made a mistake”, added Jerome.
Raphael Poulin (St-Georges) also enjoyed two excellent days with rounds of 75 and 74 to finish in second place at +5 (149). Louis-Olivier St-Pierre (Les Saules) and Zack Moore (Lombard Glen Golf Club) shared third place at +8 (152).
In the Pee-Wee division, Nelly Adjaoud (Rivermead/Royal Ottawa) finished in first place on the girls’ side, having led the field for both days of the competition. Adjaoud carded an 83 on Monday and then an 82 on Tuesday to clinch the victory at the Québec Championship.
“I’m very happy, it’s great fun to play close to 80 on a course that’s not very easy. It’s my first win in a Golf Québec tournament, so it’s a goal that’s finally been achieved and gives me confidence for the future,” explained the winner.
Behind her, the race for second place was fiercely disputed between Alicia Paquette (St-Césaire) and Florence Ho (Public Golfer). In the end, Paquette came out on top by just one shot after 36 holes of competition.
In the boys’ pee-wee event, Lucas Simoneau (Louiseville) and Adam Lauzon (Vallée du Richelieu) were tied at 75 (+3) at the end of the first round and fought hard on Tuesday to claim the victory.
Simoneau emerged victorious in the final round, beating his rival by three shots.
“This is the second time I’ve taken part in this tournament and it’s really something big to win. It was a great battle with Adam, who put a lot of pressure on me during the competition. It’s motivating to have an opponent on your heels. I’m proud of my performance, I can’t put it into words,” commented a delighted Simoneau.
Anthony Pellerin (Le Versant) finished third in the category, 14 shots behind the winner.
In the Mosquito division, the competition took place over a single day on Monday, July 31. Rafael Dagenais of Club de golf Beloeil became Québec champion in the category after carding a +2 (74).
There was a close battle for second place behind Dagenais between William Landry (Les Saules), Owen Copp (Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club), and Marc Radoux (Lorette). Landry and Copp eventually tied at +11 (83) to share second place. Radoux took fourth place at +13 (85).
In the girls’ Mosquito category, Ellie Simoneau (Vallée du Richelieu) took top honours by getting the better of Kateri Ann Lessard (Lorette) at the end of the 18-hole event. Simoneau carded a +32 to win.
With the victories by Chase Jerome and Nell Adjaoud, that makes it four Royal Ottawa Golf Club members who have won a total of six Quebec Provincial Junior Championships in 2023. James Newton previously claimed the Quebec Men’ Amateur while Ann Sophie-Bourgault won the Women’s Amateur, Junior, and Juvenile titles.