Players took advantage of excellent scoring conditions at the Mid Ocean Club for first round of the Nike Golf Team Championship of Canada.
Saskatchewan’s Dean Brown and Pat Marcia of Royal Regina Golf Club, and Eric Laporte and Philippe Mongeau of Quebec lead the 47-team pack after fourball rounds of 9-under-par 62.
“Today was pretty much about as perfect for scoring as you’re ever going to find,” Brown said. “There was also a lot of mojo in our group and that’s never a bad thing.”
Both leading teams played together Tuesday and will tee off again Wednesday in the foursomes format.
The Quebec duo of Marc-Etienne Bussieres—who captured this year’s PGA Championship of Canada—and Dave Levesque, as well Ian Doig and his Ed Maunder of Ontario are just two shots back after opening rounds of 7-under-par 64. Five teams—including last year’s winners Billy Walsh and Danny King—are T5 at 6-under.
The championship, which takes place Oct. 24-27, features different team formats for each day—fourball, foursomes and scramble. In addition to the 54-holes of championship golf, PGA of Canada members have been treated to a number of off-course events as well, including: a players reception on the Fairmont Southampton’s private beach; dinner at the world famous Waterlot Inn; and a second reception inside the Fairmont Southampton.
The winning squad of the Nike Golf PGA Team Championship of Canada will take home $12,000 of the $90,000 purse.
Ranked the 47th best golf course outside of the United States by Golf Digest, The Mid Ocean Club was designed by world-renowned architect Charles Blair Macdonald and first opened for play in 1921. The club has played host to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in 2007 and 2008, and has hosted such heads of state as Presidents George H.W. Bush and Dwight Eisenhower; Sir Winston Churchill, The Duke of Windsor; former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney; as well as baseball icon Babe Ruth.
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