The final RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier of 2017 will take place Monday, June, 5th, at Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu – Vershceres Course in Sainte-Julie, Qué. Sixty-seven golfers will be looking to finish in the top 15% of the field and secure a spot in final RBC Canadian Open qualifying, which takes place Monday, July 24th at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.
Twenty-seven golfers have already advanced to the final qualifying event through the Regional Qualification process. At the first Regional Qualifier at Bear Mountain Resort, in Victoria B.C., Keith Martin of Kelowna, B.C., and Derek Barron of Lakewood, Wash., shared medallist honours.
At the Ontario Regional Qualifier at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.., Matt Hill of Brights Grove, Ont., beat Jesse Smith, of Oshweken Ont., in a sudden death playoff, to receive a direct exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.
The qualifying competitions are open to members in good standing with the PGA of Canada or other PGA affiliates, amateur golfers with a current Handicap Factor not exceeding 2.0 who are members of Golf Canada or in good standing with their respective associations, as well as other golf professionals.
Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu is hosting the Quebec regional qualifier for a second consecutive year. In 2016, four golfers shared medallists honours. Gianfranco Guida (Maple, Ont.), Jean-Philip Cornellier (St-Césaire, Que.), Tim Alarie (St-jérôme, Que) and Marc-Étienne Bussières (Sherbrooke, Que.) all topped the leaderboard to advance to the final qualifying event, along with three additional golfers.
Notables
Jean-Philip Cornellier, St-Césaire, Que.
The 26-year-old is one of the defending medallists at this event. He was the captain of the Montreal Carabins golf team during his university career.
Beon Yeong, Lee, Montreal
The 28-year-old has two career top-10s on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada. His best result was a T3 at the 2014 Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial. He also qualified for the 2014 RBC Canadian Open.
Gianfranco Guida, Maple, Ont.
The 28-year-old is one of the defending medallists at this event. The former Western University Mustang will look to defend his title this year and book his ticket to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier.
Mark Hoffman, Torotno
The 28-year-old finished eight on the Great Lakes Tour Order of merit in 2016 on the strength of a victory at the GolfNorth Series #1.
Etienne Papineau, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
The 20-year old freshman at West Virginia University is a graduate of the Team Canada Amateur Squad. He was the 2015 Amateur Golfer of the Year in Quebec and was twice named the Junior Golfer of the Year..
QUICK FACTS
The Regional Qualification process gives players from across Canada and the world a chance to qualify for the RBC Canadian Open, the third-oldest national open golf championship in the world, after the British Open and the U.S. Open.
This is first time since the two-stage regional qualification process was reinstated in 2011, that the Quebec qualifier has been held at the same course back-to-back years.
Since the two-stage regional qualification process returned in 2011, three players have advanced to the RBC Canadian Open through the Quebec Regional Qualifier: David Markle (Shelburne Ont.) in 2012, Jesse .
In 2013, Jesse Smith became the first Six Nations golfer to participate in the RBC Canadian Open after advancing through Final Qualifying and the Quebec Regional Qualifier.
ABOUT THE COURSE
There club has hosted two RBC Canadian Opens. Lee Trevino won in 1971 and Tom Weiskopf topped the field in 1973.
The club has hosted other prestigious Canadian championships, including the 1989 Canadian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship won by Dick Estey.
In 1994, the famous Skins game was played at the club, with Nick Price, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Fred Couples participating.
The course underwent modernization renovations from 2011-2012 under the supervision of architect Neil Hawort.
For more information on the tournament, click here.