First round complete at RCGA championships

One round is complete at the Crimson Ridge Golf Club as the 2005 Royal Canadian Golf Association Canadian Club Champions Championship began on Tuesday.

Battling windy conditions, many golfers struggled on the difficult course and only two golfers managed to play under par.

Local product Frank Kucher, representing the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club, sits in a tie for 42nd place after shooting an opening round 81 to sit at +9.

Crimson Ridge champion Greg McLellan struggled on opening day with a 93 to sit tied for 101st place at +21.

Kelowna, B.C.'s Norman Bradley holds the lead at -2 after an opening round 70 while Mississauga's Kevin Bryce sits one stroke behind. Innisfail, Alberta's Trevor Meding is at even par.

Second round action on Wednesday begins at 7:30 a.m. and continues through late afternoon. Admission is free for all fans.

Kucher tees off at 9:54 a.m. while McLellan begins at 10:39 a.m.

The following release was distributed by the RCGA:

************************************************************ NORMAN BRADLEY TAKES OPENING-ROUND LEAD AT BATTLE OF CANADA’S GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONS

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – Norman Bradley of Kelowna, B.C. shot an opening-round two-under-par 70 at Crimson Ridge Golf Club to take the opening-round lead at the 2005 Canadian Club Champions Championship, conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA).

Bradley, representing Kelowna Golf and Country Club is looking for his first Canadian Club Champions title after previously competing in the 1988 championship at Redwood Meadows Golf Club in Calgary. The 47-year old admitted afterward that the honour of representing his home course has been his primary motivation leading up to the championship.

“It was challenging today but I just put the ball in the right spots all day,” said Bradley. “I went out there trusting myself and trusting every swing and it worked out well. As you get older, it really is an honour to be here and an honour to be representing my golf club as its champion.”

Kevin Bryce of Mississauga, Ont. fired a one-under 71 to sit alone in second. The 20-year old let what would have been the opening-round lead slip away with a triple-bogey on the 17th hole before a birdie on 18 brought him back under par.

I was three under into 16 and was playing great until I tripled 17,“ said the Lake Joseph Club champion who comes into the event fresh off a runner-up finish at the Ontario Match Play Championship. “The way the winds started picking up in the afternoon, you’ve got to be happy with any score under par.”

Crimson Ridge proved a stiff test for Canada’s club champions as only three of 111 competitors shot even-par or better under warm and windy conditions at the scenic Northern Ontario layout. Trevor Meding of the the Innisfail Golf Club Innisfail, Alta. shot even-par 72 to sit alone in third while James McCallum of the Erie Shores Golf Club in Kingsville, Ont. is fourth at one-over.

Sault Ste. Marie native Frank Kucher of the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club had the top local finish at nine-over 81 while Greg McLellan of the host Crimson Ridge Club couldn’t capitalize on his home-course knowledge and struggled with a 93 on the on the day.

The following are opening-round scores for Tuesday, June 21, 2005.

1 Norman Bradley Kelowna, BC 70 2 Kevin Bryce Mississauga, ON 71 3 Trevor Meding Innisfail, AB 72 4 James McCallum Kingsville, ON 73 5 David Markle Shelburne, ON 74 T6 John Sheldon Tecumseh, ON 75 Mike Tibbs Winnipeg, MB 75 T8 Darren MacPherson Halifax, NS 76 Brad Revell Kingston, ON 76 Terry O`Brien Barrie, ON 76 T11 Jeff Ferguson Brockville, ON 77 James Chan Ancaster, ON 77 Winston Ivey Toronto, ON 77 Christopher Callihoo Dorval, QC 77 Jeff Hunter Calgary, AB 77 T16 Glenn Robinson Lower Sackville, NS 78 Paul Poulin Newcastle, ON 78 Robert MacDermott Edmonton, AB 78 Luc Papineau St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC 78 Harry Ferguson Invermere, BC 78 Gudmund Lindbjerg Port Moody, BC 78 Ross Cormack Nanaimo, BC 78 John Robinson Thorndale, ON 78 T24 Phil Patterson Prescott, ON 79 Rory Bondue Comox, BC 79 John Barnes Woodbridge, ON 79 David Kraemer Delta, BC 79 Michael Walker Winnipeg, MB 79 T29 Andrew Mitchell North Vancouver, BC 80 Jim Charlton Salt Spring Island, BC 80 Scott Markham Winnipeg, MB 80 Brandon Edwards Peterborough, ON 80 Dave Kreway Edmonton, AB 80 James Duncan Cedar Valley, ON 80 Jamie Peden Penetanguishene, ON 80 Josh Dean Richmond Hill, ON 80 Mike Fernie Burlington, ON 80 James Boose Ancaster, ON 80 Jim Finney Calgary, AB 80 Kelly Burnett Winnipeg, MB 80 Tyson Lemon Nanaimo, BC 80 T42 Ryan Hennessy Picton, ON 81 Paul Penman Vancouver, BC 81 Gérald Dufresne Boucherville, QC 81 Colin Snair Kentville, NS 81 Frank Kucher Sault Ste. Marie, ON 81 Todd Gerrard Markham, ON 81 Danny Baldwin Kanata, ON 81 Richard Boudreau Ile des Soeurs, QC 81 Ben Bandura Slekirk, MB 81 Brian Gaetz Porters Lake, NS 81 T52 Jeff Bray Lennoxville, QC 82 Derek Baldwin Whitehorse, YU 82 Gordon Rouse Calgary, AB 82 Robert Patterson Burlington, ON 82 Rick Grundy Pickering, ON 82 Ryan McNall Regina, SK 82 Howie Wark Burlington, ON 82 Jamie Gordon Crofton, BC 82 Geoffrey Crofton Vancouver, BC 82 Matt Quinney St. Albert, AB 82 T62 Bob Faulkner St. John`s, NF 83 Duane Schiestel Wingham, ON 83 Geoffrey Butt Vancouver, BC 83 Norman Kalyniuk Newmarket, ON 83 Warren Clunie Calgary, AB 83 Victor Ciesielski Cambridge, ON 83 T68 Paul Butcher Port Alice, BC 84 Chad Post Woodstock, ON 84 Ryan Rutherford Calgary, AB 84 Jim McNeil Beamsville, ON 84 72 Lee Drydak Petrolia, ON 85 T73 David Fader Dartmouth, NS 86 Ian MacDonald Kitchener, ON 86 Renaud Perron Sorel-Tracy, QC 86 Scottie Mah Edson, AB 86 Mike Naus London, ON 86 Adam Martin Port Colborne, ON 86 T79 Matt Dumontelle Garson, ON 87 Mark Rice Calgary, AB 87 John Simons Calgary, AB 87 Tim Sears Moncton, NB 87 83 Josh Phillip Blatt Winnipeg, MB 88 T84 Jason Kerr Medicine Hat, AB 89 Brent Bukovy Thunder Bay, ON 89 Darren Anderson Barrhead, AB 89 Kurtis Baehl Lacombe, AB 89 Andrew Hare Waterloo, ON 89 Mike Butson Minesing, ON 89 T90 Russ Peltonen Thunder Bay, ON 90 Carmen Giblett Regina, SK 90 T92 Andrew Brown Bancroft, ON 91 Chris Ingram Brampton, ON 91 Mel Woodman Corner Brook, NF 91 Pierre Desloges Port Elgin, ON 91 Ken Carlson Delta, BC 91 T97 Lorne Nickle Penticton, BC 92 Jim Pamplin Gatineau, QC 92 Scott McCallum Forest, ON 92 Richard Ross Markham, ON 92 T101 Greg McLellan Sault-Ste-Marie , ON 93 Rocky Anderson Parry Sound, ON 93 103 Ross Eisele Cambridge, ON 96 T104 Jeff Danylyk Kitchener, ON 100 Brian Harris Barrie, ON 100 T106 Tyler Casselman Sarnia, ON 108 Brian Campbell Winnipeg, MB DQ Francis Racineux Rimouski, QC WD Matt Keller Cochrane, AB DQ Charles-Etienne Demers Ste-Foy, QC DQ Tim Ash Toronto, ON DQ

***********************************************************