Duke of Kent: A woman almost won the most prestigious men’s golf tournament in Quebec

A woman could have taken part in the most prestigious golf tournament in Quebec, the Duc de Kent. Anne-Léa Lavoie’s qualification made Royal Quebec general manager Mario Bouchard very happy, he said, but the club’s golfer was ultimately scheduled to play an event in Ontario at the same time.

“We asked Golf Quebec if they would accept her as a participant,” explained Mr. Bouchard, while the first round of the event was in full swing. With the 90^e anniversary of the tournament and the 150^e Royal Quebec anniversary [qui sont tous deux cette année]they saw this with great happiness.”

Especially since the talented 19-year-old golfer, very well-known on the Quebec scene, was far from having stolen it, this qualification for the tournament with its rich history, underlines the GM.

Like the men, she had started from the black markers and delivered a very fine performance.

Young people for sustainability

Mario Bouchard, however, believes that this is only a postponement. It may not happen immediately, but he has the impression that one day, with equal talent, a woman will compete in the second prized event of the “triple crown” of Quebec golf.

In the meantime, the tournament got underway early Tuesday. There were 138 golfers who hit the fairways during the day, hoping to lift the trophy and put on the plaid jacket on Wednesday afternoon. Including the defending champion and golfer of the club, Samuel Gagnon Breton.

Among them, several young people; a happy paradox in this club with a long history, smiles the general manager.

“It’s true that it’s younger than before, we see a lot of golfers aged 24 or 25 participating in the tournament,” he notes. “In the past, our participants were older. But it’s a great dynamic and it ensures a great future.”

Inspiration from here

The general manager explains this youthful shift in golf by several factors. The pandemic helped in particular, he points out. “We won’t hide it, it was one of the few activities there was to do,” says Mr. Bouchard with a laugh.

But also, we see more and more Quebec or Canadian golfers standing out, which inspires the younger ones, he believes. “There was Mike Weir, 20 years ago, who created a craze. And now, we have golfers like Corey Conners or Étienne Papineau, who is very close to the PGA.”

“We also have a lot of golf sports-study programs in Quebec, as well as university programs. All of that is favorable to the practice of golf.”