Blanchette victorious at Tunis
Quebec-born golfer holds lead as challenger fails to birdie on 18th
It’s not often the clubhouse leader is hoping for a pursuer to do well in order to force a playoff, but that’s exactly what happened Monday on the final day of the Alexandre of Tunis at Manotick’s River View Golf Club.
Vincent Blanchette was fresh off his low round of 70 as he waited for the final group of the day to come up No. 18. Included in that group was Stephen Fritsch, the leader after Sunday’s opening round and brother of Brad who is currently playing on the PGA Tour.
Fritsch needed a birdie on 18 to force a playoff, and Blanchette was not hiding the fact that he wanted just that.
“It would be fun. I’d love to go one on one with him,” said Blanchette, a member of Pinegrove in SaintJean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec’s Monteregie region.
That wish didn’t come true though as Fritsch struggled off the tee and ended up with a double bogey, handing the Tunis title to Blanchette, who finished the twoday event at even par, two shots better than Cederic Laverdue of Laval-sur-le-Lac and Chris Collins of Rideau View.
Fritsch ended up three shots back along with Joey Savoie, also of Pinegrove.
Blanchette’s sentiments weren’t the only unusual occurrence Monday. Hugo Bernard of Laval-sur-leLac was the co-leader with Fritsch after Day 1, but he called rules official Gerry Bowen Monday morning to say that he had played with a damaged club that wasn’t damaged during the normal course of play.
Bernard struck his bag with his club Sunday producing a small crack under the grip. He then used the club a couple of holes later, a violation of the rules, but came clean Monday even though no one would have known.
“I have all the respect in the world for the kid, and that’s what this game is all about,” Bowen said of Bernard’s integrity and honesty.
Blanchette was also being honest in his desire for a playoff.
He and Fritsch have a relationship in that Fritsch helped Blanchette find an NCAA school to attend. Blanchette just finished his first year at Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C.
The two had met at a hockey tournament and Fritsch saw the potential in Blanchette, who had played a season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
“He wanted to play golf because he knew he couldn’t progress any further in his hockey career,” said Fritsch, who was playing his first competitive rounds of golf in four years. “At that point I knew who he was and that he was very talented.”
The two also played a practice round at Rideau View together last week and Fritsch won by “a lot,” according to his calculations.
He couldn’t duplicate that Monday on his home course and especially on the 18th hole which he has birdied on several occasions in the past. His tee shot went well right on the fairway and his second shot out of a slight hole hit a tree. His third shot went into a sand trap to the right of the green and his birdie attempt went on and then off the green.