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(Posted
8:30 a.m., June 9)
Orléans
golfer completes first year south of the border
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
It
won’t be long before the Ottawa area will be known
for producing two world class, female golfers.
Every
golf fan around the globe is familiar with the exploits
of Smiths Falls native Brooke Henderson, her numerous
championships and outstanding finishes playing on the
LPGA tour.
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Orléans
native Grace St-Germain just complete here
first year of Division I golf at Daytona State
University in Florida. Photo courtesy of Daytona
State
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In
short time, the golf world will be taking notice of Grace
St-Germain another Ottawa area talent as she attempts
to make her mark in the professional sport.
Already
a familiar name in these parts, St-Germain committed to
attend Daytona State College in April 2016 after winning
several prestigious amateur tournaments incouding the
2016 Ontario Amateur Championship and the 2016 CJGA Junior
Championship.
The
up and comer from Orléans turned more than a few
heads during her freshman year with the Daytona State
Falcons.
There
was the usual adjustment of being away from home for the
first time, but once she settled in everything else fell
into place for the Camelot Golf Club member.
“My
first season at college was really good, the golf and
academics went very well, my teammates were so nice and
coach (Laura) Brown was awesome,” said St-Germain
The
Orléans native finished off her first college golf
season with a huge bang as she and her fellow Falcons
claimed the program’s ninth title in 13 seasons at
the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA) National Championships in Braselton, Georgia.
St-Germain
recorded the lowest round of the tournament on the first
day of competition, posting four birdies to shoot a 68
and finish three under par. She would end up posting a
four round score of 295 (+11) good enough to finish in
a tie for third place with teammate Jiwon Jeon.
With
her first year of college and a National Golf Championship
tucked safely under her belt, St-Germain will now turn
her attention to the summer season in Canada.
“Summer
season is always busy. I’ll be in Cambridge, Ontario
from June 7-11 playing in my first LPGA event, the Manulife
Classic. After that I’ll be travelling to several
tournaments with the Canadian National team,” said
St-Germain.
The
18-year-old made the jump to the national squad this year
after spending two seasons with the development pro-gram
and one with Team Ontario.
As
St-Germain follows her dream of playing full time on the
LPGA tour, she readily admits that countless hours on
the practice range and putting greens lie ahead of her
as she works to gain an edge over her American and Canadian
counterparts.
“I’m
working with (National Team)coach Tristan Mullally as
well as my personal coach, Kevin Haime, and the Golf Canada
support team to keep improving my physical strength and
mental game, and improve my swing and other aspects of
my game,” says St-Germain.
After
completing another year at Daytona State, St-Germain plans
to transfer to the University of Arkansas where she will
complete her junior and senior years of college. After
that her goal is to get her tour card and play on the
LPGA.
From
there the possibilities are end-less, we may even see
St-Germain and Henderson go head-to-head against each
other at an LPGA event one day.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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New
Year`s Levee hosted by MP Andrew Leslie and MPP Marie-France
Lalonde
The
Good Time Band performing at the Orléans Legion
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