PGA TOUR Canada – Bursey hangs on to the lead as he looks to go wire to wire in Blainville

BLAINVILLE, Quebec — SPORTS – Blair Bursey stormed out of the gate, making birdie on the first two holes Saturday at the Mackenzie Investments Open. But he quickly gave those shots back with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5. From there on, the Gander, Newfoundland, native was a model of consistency making par on the final 13 holes, remaining at 10-under for the tournament. Bursey holds the lead at Club De Golf Le Blainvillier for the third day in a row as he attempts to go wire to wire. He leads Marc Casullo by a shot.

“The birdies came early today, and then I wasn’t quite able to capitalize on my looks later in the round,” said Bursey. “I got out of position a few times late on the front nine and was really able to stay disciplined and salvage bogeys out of those. I found those just as important, if not more important, than some of the birdies I made [Friday].”

Bursey holds that lead over Casullo from Aurora, Ontario, who played in the same group as Bursey. Casullo shot a 3-under round of 69 to pick up three shots on the day. After making bogey on the 11th and 12th holes, Casullo countered with back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14.

“It took me to hit a flagstick to make my first bogey of the day, so that was kind of unfortunate,” said Casullo of his approach shot. “That putt on 13 was huge. It was a 25-foot sidewinder, and for that to go in was very encouraging for me. Then I followed up again on the next hole with another good putt and then again on the hole after for par.”

Three players sit in a tie for third, including Brendan Leonard, who was 1-under for his round despite a bogey on the par-5 17th. With five shots to make up Sunday, the Cambridge, Ontario, native doesn’t plan on holding back.

“I’m going to be aggressive out there,” said Leonard. “I’m going to try and catch up to these guys, make a lot of birdies and come out of the gate strong.”

The final round begins at 7:15 a.m., Sunday, with the leaders set to tee off at 8:54 am.

Key Information

• Jamie Sadlowski had the low round of the day, shooting a 5-under 67. Sadlowsi, of St. Paul, Alberta, will join Keven Fortin-Simard and Linus Lo in the second-last group.
• Fourteen players were able to break par Saturday, with five players shooting in the 60s.
• Eric Banks showed the biggest improvement on moving day. The Bedford, Nova Scotia, native bounced back from a 76 on Friday with a 67. He’s tied for 15th with 18 holes to play.
• Louis-Francois Charpentier from Outrement, Quebec, was the only amateur to make the cut. He shot a 2-over round of 74 on Saturday, placing him in a tie for 29th at 4-over.
• The top-five players on the final Points List will earn 2022 PGA TOUR Canada membership. First place on the points list will receive fully exempt status for the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season, while those in the second-through-fifth positions will earn exempt status up until the first reshuffle based on player performance.

From the Players

“Obviously, this is where you want to be after three rounds. I got out of position a few times today but managed to hang tough in there, so I look forward to seeing how things play out [Sunday].” –Blair Bursey

“It’s probably the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of thus far in my career. I love it. The more the merrier, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a great atmosphere.” –Blair Bursey

“It’s been in great shape for all three days—even when we had rain or cold weather. The greens got a little firmer and a little faster today.” –Marc Casullo on the course conditions

“I don’t think the scores are really representing how good I’ve been playing out there. I’ve been hitting it really well. I just need some more putts to drop and keep playing the way I’m playing.” –Brendan Leonard

Third-Round Weather:

Sunny and cool. High of 23. Wind SW at 17 kph. Gusts in the afternoon reached 26 kph.