Blainville, Que. – Marc-Olivier Plasse defeated Clement Lepine (a) in a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open Quebec Regional Qualifier at Club de golf Le Blainviller, in Blainville, Que. on Tuesday to earn a direct exemption into the 2024 RBC Canadian Open, from May 28 – June 2 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Plasse, of Léry, Que. was in a very early morning tee time on Tuesday and after shaking off the disappointment by starting off with a bogey on his first role, Plasse drained a clutch birdie putt on the next hole.
“It was a great day, obviously. I didn’t get off to the best start hitting a shaky tee shot on number one and making bogey there. I struggled off the tee for the first couple of holes, but my putting really kept me together on the front nine, I shot even par on the front nine which was actually a very good score the way I drove the ball. I started driving the ball better on the back nine and kept making some putts so I’m really happy with the round,” said Plasse.
Plasse went on to add three more birdies on 13, 15 and 16 and found himself finishing up 17 and 18 with two pars in order to keep himself in the conversation at the top of the leaderboard. Reigniting his momentum, he then battled his way through playoff against fellow competitor Clement Lepine (a) of Laval, Que., securing a thrilling victory and earning an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.
“On the playoff hole I was really nervous, easily the most nervous I have ever been. I was able to hit some good shots, some decent shots and make a hard-working par which feels amazing,” added Plasse.
Following Plasse’s win, he now feels a sense of comfort and familiarity, having played Hamilton Golf and Country Club before, giving him a confident advantage to tackle the challenges ahead.
“I was at the RBC Canadian Open the last time it was at Hamilton when my good friend Etienne Brault qualified, it will be pretty surreal to go back there and experience it again myself,” said Plasse.
In addition to Plasse’s exemption, the top 10 per cent of the of the 133-player field (19 players total) have advanced to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier on Monday, May 27 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) in Caledon, Ont.
RBC Canadian Open – Quebec Regional Qualifier Results:
| Pos. | Player | Residence | To Par | Total |
| T1 | Marc-Olivier Plasse (a) | Lery, Que. | -2 | 69 |
| T1 | Clement Lepine (a) | Laval, Que. | -2 | 69 |
| T3 | Etienne Brault | Mercier, Que. | -1 | 70 |
| T3 | Rowan MacDonald (a) | Cantley, Que. | -1 | 70 |
| T3 | Thomas Provost-Blais (a) | Saint-Hippolyte, Que. | -1 | 70 |
| T3 | Alexandre Mercier (a) | Lachenaie, Que. | -1 | 70 |
| T7 | Max Gilbert | St-Georges, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Kevin Gordon | Whitby, Ont. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Eric Banks | Quispamsi, N.B. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Brandon Rattray | St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Billy Houle | Joliette, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Raphael Lapierre-Messier | Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Kevin Fortin-Simard | Chicoutimi Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Tyler Hashmi (a) | Charlottetown, P.E.I. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Anthony Jomphe (a) | Chicotimi, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Michael Miller | Brewster, N.Y. | E | 71 |
| T7 | James Colin Davis | Montreal, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Samuel Breton Gagnon (a) | Quebec, Que. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Olin Browne | Hobe Sound, Fla. | E | 71 |
| T7 | Cameron Robitaille (a) | Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. | E | 71 |
For the full leaderboard, click here.
The Club de golf Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Que. was the third of five 2024 RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifiers. Two more qualifiers are set for this Thursday, May 16 at Tarandowah Golfers Club in Springfield, Ont. and at the Sirocco Golf Club in Foothills County, Alta.