The MCT Insurance Championship trophy is headed back across the provincial border as Stephane Boudreau of Dieppe claimed top spot Saturday at Northumberland Links in Pugwash. It marks back to back year's for the New Brunswick amateurs, as Mathieu Gingras won last year at Bell Bay.

Boudreau, who entered the day in a tie with Eric Locke of Digby Pines, recorded a one over seventy three to finish at 297 for the tournament. "I started the day pretty solid, made some mistakes on four, six, and seven, but told myself I had to stay patient as most tournaments are determined on the back nine". As it would turn out the tournament was decided on the final nine holes. Boudreau and Locke entered the back nine in a tie for second behind leader Glenn Robinson who had scorched the front nine with a thirty three. That changed in a hurry as Boudreau made five birdies on the back nine including a sequence of four in five holes starting on number ten. "My back nine was really strong, I had a few loose shots but my putting was key, I found the speed of the greens in the second round and I was confident from twenty feet that was my advantage" said Boudreau of his short game.

With Robinson faltering on the back nine it became a two way race between Locke and Boudreau. Boudreau held a one stroke advantage going into the par three twelfth before the proverbial wheels fell of the cart for Locke. He would go on to bogey twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, sixteen, and double bogey number seventeen as he finished in a tie for seventh at +16.

With Locke and Robinson out of contention Lenehan, Aaron Nickerson, and Sean Stuart posed the closest threat. Nickerson got as low as +11 but ended up +13. Lenehan who at one point trailed by one shot faded on the first holes of the back nine but finished strong six shots back in the end. With the championship sewn up by virtue of Boudreau's birdie on sixteen fan's attention shifted to the team spots available to represent Nova Scotia at the National Championship. Heading into eighteen Nickerson was at +12 while Lenehan, and Stuart were at +13 for the tournament, and the possibility of a playoff loomed. Nickerson would bogey eighteen, Stuart would par and Lenehan would double bogey.

Last but certainly not least was Chris Evans of Ashburn who finished second to Boudreau after finishing with the low score of the day at -3. Evans who entered the final round seven shots back of the lead was in the eight thirty tee off time which did not include a leaderboard team or gallery thus his stellar play went relatively unnoticed until his score card reached the score tent. With Evans in at +12 he finished as the low Nova Scotian and in the process earning himself a trip to the Nationals. "I have a dogged personality I don't get nervous, if you're tied for the lead on the seventh hole at the US Open that's pressure, here I just tried to have fun I knew I had to score a seventy or better luckily I was one better". Evans who has gone to the National Championship twice before said his goal is to go and play his best and hopefully make the cut. Another benefit of going to the Nationals is he gets to go with close friend Sean Stuart who also plays out of the Ashburn Golf Club. "I think it will be great, we can build a camaraderie and push each other, you know the ole if I score low I get the bed type deal" said Evans with a chuckle.

Stuart who was flirting with joining the leader's group all week said most of all he was happy he made the team. "I was pretty clean and consistent, I was trying to make the team I knew it was going to be tight on the last few holes so I was quite happy". Stuart said it will be a great experience to represent the province in Victoria a city and place he has never visited "I wanted to win especially coming second last year, but most of all I wanted to go to Nationals, and to do it with Chris is pretty special".

Nickerson had said he had a couple rough holes that cost him "I played solid outside of a couple holes, and I was hoping to keep it together so that I could play on the team". Nickerson said he had an advantage in knowing the course through past rounds, but admitted he had not played as much as he would have liked to be adequately prepared.



View results for Nova Scotia Amateur

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