Canada’s Marchand off to strong start on Symetra Tour after considering retiring

“I wanted to give it my all this off-season and putting in the work and then actually seeing it pay off in the first event is definitely a good feeling,” said Marchand, who finished in a tie for eighth at the season-opening Florida’s Natural Charity Classic last weekend. “I feel like Brittany again. It’s nice to feel that again and remember that, you know, I do like golf.”

One of the people Marchand consulted with was fellow golfer Anne-Catherine Tanguay, who herself is on a one-year leave of absence from the LPGA. Tanguay encouraged Marchand to take another run at it and, if necessary, end her career on her terms.

“It’s a long year, and it’s a grind, especially if you have to play on the Symetra Tour,” said Quebec City’s Tanguay, who is pregnant with her first child. “It’s a commitment to do. It’s a life choice to travel and live in your suitcases and I think to do it you have to have the passion for it.

“That’s also something that we touched upon. You just have to want it so when it’s not there anymore, maybe you need to ask yourself other questions. But if you still feel like you have some great golf in you and you still have the passion, I think you should go for it.”

Marchand, who is based outside of Raleigh, N.C., plans to play in the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Beaumont, Calif., starting March 27. It’s the second event of the Symetra Tour season and, on the way out there, she’s going to try the Monday qualifier for the LPGA’s Volvik Founders Cup in Phoenix.

“I obviously know that I can play on the LPGA. It was tough to not believe in myself last year,” Marchand said. “It’s worth giving myself another shot. To be out there and no matter how the year ends, I think I’ll feel better if I walk away from golf next year.

“I think I’ll feel like it was the right way rather than if I left last year, I think maybe down the road I would have regretted it.”

PGA TOUR — Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is the top ranked Canadian at this week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, sitting at 18th on the FedExCup standings. Adam Hadwin, also from Abbotsford, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., are also in the field.

TPC SAWGRASS — Retired pro golfer Richard Zokol, from Kitimat, B.C., holds the dubious distinction of having the highest-ever score at the infamous No. 16 island but he saw the humour in it in a tweet earlier this week. “Every year (at the Players Championship) the @GolfChannel comments on the highest score made on 16 was my 10 in ’94. In true Tin Cup fashion I stood there hitting a 3-iron until I either ran out of balls or hit the green. The by-product was 10. Proud that I went down swinging.”

NCAA — Calgary’s Brendan MacDougall, a senior at High Point University, won his first NCAA title on Tuesday when he finished three shots ahead of the field at The Challenge at the Concession in Bradenton, Fla. He finished 1-over 217 at the three-round event for his first collegiate win. High Point finished second on the team leaderboard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2020.

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John Chidley Hill’s weekly golf notebook is published on Wednesdays.

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John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Canada’s Marchand off to strong start on Symetra Tour after considering retiring

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