Josee Doyon's second round at the IOA Golf Classic was off to a rough start.
She began the day at Alaqua Country Club in Longwood, Fla., near the top of the leaderboard but a triple bogey on the second hole endangered her position.
"I was just like 'all right, there's 16 more holes and I have two choices: I can either come back strong or give up,'" said Doyon on Wednesday. "And I am not the type of person who gives up so I'm like, 'all right, we're just going to battle through it, there's a lot of holes left.'"
That attitude helped Doyon get three birdies on her next seven holes and stay in contention at the three-day event. The native of Saint-Georges, Que., tied for fifth in the tournament for the first top-10 finish of her career.
She moved up to 23rd on the Race for the Card, the points list for the second-tier Epson Tour. That made her the highest ranked Canadian on the circuit, two spots ahead of Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont.
"It feels good, especially after the first two events were not so good for me," said Doyon, who missed the cut at the Central Florida Championship on Feb. 28 and the Atlantic Beach Classic on March 6. "To come back strong with the top five, to put me in the 23rd place is good because my goal this year is really to finish in the top 15.
"The top 15 will get their cards on the LPGA Tour at the end of the year, so this is a good start for me. There's 17 more tournament to play and I'll be in a strong position at every one of them."
The Epson Tour is taking a month off, with the IOA Championship the next event. It will be held at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon's Champions Course in Beaumont, Calif., from April 25-27.
That doesn't mean that Doyon has the time off, however.
She intends to play two events in the ANNIKA Womens All Pro Tour to keep sharp, teeing it up at the Coke Dr Pepper Open at the Links on the Bayou in Alexandria, La., April 3-5 and the Lake Charles Championship at L'Auberge at Contraband Bayou Golf Club in Lake Charles, La., April 9-12.
"I've really looked over my stats over the last three tournaments," said Doyon. "I know I have to work a little harder on my second shot because my putting is good.
"If I hit the ball even closer, it will give better results and just to keep being mentally strong and come back strong and rested."
NCAA — Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., continued her impressive season for the Texas Longhorns at the Betsy Rawls Invitational. Kim birdied No. 15 and made pars on Nos. 16, 17, and 18 to earn a one-shot victory at 1-over-par for the individual title. That performance anchored Texas's 18-stroke team victory at the event.
PGA TOUR — Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., tied for sixth at the Players Championship on Sunday to move up to eighth in the FedEx Cup standings heading into this week's Valspar Championship. He'll be joined at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla., by Adam Hadwin (87th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes (113th) of Dundas, Ont., Ben Silverman (146th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Adam Svensson (153rd) of Surrey, B.C. Hadwin won the Valspar in 2017.
CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary's Stephen Ames and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., are in this week's Hoag Classic, which tees off on Friday. Ames is 29th and Weir is 75th in the Schwab Cup points list heading into play at the Newport Beach Country Club in California.
ROGERS CHARITY CLASSIC — Ames and Weir were the first golfers on Wednesday to add their names to the tee sheet for this summer's Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary. The event is the only Champions Tour event in Canada and will be held at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club from Aug. 11-17.
“This is one of the premier events on the PGA Tour Champions, and I always really look forward to playing in Canada," said Weir. "All of the players really love it.
"When we get closer to the event, the chatter in the locker room increases, and I know the guys are going to be looking forward to getting up there, and that goes without saying for me to come home, see family and friends."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
