Jocelyne Bourassa is deceased. Once a renowned golfer, the Quebecer was a pioneer, then a great ambassador for her discipline, not only at home, but throughout the world.
Originally from Mauricie, Ms. Bourassa died at 74 years old. The cause of death was not specified.
“The great lady of Shawinigan will have influenced the history of golf, in Quebec and across the country, for nearly sixty years,” it was pointed out, in a press release sent by the Fédération de golf du Quebec.
“He was such a good person, involved in the development of golf for girls, praised Jean-Pierre Beaulieu, general manager of the federation, when reached by phone. She was so generous with her time. ”
A great victory in Montreal
Among the exploits that made the Québécoise a benchmark in the world of golf, we must underline her victory among the professionals at the La Canadienne tournament, played at the Montreal municipal golf club in June 1973. Ms. Bourassa then became the first Quebecer to win. an LPGA tournament and she remains the only one to this day to have achieved this feat of arms.
PHOTO D’ARCHIVES
Jocelyne Bourassa when she won the La Canadienne tournament in 1973.
At the heart of her distinctions, Jocelyne Bourassa is notably one of the Quebeckers who won the Bobbie-Rosenfeld trophy, awarded to the female athlete of the year in Canada. Since this award obtained in 1972, Sylvie Bernier, Myriam Bédard, Chantal Petitclerc, Aleksandra Wozniak, Joannie Rochette and Eugenie Bouchard are among those who have succeeded her.
Also named rookie of the year in the LPGA, in 1972, Ms. Bourassa was honored otherwise by the great women’s circuit, in 2009, having received the Eloise-Trainor prize, awarded to a personality who inspired the world of women’s golf. Jocelyne Bourassa was notably inducted into the Panthéon des sports du Québec in 1992, into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1996, then was welcomed into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Withdraw to better give back
Struggling with knee injuries, which prompted several surgeries, the athlete announced her retirement from a player in 1979. She then became director of the Du Maurier Classic, which was formerly La Canadian. Ms. Bourassa also founded the Du Maurier Series, a Canadian development program for amateur and professional golfers.
Even in recent years, the great lady remained involved with young people, in different ways.
“Whether at the Quebec Games in his native Shawinigan [en 2012], in the Golf program in schools, by helping hearing-impaired children via golf, at the Josée Pérusse day, at the Suzanne-Beauregard Memorial Tournament at Golf Québec, in the women’s clinics she provided at the Mirage with Debbie Savoy-Morel, through her presidency of fundraising for the Académie du Blainvillier or simply through the many encouraging emails she sent to our young hopefuls at the NCAA, Jocelyne was always there, ”listed the Quebec Golf Federation.
