The son of one of ice hockey's greatest players will trade the rink for the fairway next month, after Austin Lemieux secured a place in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship through Monday qualifying.
Lemieux, whose father Mario Lemieux won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is widely regarded as one of the finest players in NHL history, carded a strong round at Port Royal Golf Course to earn one of the coveted qualifying spots into the PGA Tour event. The younger Lemieux has pursued professional golf in recent years, competing on mini-tours and in qualifying events as he works to establish himself in the sport.
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship, held at the scenic Southampton layout overlooking the Atlantic, has become a fixture on the PGA Tour's fall schedule and regularly attracts a mix of established tour professionals and emerging talent. Monday qualifiers offer four spots in the field, providing a pathway for aspiring professionals to test themselves against tour-level competition.
Tournament organisers said the qualifying round once again demonstrated the depth of interest in the event, with players travelling from across North America for a chance to compete on the island. Lemieux's successful bid adds an intriguing storyline to this year's tournament, given his famous sporting lineage.
The championship is expected to draw thousands of spectators to Port Royal, with local officials highlighting the event's continued importance to Bermuda's tourism product and its global television exposure. Further details on the tournament field and ticket availability are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Bermuda