The Ottawa Valley Golf Association (OVGA) reports it is welcoming the third class of inductees into the OVGA Hall of Fame. 

The organization welcomes Brad Fritsch, Allen McGee and Susan Pearl in the Player Category and Kevin and Lisa Haime in the Builder Category. 

The OVGA Hall of Fame was established in 2021 to recognize, honour and perpetuate the memory of individuals and organizations that have made a significant and positive contribution to golf in the area served by the association. Inductees include players, both amateur and professional, as well as builders within the area. 

“I think our inaugural year of the OVGA Hall of Fame in 2021 was a great success,” said OVGA President Dru Lafave. “It was a wonderful way to celebrate the milestone of our 100th anniversary of organized amateur golf in the Ottawa region. Our class of 2023 recognizes two professional players and one amateur player with outstanding careers, as well as two individuals in the Builder category who dedicated significant time and effort over many years supporting competitive amateur golf. I have great respect and admiration for golfers who excel in our sport and those who give back to the game. It is a real pleasure and a humbling experience to be co-chair of the OVGA Hall of Fame Committee.” 

2023 OVGA Hall of Fame Inductees 

PLAYER CATEGORY: 

BRAD FRITSCH – Carleton Golf & Yacht Club & Rideau View Golf Club

Brad’s amateur beginnings in the Ottawa area featured his 1999 Alexander of Tunis and 2000 City & District wins while playing out of the Rideau View Golf Club. With his Tunis win, Brad was named a member of the Quebec Willingdon Cup Team, and he was named the Ottawa Sports Awards winner in the golf category in 1999, an award he would also win in 2000. 

Highlights of Brad’s professional career on the Canadian, Web.com and PGA Tours after his first pro win in the 2002 Rideau View Pro-Am were his 2006 Azores Open win in Portugal, and his 2016 Servientrega Championship win in Cartagena, Columbia. Brad was the winner of the 2014 Web.com Qualifying School, making him fully exempt on that Tour in 2015. He also finished in second place in the 2004 Bay Mills Open Players Championship on the Canadian Tour, and in a second place tie on the Web.com Tour in the 2012 Mylan Classic. In 2013, the team of Brad Fritsch and David Ahearn finished in fifth place representing Canada in the World Cup at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. 

In 2021, Brad teamed up with his Ottawa friend Kerry Moher to form Red Rooster Golf, producing golf gloves in a subscription model that benefits youth programs.

ALLEN MCGEE – Kanata Golf Club & Country Club

Allen McGee has seen the game of golf through his play both as an amateur and as a professional. As an amateur golfer, Allen’s record in OVGA competition is among the best. On his OVGA Championship record, he has a City & District Junior win (1990); two Tournament of Club Champions wins (2000 & 2009); eight City & District wins (2007-2013 & 2015); five 4-Ball wins (three with Derek MacLean (2006-2008) and one each with Chris Bernard (2010) and Kyle Koski (2012)); and two Masters wins in 2016 and 2017. 

Allen also had a 2006 Masters World Amateur win in Marbella, Spain, and in 2016, he teamed up with his Glen Mar partner, Luci Leblanc, to win the Golf Quebec Mixed Championship. Flagstick Golf Magazine Shootout wins added to his record in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and he was the Flagstick BMG Cup Champion in 2013 and 2014. Allen won the Ottawa Citizen Amateur Golf Championship in 2010, and he has 12 Ottawa Sun Scramble Championship wins, seven teamed with Kyle Koski and five with his son, Hunter. The Ottawa Sports Awards Committee has recognized Allen as their Golfer of the Year six times (2006-2010 & 2012). 

Back in the professional ranks, Allen was the winner of the PGA of Ottawa’s Assistant Championship in 2022. 

SUSAN PEARL – Rideau View Golf Club

Rideau View Golf Club’s Susan Pearl has an envious list of golf accomplishments. Her first major championship win came in 2005 when she won the Ottawa Citizen Amateur Golf Championship. In OVGA play, Susan has won the City & District Senior Championship twice (2006 & 2011); the 4-Ball twice with Alexandra Heyes (2008) and Pam Burnside (2011); the Marjorie Strong Two-Ball twice with Pam Burnside (2009 & 2017); the City & District (2012); the Mina Denison Shield with Rideau View team-mates in 2008/12/15/16; the Tournament of Club Champions (2016), and the first OVGA Women’s Cup in 2019. 

In Golf Quebec competition, Susan won the Mid-Am Championship (2009 & 2011); the Senior Championship (2011 & 2014); and the Quebec Players Cup in 2011. 

Many awards have also come into Susan’s possession. She was named the Ottawa Sports Award winner in the golf category in 2005 and 2011. In 2005 & 2011, Susan was named the Quebec Senior Golfer of the Year, and in 2005 – 2007, 2009 – 2011 and 2014 she was named to the Golf Quebec Senior Ladies Team for the Canadian Ladies Amateur Championships. Also in 2006, 2013 and 2014, Susan was named the Golf Quebec Nancy Walker Award for Sportsmanship winner.

BUILDER CATEGORY: 

KEVIN & LISA HAIME – Kevin Haime Golf Centre 

Kevin Haime, on his own, has the credentials to go into the OVGA Hall of Fame with his 1986 OVGA City & District and Match Play Championships. In addition to his amateur wins, Kevin turned professional in 1987 and promptly won the PGA of Ottawa Zone Assistant’s and Zone Championships. He was the Assistant’s Champion again in 1989, and he won two additional Zone Championships in 1990 and 1996. In 2000, he won the Zone Match Play Championship. 

Ottawa Zone Teacher of the Year awards in 1997, 2000, 2009 and 2020, as well as Junior Leader of the Year awards in 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2017 are also on Kevin’s resume. He also was named PGA of Canada Teacher of the Year in 2000, and PGA of Canada Junior Leader of the Year in 2017. In addition, Kevin served on PGA of Ottawa Boards, and he was the Zone President in 1999 and 2000. In 2019, the PGA of Ottawa honored Kevin by naming the Junior Leader of the Year Award after him. 

As for the team of Kevin and Lisa Haime, in a May, 2002 profile story on Kevin written by Scott MacLeod titled “A LOOK BEYOND – What makes Kevin Haime strive for success?”, Kevin talked about finding “…his life partner who would share both the work and rewards that were part of his everyday life, Lisa. Kevin is only too happy to give a lot of credit to his wife who has a role that goes beyond the ordinary. ‘Lisa allows me to go out and do the things that I like to do. She takes care of things that I am not good at and makes everything work. She is my number one sounding board. She’s a best friend, confidante, and business partner.’ The two are hardly apart in their lives, and Kevin says that is part of enjoying the business they are in. ‘We made a lifestyle choice to do what we do; since we are around each other for so long, we do whatever we can to make the best of it.’ ” 

The Kevin Haime Junior Golf Initiative was paused in 2020 due to COVID. Over the first 12 years that it was operational, it was organized by Kevin and Lisa Haime along with their sons, Jake and Jackson. The Kevin Haime Junior Golf Initiative has purchased just over 700 annual memberships at some of the Ottawa area’s top golf clubs for kids who needed a place to play. The Junior Golf Initiative also provided grants to dozens of kids, golf programs and other kid’s charities in our community. Kevin and Lisa’s idea has always been to provide kids with not only a terrific golf course to improve their skills on, but also to provide them with the respectful and traditional environment that a golf club can provide. As their website says, “Our core values continue to be to contribute to the growth of better, healthier people through the values and lessons of golf. We’re giving kids a safe, respectful and positive place to play a sport that emphasises integrity, fair play, and sportsmanship.” 

Full Inductee profiles will be posted on the OVGA Virtual Hall of Fame at ovga.org. Plans are underway for individual, as well as group award presentations that will accommodate travel schedules. 

Nomination procedures for the OVGA Hall of Fame are also available at www.ovga.org.