BOISCHATEL | The last few days have been very emotional for career coach Patrick Rheaume, who has received a great surge of love from his former golfers.

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Rheaume was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease last November. He was invited to a surprise party by his good friend Frédéric Colgan, who had gathered 28 of his former charges at his residence last Thursday.

Rheaume was present at the Royal Québec on Monday during the first round of the 88s^e Issuance of the Duke of Kent for the departure of the trio of Matthieu Blouin, Charles Côté and Christophe Sylvain, three golfers whom he has mentored over the years.

“My illness touches her and we are even closer,” Rheaume said, overcome with emotion. At the party on Thursday, Fred had told me there must be four or five of us. It was a nice surprise to see everyone. During all those years we spent a lot of time together at training camps and competitions in the United States. Athletes remember it. We remembered all adventures.

“We drooled over our old stories all night,” added Charles Côté, who knew Rheaume when he started at Fred Colgan Golf Academy in 2004. patient [a revécu] the last 10 or 15 years of his life in one evening. It was also something special to see him at the start today. His presence gave me additional motivation.”

As a member of Thetford Mines Club, Côté is grateful for Rhéaume’s contribution. “Pat gave us some life lessons,” he said, “including structure and discipline.” At AGFC, everything ran smoothly and we were accountable. As for golf, I owe him a lot for developing a good short game.”

If Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Sara-Maude Juneau reached the LPGA, Rheaume’s results were not the priority. “The results didn’t matter,” said the father of two, ages 16 and 17. Golf was used to develop good people. They were all good students and I am proud to have contributed to their development.”

“Big heart”

Blouin was delighted to see Rheaume at the start but was devastated by what had happened.

“It puts things into perspective,” he said. It’s a difficult situation. I’ve known Pat since I was 14 years old. I was glad to see him. It’s sad what happened to him. I played my round for Pat.

Despite his illness, Rhéaume was smiling this morning as the trio of Côté, Blouin and Sylvain took to the start.

“It says a lot about the quality of the person and the individual,” Blouin said. Pat has always been a very dedicated person and we saw that again today. From the age of 14 to 22, I saw him five to six times a week at camps and tournaments. He always wanted more than we did. Pat has always been the strong link.”

“A Second Father”

Greg Gagné, a former Rheaume protégé and also his company’s coach, applauds his former coach’s contribution. “For 10 to 15 years, Pat was like a second father to me. He loves us and I love him. He made me a better person and a better player. He was an important advisor at important moments in my life.”

The illness made it possible to reestablish contact with his coach. “Because we had parted ways, we hadn’t spoken to each other for ten years. It is so sad that the illness was necessary for us to see each other again. I stopped playing golf when my two children were born and started playing again this year. The last few months must be fun. At Fred’s party, he smiled as if nothing had happened.

Rhéaume played an important role in the encounter between Gagné and the woman who would become his wife.

Present at the Canadian Open

Rheaume, Golf Canada’s Quebec regional director, attended the RBC Canadian Open June 6-11, where he reunited with Étienne Langevin, whom he coached for five years. Depending on his state of health, he also wants to participate in the Omnium du Québec.

Julien Proulx, caddy from Sylvain to the Duke of Kent, will be honorary co-president, along with his father René, of the Golf Québec benefit tournament to be held on September 18th at the courses of Royal Québec in honor of Rhéaume. The Patrick Rheaume Fund will make it possible to award six $2,500 scholarships to junior players across Quebec.