TORONTO – Newly minted PGA TOUR members Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ontario) and Roberto Diaz (Veracruz, Mexico) will captain the teams from the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica at the 2017 Aruba Cup, taking place December 11-16 at Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf, it was announced Tuesday
Silverman and Diaz, both PGA TOUR rookies who earned a spot in “The 25” on the 2017 Web.com Tour, will lead teams of 10 players in the Presidents Cup-style match-play event at Tierra del Sol.
“It’s an honour to be selected by the Mackenzie Tour to lead our team at the Aruba Cup this December,” said Silverman, who made his debut as a PGA TOUR member with a T43 finish at the Safeway Open. “It feels like it’s happened pretty fast, but it’s fun to look back and remember where I came from and go help out some guys who are coming from there right now.”
“I owe a lot to PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and it’s an honour for me to come to the Aruba Cup and try to represent my past with the Tour,” said Diaz. “I think we’re going to have great chemistry, and hopefully I can help them with everything they need and defend the title.”
Silverman, 29, played on the Mackenzie Tour in 2014 and 2015 before going on to earn Web.com Tour status for the 2016 season. In 2017, he produced a breakthrough year, with five top-10s and a win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. He finished 10th on the money list to secure his first trip to the PGA TOUR, in 2017-18.
Diaz, 30, played on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica from 2012-15 before earning Web.com Tour status for the 2016 season. In 2017, he recorded two top-10 finishes including a playoff loss at the Club Colombia Championship by Servientrega. He was 25th on the money list allowing him to join the 2017-18 PGA TOUR.
The roster for the Mackenzie Tour, which includes the top-10 available players on the Order of Merit, will be announced in the coming weeks, while the Latinoamérica team, which includes the top-10 available players on the Order of Merit with a minimum of two Latin American players selected, will be announced following the conclusion of the 2017 season, at the Shell Championship in Miami in early December.
The inaugural Aruba Cup took place in 2016, with the team from PGA TOUR Latinoamerica defeating the Mackenzie Tour team, 13-7. The 2017 Aruba Cup consists of three competition days, featuring four-ball, foursomes and singles matches from December 14-16.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Kramer Hickok of Dallas, Texas wrapped up Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Player of the Year honours on Sunday, finishing with $122,502 in earnings on the season to top the Order of Merit and lead five players who earned status on the Web.com Tour for 2018.
Hickok, 25, produced a remarkable season that included two wins and three runner-up finishes and led five players who made the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR, finishing $32,209 ahead of No. 2 Robby Shelton of Wilmer, Alabama. Joining Hickok and Shelton in The Five were No. 3 Johnny Ruiz of Camarillo, California, No. 4 Patrick Newcomb of Benton, Kentucky and No. 5 Rico Hoey of Rancho Cucamonga, California, who won the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship to move into the final spot in The Five.
The Five will graduate to the Web.com Tour in 2018 and look to follow in the footsteps of 19 players who have gone on from the Mackenzie Tour on the PGA TOUR during the PGA TOUR era (2013-present), including PGA TOUR winners Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Tony Finau.
“This was an amazing year, and I’m so thrilled to have earned fully exempt status on the Web.com Tour next year,” said Hickok. “To compete against these incredible players all season on the Mackenzie Tour and be able to finish at No. 1 is a humbling honor, and to see all the hard work I’ve put in finally pay off is an incredible feeling.”
Hickok, a former NCAA All-American at the University of Texas, won twice at the Players Cup and the Ontario Championship hosted by National Pines Golf Club and added three-runner up finishes. His total of $122,502 in earnings represents the second highest single season earnings total on the Mackenzie Tour during the PGA TOUR era.
“We are so pleased with the success of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada and congratulate all of the golfers on their incredible season,” said Barry McInerney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mackenzie Investments. “At Mackenzie Investments, we believe in striving to bring our best to everything we do and the winners of the Mackenzie Tour exemplify that same confidence and tenacious attitude. Now that we have completed our third season as the umbrella sponsor, we continue to be impressed by the partnership, players and most importantly, the charitable aspect which helps so many communities across Canada.”
Players 6-10 earn spots into Final Stage
In addition to The Five earning status on the Web.com Tour, players finishing 6-10 on the Order of Merit earned an exemption into the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-School, led by No. 6 Lee McCoy of Tampa, Florida, No. 7 Max Rottluff of Dusseldorf, Germany, No. 8 Chase Wright of Muncie, Indiana, No. 9 Jordan Niebrugge of Mequon, Wisconsin and No. 10 T.J. Vogel of Hollywood, Florida.
Players finishing 11-20 earned an exemption into the second stage of Web.com Tour Q-School
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
It was better late than never for Rico Hoey, who captured his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada victory on Sunday at the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship to earn a spot in The Five and secure Web.com Tour status for 2018.
The 21-year old University of Southern California grad shot a final-round 3-under 67 at Highland Country Club to finish at 19-under total and win by one over Mequon, Wisconsin’s Jordan Niebrugge, with the win vaulting Hoey from 11th to fifth on the Order of Merit.
Kimberley, B.C.’s Jared du Toit finished T17, high enough to clinch Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honors, which comes with a $25,000 prize.
For Hoey, it was an emotional win, with an outpouring of relief, elation and gratitude for his family’s support showing after his win.
“I knew I had to shoot a good score to get myself into the top five. I’m just glad I gave myself a shot and I pulled it off,” said Hoey through tears afterwards. “It’s nice doing it for my family. They believe in me so much, so it’s kind of nice knowing I have support, so I’m just doing it for them.”
Starting the day with three-stroke advantage over Greyson Sigg, Brett Lederer and Cody Blick, Hoey started strong with four birdies in his first six holes to extend the lead to four. A host of challengers emerged, however, including former World No. 1 Amateur Chris Williams, who was 8-under after an eagle at 11 holes to pull within one stroke.
Hoey, however, did enough to bend but not break with the lead, eventually making birdie at the 17th hole to build a two-stroke lead heading to the 72nd hole and all but guarantee victory. After a tap-in bogey at the last, the victory – and charge into the top five – was complete.
“It’s hard,” said Hoey “not to think about everything that comes with winning. I just tried to block that out and play one shot a time. I was hitting good putts and I’m just glad I made the putt on 17 that gave me a two-shot cushion.”
Du Toit, the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year, made the cut in all 11 of his starts this season and recorded three top-10 finishes in his first season as a professional after completing his amateur career at Arizona State University this spring.
“It means a lot to me. I pretty well hit the ground running this season, and there’s plenty of room for improvement, so I’m excited about that. It’s been a whirlwind, but I definitely took the right steps in learning how to be a pro and hopefully that can continue,” said du Toit.
Freedom 55 Financial established the Canadian Player of the Week award in 2013 to recognize top Canadian players on the Mackenzie Tour. At each event, Freedom 55 Financial presented this award to the Canadian player who had the lowest total score. Winners also received $2,500 to use toward attaining future goals. Below are the winners of the award in 2017:
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Event
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Player
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Freedom 55 Financial Open
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Matt Hill
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Bayview Place Cardtronics Open
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Aaron Cockerill
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GolfBC Championship
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Seann Harlingten
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Players Cup
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Ryan Williams
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Staal Foundation Open
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Seann Harlingten
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Mackenzie Investments Open
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Daniel Kim
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Syncrude Oil Country Championship
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Jared du Toit
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ATB Financial Classic
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Wes Heffernan
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National Capital Open
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Jared du Toit
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Cape Breton Open
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Michael Gligic
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Ontario Championship
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Seann Harlingten
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Freedom 55 Financial Championship
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Jared du Toit
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“We’re thrilled to see Jared put on a great performance this season and earn Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “Our thanks and gratitude go out to Freedom 55 Financial for all their support of our Tour, including these awards. Thanks to them, some of our best and brightest players are able to take a big step forward in achieving their goals and dreams.”
With scores of 61-72-67-70—270 (-10) to finish T17, du Toit took home top-Canadian honors at this week’s Freedom 55 Financial Championship.
London, Ont. – Rancho Cucamonga, California’s Rico Hoey shot an 8-under 62 on Saturday at Highland Country Club to take the third-round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 21-year old first-year professional made eight birdies on the day, including on his final two holes, to take a three-stroke lead over fellow Californians Cody Blick and Brett Lederer and Georgia’s Greyson Sigg with one round to go at Highland.
For Hoey, one last chance at victory on Sunday means the opportunity to move inside the coveted top five on the Order of Merit and earn Web.com Tour status for 2018. The University of Southern California alum said he’d do his best to put all of that out of mind, however, and get the job done with a solid final round.
“We have nothing to lose out here. We know we have to play well in order to squeeze inside the top 10 or top five, so we don’t need to add any unnecessary pressure. We’re just having a good time, and things will fall into place.”
Hoey began the day five shots off the 36-hole lead held by Blick – his hotel roommate and travelling partner this week – but quickly caught up with five birdies on the front nine. After closing poorly yesterday, he made sure to finish with a bang on Saturday, pumping his fist after pouring in a 12-foot birdie putt at the last.
“Yesterday I bogeyed 18, and that kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. I kind of wanted to come in and finish strong on the back nine, and I guess I did that,” said Hoey with a smile. “I’ve been working really hard, and I believe in myself. There’s nothing I can do but just keep going and hopefully I can pull it through.”
Blick, who carded a 61 on Friday, managed just an even-par 70 on Saturday to share second place with Sigg, who had a 63, and Lederer, who carded a 65.
London, Ont. – Alamo, California’s Cody Blick shot a 9-under 61 on Friday at Highland Country Club to take the second-round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 23-year-old second-year Mackenzie Tour member made nine birdies and zero bogeys on the day to lead by three shots over Tucson, Arizona’s Jonathan Khan and Winter Springs, Florida’s Hank Lebioda through two rounds in London.
“Everything was just pretty solid. I played with Rico (Hoey), and he’s a good buddy of mine. He’s been a friend of mine since I don’t even know. We just had fun, and he got off to a really hot start and I was trying to just keep up with him,” said Blick
The San Jose State alum is no stranger to low rounds on the Mackenzie Tour, having shot a 10-under 60 during the third round of this year’s Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist. During that round, Blick bogeyed the 18th to miss out on a chance at 59.
It was a birdie at the 18th this time for Blick, who matched Jared du Toit’s 61 yesterday for the low round of the tournament.
“I’m still kind of kicking myself for 18 at Victoria. I made five there to shoot 60, but out here I wasn’t really thinking anything special until I birdied 15, and then I realized I have a chance to beat du Toit’s round from yesterday and maybe sneak in a 59 if something special happens,” said Blick.
Khan and Lebioda both shot their second straight rounds of 65 to sit three back at 10-under, while three players – Hoey, Brett Lederer and Jordan Niebrugge – were two shots further behind at 8-under.
London, Ont. – Kimberley, B.C.’s Jared du Toit shot a 9-under 61 on Thursday at Highland Country Club to take the first-round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 22-year old member of Golf Canada’s national team made nine birdies on the day to lead by three shots over Californians Brett Lederer and Jonathan Garrick after 18 holes in London.
“I was never really out of position. I might have been out of position two times, and both times I was able to get them up-and-down for par, and I was able to convert on a lot of birdies,” said du Toit. “Overall it was a solid round and I just kind of managed well.”
With Highland Country Club playing firm and fast in Rd. 1, the recent Arizona State graduate said he felt comfortable as he meticulously plotted his way around the course instead of trying to overpower it, showing impressive wisdom for a first-year professional.
“I’m probably more on the thinking side anyway. I probably overanalyze, if anything, so when it’s firm and the wind is swirling like it was I think I have a bit of an edge just because I think a lot,” said du Toit.
du Toit can move as high as No. 5 on the Order of Merit with a win this week and was projected there after Thursday’s play with three rounds to go.
Lederer and Garrick both birdied the 18th hole to shoot 64, while seven players – Jonathan Khan, Chris Killmer, Seann Harlingten, Chris Williams, Jordan Niebrugge, Hank Lebioda and Order of Merit leader Kramer Hickok – were a shot further behind at 65.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Baddeck, N.S. – Murray, Kentucky’s Patrick Newcomb shot a final round 8-under 64 on Sunday at Bell Bay Golf Club to win the Cape Breton Open, his second victory of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 27-year old came out of the gates on fire with an eagle and three birdies in his first nine holes to take the lead, then put the tournament away with two more birdies and a chip-in eagle at the par-5 13th to win by three over Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok and Wilmer, Alabama’s Robby Shelton.
“Things have to go your way, and things really went my way today,” said Newcomb.” I had a couple of pitches that were going to be easy tap-ins that happened to fall in the hole. When you have stuff like that happen, it just makes for a special day and a special win.”
Already a winner earlier this season at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, Newcomb bolstered his position on the Order of Merit and moved to No. 3, just behind Hickok and Shelton and in position to earn Web.com Tour status for 2018.
“The guys up here are so good, and beating great players means a lot. For me, over the last little while it’s been about staying within myself and staying patient, because I’ve been striking the ball so wall. If I stay patient and within myself, I think I can beat anybody,” said Newcomb, adding that his mentality is one he believes is common among his peers. “Robby and Max (Rottluff) and Kramer and Johnny (Ruiz), I think we all think that way, and you have to think that way, that you can beat anybody anytime.”
With the win, Newcomb becomes the first multi-time winner this season and the first since Dan McCarthy won four times – including the Cape Breton Open – in 2016. Newcomb also claimed victory on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica earlier this year at the Honduras Open presented by Indura Beach and Golf Resort.
Hickok notched his third runner-up finish of the season to go with a win at the Players Cup, while Shelton’s was his second of the year to go with a victory at the GolfBC Championship. Kentucky’s Hunter Stewart and South Carolina’s Will Starke finished in a tie for fourth at 15-under.
Baddeck, N.S. – Wilmer, Alabama’s Robby Shelton and Lexington, Kentucky’s Hunter Stewart shot a pair of matching 5-under 67s on Saturday at Bell Bay Golf Club to share the 54-hole lead at the Cape Breton Open, the 10th event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
Shelton and Stewart, who represented the United States together at the 2015 Walker Cup, played together on Saturday and reached 13-under for the tournament through three rounds, one stroke ahead of Order of Merit leader Kramer Hickok.
“It was fun. Playing with Hunter is always fun and we hadn’t done that in a while, but it’s always fun to play with one of your friends. I got off to a hot start and after that it was just a cruise all the way to 18, and he was playing really well as well,” said Shelton, who currently sits No. 3 on the Order of Merit and looks to become the first multiple-time winner this season on Sunday.
“It was very comfortable. I was able to play with one of my better friends out here and a guy I’ve played with as a teammate and a partner, so it was a lot of fun. We kind of fed off each other. We both played solid and it was great to see good golf,” said Stewart.
Starting the day four strokes off the lead held by California’s Cody Blick, Shelton quickly caught up with four birdies on the front nine, while Stewart slowly played catch-up to Shelton as Blick faltered to a 2-over 74.
The pair both secured birdies at the par-5 18th with a pair of deft pitches to reach 13-under, one ahead of Hickok, who fired the best round of the day with a 6-under 66 on Saturday.
A stroke further behind in a tie for fourth were Murray, Kentucky’s Patrick Newcomb and West Linn, Oregon’s Zach Foushee at 11-under.
Baddeck, N.S. – Alamo, California’s Cody Blick shot a second consecutive round of 6-under 66 on Friday at Bell Bay Golf Club to take the second round lead at the Cape Breton Open, the 10th event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
Blick, a 23-year old second year Mackenzie Tour member, managed seven birdies against just one bogey on the day to lead by two over South Carolina’s Will Starke and by four over Alabama’s Robby Shelton, Ohio’s Blake Sattler, Kentucky’s Hunter Stewart, Texas’ Brian Dwyer and South Korea’s Todd Baek through 36 holes at Bell Bay.
“If there’s one club that matters, it’s the putter. It just started rolling and it got off to a hot start this morning and I kind of kept it going from yesterday,” said Blick, crediting a standout performance on the greens for his solid play through two rounds.
Currently 14th on the Order of Merit thanks to back-to-back top-three finishes at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist and GolfBC Championship earlier this year, Blick said he hopes to regain the form that saw him in contention regularly earlier this season.
“Any time you’re in contention, it’s awesome. Last time I really felt this adrenaline in contention was in Kelowna, and that was a while ago. It’s good to be back in the mix and I can’t wait for this weekend,” said Blick.
Starke, a second-year Mackenzie Tour member, shot a 7-under 65 to sit in solo second, while Shelton, the current Order of Merit No. 3, played alongside Blick to shoot 67 and match Baek, Dwyer, Sattler and Stewart at 8-under.
NOTES ON THE LEADER: 23-year old Cody Blick is making his 19th career start on the Mackenzie Tour this week. Earlier this year, he shot a 10-under 60 at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist and finished T3. Blick ranks 14th on the Order of Merit with two top-3 finishes to his credit this year.
Blick’s best finish of 2016 on the Mackenzie Tour came at the Cape Breton Open, where he finished T10 thanks to a final round 64.
Going back to last year’s final round at the Cape Breton Open, Blick is now 20-under for his last three rounds at Bell Bay Golf Club.
The San Jose State grad captured five wins while in college and was three times named a 1st team All-Conference member.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Alamo, California’s Cody Blick, Powhatan, Virginia’s Jay Woodson and New Philadelphia, Ohio’s Blake Sattler all shot rounds of 6-under 66 on Thursday at Bell Bay Golf Club to take the first round lead at the Cape Breton Open, the 10th event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The trio all reached 6-under, just ahead of a group of five players at 5-under when play was suspended due to darkness at 7:47 p.m. One group was left to finish on the course with Round 1 set to resume at 8:15 a.m. Friday morning.
Blick, who recorded his best finish of 2016 with a T10 at last year’s Cape Breton Open, fed off friendly memories of Bell Bay to shoot 6-under and share the lead.
“It’s just the atmosphere in Baddeck here. The town’s so relaxing and welcoming, it’s great. I just love coming out here,” said Blick. “The course is gettable. You’ve got to hit it well, but then it’s gettable and I just feel at home when I come out here. Today, the putter just got hot, and it went from there.”
Woodson, who came into the week having missed the cut in all but one of his nine starts this year, found a spark with four birdies and an eagle on day one.
“Obviously the year hasn’t gone the way I would have liked, but sometimes when you have a lot of events bunched up together and you don’t have a lot of time off, it happens. I know how these things go and I’ve been playing for a long time, and sometimes you hit some rough patches and you’ve got to keep playing. It only takes one good shot or one good round to get some momentum going, and that’s all you can do,” said Woodson.
Sattler, who’s coming off his best finish of the season with a T10 finish at the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, defied the early rainy conditions with a bogey-free day that included a closing birdie at the par-5 18th.
“I got off to a good start in the rain. It was kind of sprinkling when we started, then it got windy and was a pretty good solid rain for a little bit, but I birdied the first hole and the third hole, and when I made the turn the skies kind of lightened up. I just kept it in front of me,” said Sattler.
Florida’s Lee McCoy, Germany’s Max Rottluff, Oregon’s Zach Foushee, California’s Kaz Hoffman and Ontario’s Michael Gligic were a shot off the lead at 5-under 67, while another 13 players were a stroke further behind at 4-under.
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