Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s T.J. Vogel carded a 3-under 67 on Friday at Uplands Golf Club to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist, the second event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 26-year old made three birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to maintain his overnight lead of two strokes over Lake Mary, Florida’s Jhared Hack and Dusseldorf, Germany’s Max Rottluff heading into Sunday’s final round.
Vogel, a former college standout at the University of Florida and University of Southern California, bounced back after he held the 36-hole lead last week in Vancouver and ultimately fell to a 3-over 75, instead taking an aggressive approach into this weekend at Uplands.
“That was huge for me to know that that mindset is what’s going to work at this level,” said Vogel. “You don’t want to come out complacent.”
A low round was certainly a requirement to keep the lead on Saturday, as multiple players carded rounds in the low 60s to set the pace. Danville, California’s Cody Blick set the new Uplands course record with a 10-under 60 – narrowly missing out on a 59 after bogeying the 18th hole – while Calgary, Alberta’s James Love shot 61.
“There are too many good players on this Tour that will catch you, so you need to go out there, take care of business and make more birdies,” said Vogel.
Vogel’s round was keyed by an eagle at the 335-yard par-4 13th, where he took driver off the tee and reaped the benefits of a solid swing, hitting it to 14 feet and making the eagle putt.
“That was an aggressive play. I did it last year, driving the green, and I figured I was driving it well. I just had to trust myself, and I made a great swing and had a good look,” said Vogel.
Rottluff pitched in for birdie at 18 to shoot 63 and reach 13-under, while Hack carded a 67 alongside Vogel to keep pace and share second going into Sunday.
BACKGROUND ON THE LEADER: As an amateur, Vogel was one of the country’s top players, having claimed the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links to earn a spot in the field at The Masters the following year. He was an NCAA All-America selection at both USC and Florida before turning pro, and has since made 58 combined starts on the PGA TOUR, Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
After taking the 36-hole lead last week in Vancouver, Vogel said he learned what not to do with the lead, having tried a more conservative approach that led to closing rounds of 75-71 and a T14 finish.
“3-under’s a lot better than 3-over,” said Vogel, comparing his differing third rounds over the last two weeks. “I just had a totally different mindset today. I just focused on trying to stay aggressive pretty much the whole day, and that was the key.”
In 2016, Vogel recorded two top-10s and finished the year 26th on the Order of Merit.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s T.J. Vogel carded a 7-under 63 on Friday at Uplands Golf Club to take the second-round lead at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist, the second event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 26-year old made eight birdies against just one bogey to reach 12-under through 36 holes, leading by two over Lake Mary, Florida’s Jhared Hack after two rounds in Victoria.
“It was solid. My putting’s been key for me this week, and I made a lot of putts. Hopefully I can keep hitting fairways and greens and keep giving myself opportunities,” said Vogel.
Vogel was the 36-hole leader last week at the Freedom 55 Financial Open before finishing T14, a result the former Florida Gators standout said he’s looking forward to improving this weekend.
“I want another chance. I just had a really poor Saturday last week,” said Vogel, who shot 75 in the third round in Vancouver to fall out of contention. “I want to take the things I learned and put them in effect for tomorrow and see if I can shoot another low one.”
Hack followed up a course-record tying 61 with a 1-under 69 on Friday to reach 10-under, while Californians Brett Lederer and Ben Geyer were two shots further behind at 8-under total.
In his professional debut, Team Canada star Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., sits T13 after rounds of 67-70 place him at 3 under for the tournament—nine strokes off the pace.
BACKGROUND ON THE LEADER: As an amateur, Vogel was one of the country’s top players, having claimed the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links to earn a spot in the field at The Masters the following year. He was an NCAA All-America selection at both USC and Florida before turning pro, and has since made 58 combined starts on the PGA TOUR, Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
After taking the 36-hole lead last week in Vancouver, Vogel professed the need to take a patient approach with the lead but admittedly wasn’t able to take his own advice, falling outside the top-10 with closing rounds of 75-71.
“I did what I said I didn’t want to do last week. I have to stay patient, and when I do that I hit a lot of good golf shots,” said Vogel. “I felt like I was a little passive on Saturday and I got off to an iffy, slow start. Tomorrow, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m telling myself, ‘I want more.’”
In 2016, Vogel recorded two top-10s and finished the year 26th on the Order of Merit.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Lake Mary, Florida’s Jhared Hack shot a 9-under 61 on Thursday at Uplands Golf Club, taking the first-round lead at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist, the second event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 27-year old birdied four of his first five holes and finished with nine birdies and no bogeys to lead by two over Vancouver, B.C.’s Ryan Williams and Tacoma, Washington’s Derek Barron after day one.
Hack’s 61 matches the course record at Uplands, set by Andrew Roque (2012) and Roger Sloan (2011), both during the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist.
“It was really good golfing,” said Hack, who credited his putter for his low score. “I putted really nicely. When you shoot a round like this, you have to roll it well and I made all my five- to 15-foot putts today. These greens are so good, it’s going to go in if you hit a good putt.”
Hack’s remarkable score undermines the challenging weather faced by the field on Thursday, with rains falling throughout the morning and winds gusting to over 60 km/h in the afternoon.
“We knew the weather was going to be kind of wet, kind of cold,” said Hack, crediting a patient approach for his success. “Just trying to take one shot at a time and eliminate mistakes and really stay patient. When you shoot a round like this, it just happens, you don’t go out thinking “I’m going to go out and shoot 61 today.”
Hack spent the last two years on the Web.com Tour, recording three top-25 finishes in 35 starts. He finished 132nd and 109th on the Web.com Tour Money List in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and also owns extensive experience on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, with six top-10s in 25 career starts.
Williams birdied the 18th hole to shoot 63, his lowest career round on the Mackenzie Tour, and was tied with Barron, who qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday and carded seven birdies and zero bogeys on Thursday.
“It was a great round of golf. I got off to a great start. The greens are so pure out here, so I kept giving myself great looks. Overall, whenever you go out there and make seven birdies and no bogeys it’s a great round of golf,” said Williams.
Former Golf Canada National Amateur Team member Jared du Toit opened with a 3-under 67 in his professional debut.
““I was really kind of worried about the first one, because that’s the one you think about for four or five days in advance. To get that in with a good score, I’m really happy about it,” said du Toit following his first professional round.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Tampa, Florida’s Lee McCoy claimed victory in his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada start on Sunday, cruising to an eight-shot victory at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the first event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
McCoy, a former amateur and college star at the University of Georgia, shot a final round 6-under 66 to turn a three-shot overnight lead into an eight-shot win over Mequon, Wisconsin’s Jordan Niebrugge and Lexington, Kentucky’s Hunter Stewart.
“This is certainly one of the most memorable weeks in my life,” said McCoy. “To play in front of a crowd and with this many good players is certainly special. I knew nobody was going to lay down out there, and to get away by as many as I did was something I could have never predicted.”
Beginning the day with a three-shot advantage over fellow competitor Scott Vincent, McCoy wasted no time in setting the tone for the day, making birdie at the first and turning in 3-under on the front nine to lead by four.
With none of his chasers able to mount a charge, the 23-year old McCoy continued to pull away and birdied his final two holes to reach 20-under par for the week and win by eight, representing the largest margin of victory ever on the Mackenzie Tour.
“People don’t understand how good the players are on this Tour. There’s so many good players in this field, and I knew I had a tall task today with Scott in my group, and Niebrugge and Jake (Knapp) right behind me. Those guys have so much firepower and they’re all very accomplished players,” said McCoy of his pursuers.
For McCoy, the win represents a sharp turnaround in his fortunes from the end of 2016, when he broke his wrist in two places in a car accident before the Second Stage of Web.com Tour Q-School. Now, he’s one step closer to earning Web.com Tour status for 2018.
“It sure beats sitting on my couch, I can tell you that,” said McCoy with a laugh. “My goal is to try to simply win as much as I can. I’m 1-for-1 I guess, but you certainly can’t win every week with this many good players, but I’m going to try to win as many times as I can.”
McCoy becomes the fourth straight player to make the Freedom 55 Financial Open his first win on the Mackenzie Tour, joining Joel Dahmen (2014), Drew Weaver (2015) and Dan McCarthy (2016).
With a 7-under total and a T20 finish, Sarnia, Ontario’s Matt Hill earned Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $2,500 prize.
The top Canadian on the leaderboard each week takes home the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Dan Halldorson Trophy, Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $25,000 prize.
Hill is a member of Freedom 55 Financial’s Team Freedom along with fellow players Ryan Williams, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Svensson and Albin Choi.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Tampa, Florida’s Lee McCoy surged up the leaderboard at the Freedom 55 Financial Open on Saturday, shooting a 5-under 67 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club to take the 54-hole lead at the first event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 23-year old former University of Georgia standout reached 14-under through three rounds, turning two-stroke deficit into a three-stroke lead heading into Sunday over Harare, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent.
“It’s always nice when the leaders come back to you a little bit, but that’s totally out of my control and it was a nice little surprise when I was starting to see the leaderboards late in the round,” said McCoy, who steadily made his move with six birdies against a single bogey on the day.
McCoy, who made headlines when he finished fourth as an amateur at the 2016 Valspar Championship on the PGA TOUR, was boosted by a comfortable pairing with friend and fellow Mackenzie Tour rookie Jordan Niebrugge.
“We were Walker Cup teammates and Palmer Cup teammates, and we played a lot in college together. We’re going down to U.S. Open Sectionals together and then driving up to the next event, and we’ll be spending plenty of time,” said McCoy of Niebrugge, who was tied for third at 10-under after a 71.
“I was hoping he was going to make that birdie putt on the last hole and we’d get paired together again.”
Niebrugge, from Mequon, Wisconsin, shared third place with Costa Mesa, California’s Jake Knapp, who had a 68.
After concluding a brilliant amateur career last year, McCoy looked primed to head straight to the Web.com Tour and was preparing to compete at the Second Stage of Q-School when disaster struck.
He had just finished T41 while playing on a Sponsor Exemption at the PGA TOUR’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, but got into a car accident on the way to the course, fracturing his wrist in two places and ending his season.
“To sit at home and know that my game just disappeared in the matter of two or three seconds was really tough,” said McCoy, who was fortunate to avoid surgery, instead wearing a cast for two months.
“It was tough because my game was really starting to come back around at that point. I had just made a cut at the Shriners the week before I had my car accident. I was heading to Second Stage, and I had already figured in my mind that I was headed to the Web.com Tour,” said McCoy.
Now, with a clean bill of health and his game firing on all cylinders, the Georgia alum looks to make the first step back towards the Web.com Tour with a win this week in Vancouver.
“Once I got the cast off after two months, it was pretty easy. I did therapy for like two weeks, and right now it feels like I never broke it, so it’s a total, 100 per cent non-issue. I’m really lucky to not have had surgery or anything like that,” said McCoy.
McCoy was an NCAA All-America selection three times at Georgia, including 1st team selections in his junior and senior seasons. He represented the United States at the Walker Cup in 2015.
For the full leadearboard click here
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s T.J. Vogel carded a 2-under 70 on Friday at Point Grey Golf and Country Club to take the second round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the first event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The 26-year old followed up a 9-under 63 on day one with four birdies and two bogeys on Friday to take a one stroke lead over Harare, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent through 36 holes at the season’s opening event.
“It feels good,” said Vogel, a second-year Mackenzie Tour member. “Any time you have a lead, it’s nice.”
The former University of Southern California and University of Florida standout said he was a little disappointed not to match his outstanding score from the first round, but accepted his position knowing he’s the man to catch heading into the weekend at Point Grey.
“When you shoot 9-under in the first round, your expectations are a little higher. I would never really be upset to shoot 2-under normally, and to be in the position I’m in through two rounds is a nice place to be,” said Vogel.
Vincent, a 25-year old Virginia Tech alum, managed to offset four bogeys on Friday with five birdies and was one shot behind Vogel at 10-under, while Lee McCoy and Jordan Niebrugge were a shot further behind at 9-under.
“I’m right in the mix, and that’s always exciting. Hopefully I can put two rounds together and walk away smiling,” said Vincent.
As an amateur, Vogel was one of the country’s top players, having claimed the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links to earn a spot in the field at The Masters the following year. He was an NCAA All-America selection at both USC and Florida before turning pro, and has since made 57 combined starts on the PGA
TOUR, Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
Now in his second full season in Canada, the 26-year old says he’s playing some of his best golf and is making strides in the mental performance side of the game that often represents the next hurdle for up-and-coming players.
“You just have to be patient with yourself, and that’s just my main focus. I’m trying to stay in my process and my routine on every shot and not get ahead of myself,” said Vogel, who admitted to struggling after strong starts at times on Tour last season.
In 2016, Vogel recorded two top-10s and finished the year 26th on the Order of Merit.
After an opening round 71, Surrey B.C.’s Ryan Williams carded a 66 Friday to move into a tie for fifth. The 36-year-old is looking to improve on his 13th place finish on the Order of Merit in 2016.
Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) is part of a group at -3 in a tie for 26th.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s T.J. Vogel opened with a pair of 9-under 63s on Thursday at Point Grey Golf and Country Club to share the first round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the first event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
The pair finished the day three strokes clear of three players in a tie for third, including Burlington, Ontario’s Blair Hamilton, Tampa, Florida’s Lee McCoy and Bakersfield, California’s Manav Shah after day one.
Vincent, a 25-year old Virginia Tech alum, pulled off the rare feat of making eagle on both his first and 18th holes of the day to shoot his best career round on the Mackenzie Tour.
“I started great, finished great,” said Vincent. “I just hit the ball really well in general. I made a few nice putts that kept the round going and kept the birdies coming.”
The second-year Mackenzie Tour member capped off the day by striking a 6-iron just below the hole at Point Grey’s par-5 18th to give himself a good look at what would become his second eagle of the day to go with six birdies and one bogey.
“The wind was a little behind, and it just set up nicely. I really struck it great to about four feet away, and just had to keep the speed up on the putt,” said Vincent of the closing
eagle.
Hamilton, a graduate of the Team Canada National Amateur Squad, is making his first start as a member of the Mackenzie Tour and fourth career start overall.
In round one Hamilton carded a bogey free, 66. He recorded three birdies on the front nine, and another three on the back nine.
The former University of Houston Cougar earned conditional status at the 2017 British Columbia QSchool and is playing on a sponsor exemption this week.
“I’m very blessed to get that exemption, but you’ve just got to treat it like it’s another golf
tournament,” said Hamilton. “I’ve been playing well and you just have to trust that you’ve put in the hard work and not worry too much.”
Just like Vincent, Vogel made the most of a hot start, recording a birdie at the par-4 11th and then rolling in a long eagle putt at the par-5 12th to get under par early. TheUniversity of Florida grad finished the day with an eagle and seven birdies to match the lead with a 63, also a career low.
“I got off to a great start. I hit it close on 11 and drained a bomb for eagle on 12, and I was able to settle down right away. I feel like my process was good today. I had a good routine and did my best not to get ahead of myself,” said Vogel.
For the full leaderboard click here.
Santiago, Chile’s Horacio Leon shot a 2-under 70 on Friday at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community in Comox, British Columbia to earn medalist honours at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Canada Q-School.
The 27-year old, whose older brother is two-time Mackenzie Tour winner Hugo Leon,
cruised to victory by five shots over Bear, Delaware’s Eric Onesi and Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz to secure exempt status for the 2017 season.
“I feel great. I didn’t play my best, but I knew yesterday was good enough to give me
some space to go around and be able to not stress about any putts that didn’t go in,”
said Leon, who built three-stroke lead yesterday with a sparking 65. “All in all, I’m super
happy to have exempt status this year.”
The win completes an arduous journey back from arthroscopic ankle surgery just over
three months ago, with this week’s Q-School representing Leon’s first tournament since
the procedure.
“It’s never good to get any kind of surgery done, but after trying to come back as fast
possible and in the best shape I could, it really gave me something that I didn’t have
before,” said a smiling Leon.
Onesi, who claimed medalist honours at Crown Isle in 2015 and competed in Canada over the past two seasons, carded a 72 to guarantee a return to the Mackenzie Tour this year, while Ruiz returns after having conditional status in 2015.
Three Canadians earned status at Crown Isle this week. The top Canadian, Riley Wheeldon, of Comox, B.C – who grew up playing Crown Isle – finished 6th at 11-under par, earning exempt status for the first four events of the season in the process.
“It wasn’t my best week, but I did what I needed to do. Now my goal is to play as well as
I can early and ideally turn those four events into an entire season,” said Wheeldon.
Former Team Canada National Squad member, Blair Hamilton, finished T22 at -4 under par to earn conditional status in his first full season as professional. Robbie Greenwell also earned conditional status finishing T33 at 1-over par.
Other notable qualifiers include Derek Barron who will be competing at the RBC Canadian Open Qualifier at Bear Mountain Resort on Monday, and fifth place finisher, Max McGreevy, a 3rd-team NCAA All-American at Oklahoma in 2016.
Below is a breakdown of the exemptions won at Crown Isle this week.
1st – Exempt for 2017 season
5th – Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2nd reshuffle
16th – Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1st reshuffle
40th – Conditional status.
The full leaderboard can be seen here
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
Santiago, Chile’s Horacio Leon shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community in Comox, British Columbia to take the 54-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Canada Q-School.
The 27-year old, whose older brother is two-time Mackenzie Tour winner Hugo Leon, carded eight birdies against just a single bogey on the day to build a three-shot lead over Bear Delaware’s Eric Onesi with one round to go.
“I started great. I hit a great lag putt on one and a good birdie putt on two, and that kind
of steadied me,” said Leon, who found momentum around the turn, making six birdies in seven holes during the middle of his round.
“I wasn’t hitting it great, but then on nine I chipped in and from then on I was ready to go.”
The later portion of Leon’s round was highlighted by a tremendous up-and-down at the
par-3 16th, where the Chilean missed the green well to the right but produced an
incredible flop shot to walk away with an unlikely par.
“It was kind of not the greatest of lies. It was a tough flop shot, but I pulled it off and hit it to six inches,” said Leon. “I went at it and pulled it off, and those are the shots
sometimes that change the round.”
Local product, Riley Wheeldon who hails from Comox, continued his strong play and was tied for fourth after recording his second consecutive 69 to sit at 10-under par.
Onesi, who claimed medalist honours at Crown Isle in 2015, carded a 67 for his third
straight round in the 60s to sit solo second, while Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz
was in solo third at 11-under.
““I don’t know what it is. The shapes of the holes set up perfect for me, and I’m swinging
really well. I gave myself a lot of chances, and 5-under was probably the worst I could
have shot today.”
Going into the final round, two other Canadians are in position to earn status. Team Canada National Squad graduate Blair Hamilton and Russell Budd are both T28 at 2-under par.
Hamilton is in his inaugural professional season after turning pro in September following a strong four years at the University of Houston, while Budd is coming off a top-10 finish at a PGA Tour latinoamérica event in April.
Below is a list of the exemptions available this weekend at Crown Isle.
1st – Exempt for 2017 season
5th – Exempt for first 8 events, subject to 2nd reshuffle
16th – Exempt for first 4 events, subject to 1st reshuffle
40th – Conditional status
The full leaderboard can be viewed here.
Le Canadien Riley Wheeldon s’est hissé au cinquième rang du classement au terme de 36 trous des qualifications du Circuit Mackenzie-PGA TOUR Canada, au Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community, à Courtenay, en C.-B.
Wheeldon, de Comox en C.-B., se trouve à quatre coups du meneur, Derek Barron, de Tacoma au Washington, qui a joué 66, 6 coups sous la normale, pour prendre les devants.
Un professionnel de 32 ans qui a décidé d’essayer l’aventure du golf professionnel après une saison fructueuse dans les tournois du Pacific Northwest PGA Section, Barron a réussi une deuxième ronde consécutive sans bogeys. Ses quatre birdies et son aigle, lui ont permis de prendre une avance d’un coup sur Horacio Leon, de Santiago au Chili, avec deux rondes à jouer.
« J’ai mieux frappé mes fers aujourd’hui, mais les coups roulés n’ont pas tombé dans la coupe comme hier, je suis quand même satisfait. Je joue très bien dernièrement, tout est facile en ce moment, » a dit Barron.
Leon, le meneur après la première journée, qui se remet d’une opération à la cheville il y a trois mois, a terminé la journée avec un pointage de 68, pour se retrouver à un coup de la tête.
« J’ai profité des normales 5, » a dit Leon. « Ma ronde aurait pu pencher d’un côté comme de l’autre, après un premier neuf à -3, j’ai frôlé la coupe à quelques reprises, avant de me retrouver à -2. Je n’ai quand même jamais perdu confiance, car je jouais bien. »
Eric Onesi, de Bear au Delaware, qui a remporté le Tournoi de Qualification à Crown Isle en 2015, a remis un pointage de 68, pour se retrouver à deux coups du meneur, 9 coups sous la normale.
Voici les exemptions à l’enjeu à Crown Isle cette semaine :
1re place : Exemption pour la saison 2017
2 – 5 : Exemption pour les 8 premiers tournois (sujet à la 2e reclassification)
6 – 16 : Exemption pour les 4 premiers tournois (sujet à la 1re reclassification)
17 – 40 : Statut conditionnel
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