CALGARY – Santee, California’s Daniel Miernicki shot a final round 6-under 64 at The Links of GlenEagles on Sunday to win the ATB Financial Classic, his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.

The three-time All-American at the University of Oregon rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt on the 72^nd hole to finish at 17-under par, then looked on as the final four pairings failed to match his score, giving him the victory by a stroke over Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Danny Sahl and moving him to sixth on the Order of Merit.

“It was moving,” said Miernicki of his winning putt. “It was probably going to go five or six feet by and I was not gonna want to have that putt. When I saw it drop I was just so relived and excited and had all kinds of emotions.”

The second year Mackenzie Tour member, who has split time between Canada and the Web.com Tour this season, began the day four shots off the lead held by Moscow, Idaho’s Chris Williams, but quickly moved to the top of the leaderboard with two birdies and an eagle through his first six holes.

Four more birdies, including his dramatic finisher at the last, offset two bogeys coming in and gave Miernicki a 17-under total. A handful of competitors had opportunities to tie, but when Sahl and France’s Julien Brun were unable to produce eagles at the par-5 finishing hole, Miernicki was in the clear as the champion. Miernicki earned $31,500 for the win.

“At the beginning of the day I thought 18- or 19-under was going to win, but the course was set up tough,” said Miernicki, who admitted the win was a major breakthrough for his young professional career. “It’s been a little bit of a struggle for me. I would have liked to have this success right when I came out of school, but to have it happen now feels amazing. It’s my second year out here, and I’ve played well at times but I really haven’t felt the heat of really coming down the stretch and having a chance to win, so to pull it off feels amazing.”

Now sixth on the Order of Merit, Miernicki said he’ll focus on Mackenzie Tour events for the remainder of the season to try and finish in the top five on the Order of Merit and improve his status on the Web.com Tour for next year.

“[Last year] I had three top-10s but my best finish was fourth and I ended up finishing 36^th on the money list, and you really need top three finishes, let alone a win. Needless to say I’ll be playing the last five events hoping to finish as high as I can,” said Miernicki.

Sahl, a former Mackenzie Tour winner who caddies full-time for Mike Weir on the PGA TOUR, earned $18,900 for his solo second place finish along with Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours. With the blessing of Weir, who is taking a personal leave of absence from the PGA TOUR, Sahl said he’s all in to resume his playing career and will take it as far as he can.

“I came into the week with low expectations, but I definitely believed in my game and my swing and what I was doing out there, and it paid off. It means I can still compete out here. I’m kind of an older guy and this is a young Tour now. I don’t recognize a lot of the faces, but I’m 35 and I’m in my prime right now so I’m ready to move forward with it,” said Sahl, who won the 2011 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON.

Two shots back in a five-way tie for third was Adam Svensson, who has yet to finish outside the top three in three starts this season, along with Mackenzie Hughes, Julien Brun, Chris Williams and Jonathan Khan, who all posted season-best finishes on the Mackenzie Tour.

CALGARY – Moscow, Idaho’s Chris Williams fired a course record 9-under 61 on Saturday at The Links of GlenEagles to take the 54-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s ATB Financial Classic.

The former No. 1-ranked amateur and 2013 Ben Hogan Award winner at the University of Washington will take a one stroke advantage over Tucson, Arizona’s Jonathan Khan into Sunday’s final round, sitting at 15-under through three rounds.

“Every time you play a course you get more comfortable. I just had a good vibe feeling after yesterday. I finished really well on the back nine. I knew there were a lot of birdies out there and hit a lot of good shots and made a lot of good putts,” said Williams, who shot 29 on the front including a hole-in-one from 144 yards at the fifth hole.

Williams, a second year Mackenzie Tour player with eight top-25s in 16 career starts, flirted with 59 after going 6-under for his first seven holes and 8-under for his first 14.

“Oh yeah. Definitely,” said Williams of whether golf’s magic number was on his mind. The 24-year old missed a short birdie putt on the 17^th and an eagle putt of about 20 feet on the 18^th that might have secured the sub-60 score. “I thought about it all day. I made the turn in 29 and knew the back nine isn’t tough and I could make some birdies.”

With a chance for his first Mackenzie Tour win on Sunday, the former University of Washington Husky will look to follow in the footsteps of The Players Cup champion C.T. Pan and Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON winner Kevin Spooner as former Huskies to win on Tour this season.

“It was just kind of flowing,” said Williams of his round, adding that it was one of the best he could recall of his already strong young career. “This course was playing tough today. The greens are firming up and it was windy. It was a great round, and I can’t take anything bad away from it.”

Khan, who tied the previous course record at GlenEagles with a 62 on Friday, was one back after a 66, with Athens, Georgia’s Mookie DeMoss and France’s Julien Brun two further behind at 13-under. Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Danny Sahl, who caddies for Mike Weir on the PGA TOUR, shot his second 64 of the week to sit three back.

CALGARY – Victoria, British Columbia’s Cory Renfrew shot a 6-under 64 on Friday at The Links of GlenEagles to take the 36-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s ATB Financial Classic.

The 29-year old birdied his final two holes to reach 11-under par through two rounds, one stroke ahead of Santee, California’s Daniel Miernicki, Tucson, Arizona’s Jonathan Khan and Antibes, France’s Julien Brun

“I just kind of stayed patient all day. We were just having fun out there. I just kept hitting good shots and seeing putts go in, so I’m looking forward to the weekend,” said Renfrew, who already owns a Mackenzie Tour win in Alberta at the 2012 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON in addition to 10 career top-10s. Renfrew finished T4 at the ATB Financial Classic last year.

Teeing off on the back nine, the University of British Columbia grad opened with seven straight pars, then made three birdies in a row on holes 17, 18 and 1 to kickstart his round.

“That kind of got me going, and I just felt comfortable after that. I drove the green on 17, which was nice, and just kind of rolled from there,” said Renfrew, currently 41^st on the 2015 Order of Merit.

Earlier, Khan fired an 8-under 62 to match the GlenEagles course record, while Miernicki and Brun carded rounds of 66 and 67, respectively, to reach 10-under.

“I made some long putts early and I think that got the putter going. It was kind of spread out. It felt like every three holes I made birdie, and it was good,” said Khan, who posted eight birdies and was without a bogey.

The 26-year old, who has conditional status on the Mackenzie Tour and is making just his third start of the season, said he relished the opportunity to get a start this week in Calgary and was ready to take advantage.

“I was able to go back and practice and stay ready,” said Khan, who found out on Sunday he got into the field. “I’ve just been kind of working on the game and preparing myself mentally. You never know if you’re in or you’re out, so you just try to prepare for a tournament.”

Letzig, the winner earlier this year at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, was two shots back in his first start since a three-week break to be at home for the birth of his second child, daughter Raleigh Caraline, along with 2012 ATB Financial Classic champion Michael Gligic or Burlington, Ontario and Olympia, Washington’s Cameron Peck.

CALGARY – Jupiter, Florida’s Olin Browne, Jr. and Antibes, France’s Julien Brun carded a pair of 7-under 63s on Thursday at The Links of GlenEagles to share the first round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s ATB Financial Classic.

Browne, the son of three-time PGA TOUR winner Olin Browne, carded seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys while Brun, a three-time first team All-American at Texas Christian University in his first season as a pro, was bogey-free with seven birdies.

“I got off to a good start. I had my putter working really well and hit some good shots,” said Browne, who birdied the difficult par-4 10^th to start the day. “Right out of the box. It was a nice start. I had about 15-feet down the hill and it happened to go in.”

The 27-year old finds himself in Calgary one week before his dad Olin Sr. is set to compete at the Shaw Charity Classic on the Champions Tour, and said he’d love to stick around town if not for the opportunity to spend time at home during next week’s off week with his young family.

“He’s playing next week. He wanted me to caddie for him, but I have a six-month old at home and have to get home to the wife and baby,” said Brown, who admitted it was tempting to stay around in Calgary. “I went fishing in the bow river on Monday and had a great time. It’s a wonderful town and the weather’s perfect.”

Brun, who earned medalist honours at the California Q-School earlier this year, said he was pleased with his 63, the lowest round of his promising young pro career.

“Overall it was a really good round. I played well and I’m satisfied. Today I drove the ball really well and was in the fairway most of the time,” said Brun, who has posted finishes of T11, T8 and T14 in his last three starts.

The 23-year old said he’s becoming more comfortable as the summer goes on in his first season as a pro, and that the transition from team golf to playing for a living has taken some time to adjust to.

“It’s a little different for sure. In team golf, if you shoot even par every round you’re going to help the team and might finish Top-20 or -30. Out here, you don’t do anything. The cuts are super low. You need to play well to win, but the cuts are definitely a big difference,” said Brun.

One shot back of the lead through Thursday’s play was a group of six players at 6-under 64, including 2012 ATB Financial Classic champion Michael Gligic and Alberta native Danny Sahl along with Jeff Rein, Joey Garber, Cameron Peck and Daniel Miernicki.

Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor Freedom 55 Financial and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) will serve as the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, which will run September 14-20, 2015 at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.

Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) works to support children and their families to achieve the highest possible quality of life. TVCC serves more than 8000 children, youth and their families every year through a wide range of services provided out of the main London Centre and 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders. Fifty-five percent of all ticket proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the TVCC.

“We endorse Golf Canada’s selection of Thames Valley Children’s Centre for the tournament’s charitable proceeds,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial.  “Through the annual London Life Forest City Road Races and the Freedom 55 Financial We’re All Stars event, our company has proudly supported the important work Thames Valley does to support children and families from London and across Southwestern Ontario. I applaud the tournament’s goal to raise funds and welcome the Children’s Centre and its supporters to Highland.”

“We are thrilled to be the charitable beneficiary for the Freedom 55 Financial Championship,” commented Dr. John LaPorta, CEO, Thames Valley Children’s Centre. “We are heartened that Golf Canada will not only focus on coordinating a stellar tournament but equally on a fundraising strategy that will benefit the more than 8,000 clients our Centre serves throughout Southwestern Ontario.”

“Children’s Health Foundation, the fundraising partner of TVCC, is excited to see Golf Canada taking such initiative to further strengthen TVCC’s ability to provide the very best rehabilitation services, positively impacting every aspect of our kids’ lives,” shares Susan Crowley, President and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation. “In partnership with community members, like Golf Canada and Freedom 55 Financial, we are contributing to care, research and rehabilitation that helps young people to be happy, healthy and strong.”

The 12^th and final event on the Mackenzie Tour schedule will see the culmination of the race for Web.com Tour status at Highland Country Club. Only the top 60 players on the Order of Merit will be eligible, setting up an exciting race to the season’s final event.

The top five players on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit earn Web.com Tour status for the following season, with players finishing in spots 6^th through 10^th earning an exemption into the final stage and players finishing 11^th through 20^th into the second stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School.

In addition to serving as title sponsor of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, Freedom 55 Financial also sponsors the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award presenting $2,500 to the top Canadian player at each Mackenzie Tour event as well as the season ending Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year Award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.

Ryan Williams of Vancouver won the 2014 season ending championship along with both the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week and Canadian Player of the Year Awards.

Volunteer and ticket information is available at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com. As well, children aged 17 and under get in free all week long at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship – download your free junior tickets here.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Newport Beach, California’s J.J. Spaun broke through for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win on Sunday, shooting a final round 5-under 67 to win the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

The 24-year old moves into the top spot on the season-long Order of Merit with $70,263, earning an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open to make his PGA TOUR debut next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

“It’s a huge relief. I knew if I at least made pars on my way in I’d have some sort of chance at winning,” said Spaun, who finished at 18-under par, one shot ahead of Moscow, Pennsylvania’s Nicholas Reach. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work. I had to change a few things with my regimen and putting my career in the top priority spot, and it shows that the hard work has been paying off.”

The win gives Spaun a $25,813 lead atop the Order of Merit over Drew Weaver, who will join Spaun next week at Glen Abbey along with Albin Choi as the top three players on the season-long money list. The San Diego State University grad has been the most consistent player on the Mackenzie Tour this season, never finishing outside the top-16 and posting five straight 10 finishes capped off by the win.

“I’m in a good position. I’ve got to keep playing solid and keep that top spot under my belt and see how it goes,” said Spaun of the season-long quest to earn status on the Web.com Tour.

Starting the day one shot off the lead held by Corey Conners, Clayton Rask, David McKenzie and Chase Marinell, Spaun came out of the gate quickly with birdies on his first two holes to grab the early lead. After Reach made eagle on the 72^nd hole to post 17-under par as the clubhouse lead, Spaun responded with four birdies in five holes, including three in a row on holes 12-14 to take control of the lead.

“I’ve been playing well enough where I don’t make many mistakes, and fortunately making a lot of birdies as well. I’ve been playing solid, and eliminating the mistakes has been key for how I’ve been playing lately,” said Spaun, who has seen a remarkable turnaround from a dismal 2014 season that saw him miss six of seven cuts and return to Q-School this Spring. Since a T8 finish there, Spaun has been on a tear to build his Order of Merit lead and put himself in excellent position to earn status on the Web.com Tour for next season.

“Now it’s just kind of stress-free golf and going out and having fun. The hard work has kind of been taken care of and it’s time to go out and cruise,” said Spaun.

Reach, a University of Georgia graduate and a rookie on the Mackenzie Tour, notched his best finish as a pro along with Conners, who will play at the RBC Canadian Open on a sponsor’s exemption alongside fellow Golf Canada Young Pro Squad and Mackenzie Tour members Taylor Pendrith and Adam Svensson.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — The final round of the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel promises to be a shootout, with four players sharing the lead heading into Sunday at the Whitewater Golf Club.

Listowel, Ontario’s Corey Conners, Otsego, Minnesota’s Clayton Rask, Cape Coral, Florida’s Chase Marinell and Australia’s David McKenzie all sat at 14-under through 54 holes, with 14 players within two shots of the lead heading into the final round of the sixth Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada event of the 2015 season.

“This is fun. It was a lot of fun out there today, and I expect to have a lot of fun as well tomorrow. It’s enjoyable to have some pressure on you, and it’s what we all work for out here,” said Conners, who shot a 2-under 70 to take a share of the lead heading into Sunday.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Mike Van Sickle birdied six of his first seven holes to build a three-shot lead early on Saturday, but made three bogeys and a double bogey coming in to finish at 13-under. That set the stage for McKenzie (67) and Marinell (68) to post the clubhouse lead, with Rask and Conners matching them in the day’s final two groups.

“Today, guys got off to a great start but it looks like they struggled a bit coming in. There are some good scores out there, it’s just a matter of if you can hang on I guess,” said McKenzie, a veteran 47-year old who has made 183 starts on the Web.com Tour and owns victories on the PGA Tour of Australasia and PGA TOUR China Series, where he won twice last year and finished sixth on the Order of Merit.

Playing at the opposite end of the spectrum, the 23-year old Marinell carded a 4-under 68, continuing a strong rookie season on the Mackenzie Tour that has him ranked 26th on the Order of Merit.

“I’ve been in the position not to win, but kind of in contention so I kind of know what to expect. There’s still going to be some nerves involved, but that’s just part of golf and if you don’t have nerves, something’s wrong,” said Marinell, who finished T8 at The Players Cup last week.

Rask, who played in the day’s final group with Gligic, rebounded from a tough start with three straight birdies on his back nine to shoot a 2-under 70 and share the lead. Michael Gligic posted a round of 73 today to fall to T8.

“When you get flustered, you just have to remain calm and try not to take yourself out of it. You just need to make one birdie and get back to even and start running from there,” said Rask.

One shot back at 13-under were Order of Merit No. 2 J.J. Spaun, Van Sickle and Drew Evans, who finished T7 here last year.

Albin Choi signed for a score of 2-under 70 and currently sits T14 heading into Sunday.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic shot a 5-under 67 on Friday at Whitewater Golf Club to take the 36-hole lead at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the sixth event of the 2015 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 25-year old was bogey-free on Friday, reaching 13-under par and leading by one over Listowel, Ontario’s Corey Conners and Ostego, Minnesota’s Clayton Rask with two rounds in the books in Thunder Bay.

“I think I’m 13-under and I’ve made 15 birdies in two days, which isn’t something you do a lot, so the game is feeling pretty good and I’m rolling the ball well,” said Gligic, who owns one Mackenzie Tour win at the 2012 ATB Financial Classic and finished 11^th on the Order of Merit last year. With two rounds to go, however, the Tour veteran wasn’t getting ahead of himself after his solid second round.

“Like I said yesterday it’s a long tournament and a marathon, not a sprint. We’re only halfway done and there’s a long way to go,” said Gligic.

Rask, who leads the field with 17 birdies through two rounds, carded seven birdies on day two to offset two bogeys, while Conners moved up the leaderboard with birdies on his final two holes to sit one off the lead. The 23-year old, who finished runner-up at the U.S. Amateur last year and played in the 2015 Masters Tournament, is without status on the Mackenzie Tour, but can change that with a solid finish this week.

The top three non-members on the Order of Merit after this week will earn conditional status for the remainder of the season, with Conners currently sitting fourth in a tie for 56^th overall on the season-long money list. Adam Svensson and Christopher Trunzer, who occupy the top two spots, aren’t playing this week, and Conners can pass No. 3 Justin Shin, who missed the cut, with a solo 20^th place finish or better.

“Having status would be pretty nice. I’m not even sure what I need to do to get that, but I’m just going to try and play well and see what happens,” said Conners.

Two shots back of Gligic at 11-under were Matt Marshall and Mike Van Sickle. Sweden’s Krister Eriksson set the new course record at Whitewater Golf Club with a 10-under 62 and was four back at 9-under through 36 holes.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Two weeks ago, Matt Marshall was on the verge of quitting professional golf. After Thursday’s opening round in Thunder Bay, he finds himself in a completely different place: co-leading the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

Thanks to some support from friends and family and a timely dream, the 30-year old from Portland, Oregon finds himself tied for the lead after shooting an 8-under 64 to share the first round lead with Burlington, Ontario’s Michael Gligic at the sixth event of the 2015 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

“After Saskatoon, I almost quit. I almost left the game. So, to be here right now is kind of a big 180 for me,” said Marshall, who found himself questioning his role in the game following a missed cut at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel. After friends and family convinced him over the phone to stick it out for a while longer, the seven-year Mackenzie Tour veteran had a dream that appears to have changed his fortunes.

“I literally had a dream that I needed to switch to a Scotty Cameron putter, so I bought one the next day, and since then I’ve been making a lot of putts,” said Marshall, who made his first cut of the season last week at The Players Cup and finished T25. “I’ve been grinding out here for a while, and it all just kind of hit me in Saskatoon. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep playing. I called everyone in my family and everyone I’m close to for advice and stuff, and they told me to stick it out for a couple more weeks, and here I am.”

Marshall’s 64, which included nine birdies to offset just a single bogey, tied him with the 25-year old Gligic, who defeated Marshall in a playoff at the 2012 ATB Financial Classic, the only Mackenzie Tour win between the two players.

“I got off to a good start. The irons were great, and what’s been kind of holding me back lately is the putter, and it was nice to see everything going in today,” said Gligic. “There’s still 54 holes left with a heck of a lot of good players behind me, so I can’t let off the gas at all by any means. I need to keep going and keep making birdies tomorrow.”

One shot behind Marshall and Gligic was Ostego, Minnesota native Clayton Rask, who rebounded from an early triple bogey with 10 birdies for a 7-under 65. The start of round one was delayed for an hour due to lightning in the area.

Winnipeg, Man. – In just his fourth start as a professional, Taiwan’s C.T. Pan claimed his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada victory at The Players Cup, carding a 5-under 66 on Friday at Pine Ridge Golf Club to win by two over Sweden’s Robert Karlsson.

The 23-year old, who recently finished a standout collegiate career at the University of Washington that saw him named an All-American four times and a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award in 2015, produced a bogey-free 31 on the final nine holes for a 5-under 66 and the two stroke victory.

“This something I’ve always dreamed of. I didn’t expect it so soon, but I guess it happened and it’s awesome. I’m beyond happiness,” said Pan.

Starting the day three shots off the lead held by Newport Beach, California’s J.J. Spaun, Pan made the turn at 1-under, then rattled off birdies at the 12th and 14th holes to take over the solo lead. Karlsson and Spaun would both tie Pan at 13-under briefly on the back nine, but the Mackenzie Tour rookie closed like a veteran with birdies on the 16th and 17th to post 15-under par in the clubhouse. Neither Karlsson nor Spaun could match him, giving Pan the Players Cup title.

“I knew I needed to make a couple of birdies,” Pan said of the back nine battle with Spaun and Karlsson. “Before the round I told myself I needed to finish better. I shot 3-over my last five holes the first round and didn’t make any birdies the last two rounds, so I needed to finish better. I knew if I finished better I would have a chance, and I guess it worked.”

Pan’s birdie at the 17th was especially strong, with the pin cut over a ridge in a spot Pan admitted he labelled ‘un-approachable’ in his yardage book. After safely finding the green, he drained a 40-footer for his fourth birdie in six holes, giving him a two-shot cushion.

“I wanted to make it, but I did not expect it to drop. I wanted to give it a shot and I hit it pretty hard – it turns out it dropped, I guess,” Pan said with a smile.

Pan, who erased a three-shot defeicit, becomes the fourth player in five events to come from behind to win on the Mackenzie Tour this season.

“I knew if there was a guy to be worried about, it was going to be him, to be honest,” said 54-hole leader Spaun, who carded a 1-over 72. “I knew he was in a good position starting the day because he wasn’t that far back but he was far enough back to not really care what happens to him. Good credit to him, he’s a good player.”

Pan graduated with a degree in Communications this spring, and joins Chris Killmer, Brock Mackenzie, 2014 Order of Merit winner Joel Dahmen and this year’s Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON winner Kevin Spooner as former University of Washington Huskies in the Mackenzie Tour winner’s circle, along with 2013 Mackenzie Tour graduate and 2014 PGA TOUR winner Nick Taylor.

“Nick Taylor, Brock Mackenzie, a lot of [University of Washington] alumni that were here after their collegiate life showed me this is the way to do it, and I just followed their path,” said Pan. “I want to be one of them and I want to compete on the PGA TOUR. I just want to thank them for showing me this path.”

Pan made his professional debut earlier this year at the U.S. Open, where he finished T64. He also played on the PGA TOUR the following week at the Travelers Championship and finished T25.

HUGHES WINS FREEDOM 55 FINANCIAL TOP CANADIAN AWARD

With a total score of 10-under, Dundas, Ont.’s Mackenzie Hughes claimed Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours on Sunday along with a $2,500 prize. Each week, the top Canadian on the leaderboard will earn the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $25,000 prize.

Hughes becomes the third member of Team Freedom, which is composed of fellow players Taylor Pendrith, Albin Choi, Adam Svensson and Matt Hill, to win the award this season, joining Pendrith and Choi.