Winnipeg – Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Erik Barnes extended his lead at The Players Cup on Friday, carding a 1-under 70 at Pine Ridge Golf Club to take a two stroke lead heading into the weekend.
After a 63 on Thursday, Barnes battled windy conditions and a few nerves in the second round to grind out an under-par round and get two shots clear of a group of four players, including Bright’s Grove, Ont.’s Matt Hill, Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie, Little Rock, Arkansas’ Drew Stoltz and Fargo, North Dakota’s Josh Persons.
“I didn’t handle it so well on the front side,” said Barnes of starting the day with the lead. The 26-year old started with two bogeys on his front nine, but rebounded with three birdies coming in to reach 9-under. “I needed to be a little tougher mentally. I let a couple shots go and got frustrated. I tried to let go and pretend like it didn’t matter on the back side and tried to act like I didn’t care what I was shooting. I just tried to free myself up, which I did.”
Barnes will be in a familiar position heading into the weekend. He held a share of the 36-hole lead with England’s Kelvin Day last week at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel. The Austin Peay State graduate said he was hoping to put the experience to use Saturday in Winnipeg.
“As long as I can handle it a little bit better than I did last Saturday,” said Barnes, whose third round 73 in Saskatoon took him out of contention. “I was a little bit nervous and made some nervous golf swings early in the round. I got off on the wrong foot, and I had I not done that I might have had a better chance of winning that golf tournament.”
Barnes admitted that he will feel pressure on the weekend as the field attempts to chase him down, but that he was ready to accept the challenge of being the frontrunner.
“We all know what’s a stake and we all want it really badly, otherwise we wouldn’t be playing,” said Barnes. “The guy that’s going to get it done is the guy who deals with it the best, and hopefully that will be me.”
Hill, who finished tied for eighth here in 2012 when he won the Order of Merit on PGA Tour Canada, carded a 3-under 68 to join a group tied for second heading into the weekend.
“I think I hit it a little bit better today but played pretty similar. I just kind of stuck to my game plan. I’m just going to try to keep doing what I’m doing,” Hill said.
(Winnipeg) – Cape Coral, Florida’s Erik Barnes carded an 8-under 63 at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after 18 holes at The Players Cup.
The 26-year old put an exclamation point on his round, knocking his approach to four feet on the 18th hole and converting the birdie to lead by one over fellow playing partner Josh Creel. Barnes is looking to continue his solid play from last week, when he finished fourth last week at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.
“I’m playing well right now. It seems like the ball just wants to find the hole for me,” said Barnes. “Obviously it wasn’t the easiest conditions today and me and Creel just kind of kept feeding off of each other and kept making birdies. We both knocked some putts in and the next thing you know we played really well.”
Barnes made six birdies on the day, including a pair of 40-footers on the second and eighth holes to go along with a chip-in for eagle on the short par-4 13th, where he drove it over the green and holed a delicate pitch down the slope.
Barnes added that he was spurred on by playing partner Creel, who briefly reached 8-under on the day before a closing bogey left him with a 7-under 64 on the day in solo second.
“It does help when you’re seeing someone else hit good shots and make some putts. It kind of gives you some extra motivation. It was fun out there today,” said Barnes.
“Erik and I were battling back and forth all day and I think when you’re seeing someone else play well it’s easier to feed off them and do the same. It was a solid day,” added Creel, a second year PGA Tour Canada member from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Barnes capped his day with a birdie on the 18th, where he drew a flier lie in the rough and hit a 7-iron into the wind from 177 yards, a distance he said he would normally hit a 5- or 6-iron. He knocked it to within four feet and calmly rolled in the birdie for the best round of the day.
“When you’re hitting a shot like that from that lie in there close, it’s a good day.”
The last time Sarnia, Ontario’s Matt Hill teed it up at The Players Cup, he was playing some of the best golf of his life, having captured his first PGA Tour Canada win the week before and sitting atop the Order of Merit, where he would go on to finish the 2012 season.
Hill, who finished tied for eighth here in 2012, showed that his game remains solid on Thursday, carding a 4-under 67 to share sixth spot after one round. He’s the top Canadian after round 1.
“I wouldn’t say I hit it great, but I made a lot of putts,” said Hill. “If I can hit it a little better and keep it up with the putter, it should be a good week.”
The former Team Canada member and 2009 Jack Nicklaus Award winner at N.C. State said he holds fond memories of his appearance here in 2012, when he would go on to be named PGA Tour Canada Player of the Year.
“I’m trying to take as much as possible from that year,” said Hill. I didn’t really make a lot of bogeys that year, which was fun. I’m just trying to do the same thing,” Hill said.
(Saskatoon, SK) – Grand Haven, Michigan’s Matt Harmon kept the field at bay to capture his first PGA Tour Canada victory on Sunday, firing a final round 6-under 66 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to win the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.
The 29-year old began the day with a five stroke lead and hardly gave his pursuers a chance, carding seven birdies on the day and never letting anyone get closer than within two shots, winning by three over Will Kropp of Edmond, Oklahoma. Harmon moves to 2nd on the Order of Merit through four events, in position to earn one of three RBC Canadian Open exemptions available after the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel in two weeks.
“I knew I was playing well and that good results were coming. You never know when you’re going to win, so this feels incredible,” said Harmon.
The win comes at a special time for Harmon and his wife Pagiel, who had their 10-week old son Eli on hand for the first time in his career, making the win even more memorable for the young Harmon family.
“You can’t really describe it. She flew up here with him all on her own. I’m just so thankful that we can be together and be able to travel and share this moment,” said an emotional Harmon after the round. “To have them here is just incredible.”
24-year old Kropp, a rookie on PGA Tour Canada, made the strongest charge of the day, carding a 10-under 62 and getting within two shots of Harmon late in the back nine. Harmon, a former Michigan State Spartan, responded with three birdies in four holes in the middle of his back nine to keep his chasers at bay and secure the title.
“I played well today and made a few putts, but if you start seven back and he shots 6-under that’s pretty tough to catch. Kudos to him,” said Kropp, who captured a win on the NEC Series – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica earlier this year at the Abierto OSDE del Centro.
Harmon, who played full time on the Web.com Tour in 2012 and 2013 and finished runner up at the 2012 TPC Stonebrae Championship, said he’s looking ahead to the rest of the season with an eye on maintaining his spot on the Order of Merit.
“Fortunately I’ve gotten off to a nice start. I’m looking forward hopefully to that RBC Canadian Open exemption if you’re in the top three through Thunder Bay, so the next two weeks I’ve got my eyes set on that,” said Harmon.
One shot behind Kropp was Kalmar, Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, who joined Kropp in the charge to catch Harmon before a bogey at the par-5 16th derailed his chances. Karlsson’s finish was his third top-10 of the season and moved him to fifth on the Order of Merit.
With a final round 64 to finish tied for seventh, Peterborough, Ontario’s Ted Brown earned Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Canadian Player of the Week honours, taking home a $1,500 prize.
Brown edged out Airdrie, Alberta’s Riley Fleming on a tiebreaker, with the pair finishing together at 16-under par. Each week on PGA Tour Canada, the top Canadian on the leaderboard earns the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s send taking Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $10,000 prize.
(SASKATOON, Sask) – With friendly scoring conditions on a gorgeous prairie day, England’s Kelvin Day and Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Erik Barnes carded birdies by the bunches at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to share the 36-hole lead at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.
Day carded a 10-under 62, tied for the low round of the day, while Barnes birdied his final four holes of the day to shoot 63, with both players ending the day at 11-under through two rounds. The duo led by two over first round leader Drew Stoltz and Michigan’s Matt Harmon.
Day’s position is remarkable given his rough start yesterday, when he was 4-over for his first 12 holes. Since then, he’s carded 15 birdies and no bogeys to vault up the leaderboard.
“I’m pretty happy considering where I was yesterday. I’ve had a pretty good charge coming back,” said Day, who hails originally from Surrey, England but now calls Charlotte, North Carolina home. His 62 was tied for the low round of the day with Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Stephen Carney, and was one shot off the course and tournament record held by California’s Cody Slover.
Barnes, meanwhile, finished with a flash, carding birdies on his final four holes to tie Day at the top. The 26-year old said nearly everything went right for him on Friday, with all facets of his game clicking.
“I hit it really good and I putted good,” said Barnes. “I would have been really hard for me to screw it up because I just kept hitting it where I was looking, and every time I looked up, the putts were going where I was looking.”
First round leader Stoltz of Little Rock, Arkansas was unable to summon the magic that led to his brilliant 63 on day one, holding in with an even par 72 on Friday. Still, Stoltz was optimistic about his chances heading into the weekend just two off the lead.
“Hopefully today is my bad day, but you don’t win it on Friday,” said Stoltz. “I’m only two back heading into the weekend and two good rounds away from doing what I want to do.”
(Saskatoon) – Arkansas’ Drew Stoltz cruised to a 9-under 63 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links on Thursday to take a two stroke lead after the first round of the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.
The 29-year old Arkansas native carded nine birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for the round, playing the par-5s in 5-under. While the field scoring average rose to 74.20, Stoltz’s career-best round on PGA Tour Canada gave him the lead by two over Michigan’s Matt Harmon, who finished shortly after Stoltz with a 65, and by four over Calgary’s Ryan Yip, who finished tied for second here last year and posted a 5-under 67.
“If you would have told me I shot this score this morning, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” said Stoltz.
Winds gusting north of 50 km/h firmed up the course and challenged players on the links-style layout, a stark change from last year’s birdie-filled opening round when the field averaged 69.858 – the best scoring average by the field to par in any round on PGA Tour Canada in 2013.
“When I got here today, the wind was blowing a lot harder than it did yesterday,” said Stoltz. “It played completely different. I really didn’t know what was going to be a good score, but I turned in 3-under and made a few more, and all of a sudden I was looking at a really good score.”
With two cuts made in three starts on the season, Stoltz currently sits 81st on the Order of Merit and is hoping to cash in on a big week at Dakota Dunes. The former Texas Christian University Horned Frog said he knows he’ll need a handful of standout finishes to achieve the ultimate goal of finishing in the top five on the Order of Merit and advancing to the Web.com Tour.
“The way it’s structured out here, if you can get hot a couple of weeks and get a win or two, that’s kind of what it’s all about,” said Stoltz. “Your good weeks need to be great weeks and that’s kind of the key to getting through.”
Stoltz is making a return to PGA Tour Canada this year after a successful 2013, when he won the Metropolitan Open in Missouri and claimed another win on the All-American Gateway Tour. He earned conditional status at the 2014 California Qualifying Tournament.
One shot behind Yip was a quartet of players including Montreal’s Beon-Yeong Lee, who earned an RBC Canadian Open spot two weeks ago in regional qualifying, as well as Thornhill, Ont.’s Ben Silverman, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie, and Florida’s Jeff Corr.
(LONDON, Ont.) – Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor Freedom 55 Financial and PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the Golf in Schools program will serve as the official charity of the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial which will run September 8-14, 2014 at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ont.
In establishing a community legacy for the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, Golf Canada will invite area golf clubs throughout London and Southwestern Ontario in a campaign to adopt schools to be a part of the Golf in Schools program.
Golf in Schools – which is currently offered in more than 2,225 elementary and close to 230 high schools across Canada – provides children with a basic introduction to golf through the Canadian school physical education curriculum. The program, which is endorsed by Physical Health and Education Canada (PHE Canada), is conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the PGA of Canada and the provincial golf associations. More information about the Golf in Schools program including the school adoption program is available by clicking here.
“We’re excited to promote Golf in Schools,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice President, Freedom 55 Financial/Wealth & Estate Planning Group. “We got involved in the program because it introduces golf and promotes healthy lifestyle – and hopefully gets more young people involved in the game.”
An elite field will compete at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial with the top 60 players on the Order of Merit through the season’s penultimate tournament gaining entry into the season-ending event.
Max Gilbert of Quebec City, Que. won the inaugural TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial and will return to Sunningdale Golf and Country Club to defend his title.
The 12th and final event on the PGA TOUR Canada schedule will see the culmination of the race for Web.com Tour status at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club with the event once again operated by Golf Canada. 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 PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit earn Web.com Tour status for the following season, with players finishing in spots sixth through 10th earning an exemption into the final stage and players finishing 11th through 20th into the second stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School.
In addition to serving as title sponsor of the TOUR Championship of Canada, Freedom 55 Financial also sponsors the Freedom 55 Canadian Player of the Week award presented at each PGA TOUR Canada event as well as the season ending Freedom 55 Player of the Year Award.
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – With a final round 3-under 69 at Fort McMurray Golf Club, Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen won the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON by five strokes on Sunday, claiming his second win of the season on PGA Tour Canada and taking a commanding lead on the Order of Merit through three events.
The 26-year old, who claimed the PC Financial Open three weeks ago in Vancouver for his first PGA Tour Canada win, moves to the top of the Order of Merit with $56,813 in earnings, and has a $28,815 lead on second place.
“I played really solid. I hit it great again,” said Dahmen, who finished 22-under par for the week. “I actually missed the first green, but after that I settled down and I hit it great. I didn’t make many putts, but I didn’t really have to. I made a birdie on 9 to take a five shot lead into the back nine, and after that nobody really made a push towards me.”
Dahmen fired a 9-under 63 in round one to take a two stroke lead and never looked back, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner on PGA Tour Canada since John Ellis at the 2008 Mexican PGA Championship.
The victory sees Dahmen continue what has been a breakthrough year, one that looked unlikely last winter when he admitted he felt disappointed by his performance in 2013. Dahmen had a handful of chances to win last season but was unable to convert and finished 22nd on the Order of Merit.
“It’s crazy. Literally last year, this winter, I was sitting on the couch all bummed out and all of a sudden stuff is happening and dreams are being realized,” said Dahmen. “I’m very close to doing a lot of great things in the next year, so I’m excited.”
With the win, the former University of Washington Husky puts himself in great position to play in his first PGA Tour event. The top three on the Order of Merit through the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel earn a spot in the RBC Canadian Open.
“This virtually locks up my RBC Canadian Open spot, I’m pretty sure, so I get to play my first PGA Tour event in a month or so. That’s going to be incredible,” said Dahmen, who will also make his second career Web.com Tour start next week at the United Leasing Championship presented by PTI thanks to a sponsor’s exemption.
Dahmen’s win is once again a popular one amongst PGA Tour Canada members, as a gathering of fellow competitors waited to congratulate the winner as he exited the 18th green, including 2012 and 2013 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON champions Cory Renfrew and Riley Wheeldon.
“We have great camaraderie out here,” said Dahmen. “It’s nice just to know that we’re all pulling for each other. I’m excited for them and I know their time is coming. We all feed off each other a little bit, and I think it helps.”
Perhaps the happiest of all fellow competitors was Dallas, Texas’ Will Strickler, who caddied for Dahmen over the final two rounds after missing the cut. Dahmen credited Strickler, who played on the PGA Tour in 2011 and has five career top-10s on PGA Tour Canada, with helping him stay calm over the final two rounds.
“I had to kind of poke him in the ribs on Friday night and Saturday morning because of the weather, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to caddie. I said, ‘I need you out there, Will,’” said Dahmen. “He’s an incredible player himself and he’s been around, so he knows how to caddie and what to say.”
Five shots behind Dahmen in second was PGA Tour Canada rookie Ricky McDonald of Edmonds, Washington. One shot further back was Las Cruces, New Mexico’s Tim Madigan, who posted his second consecutive top-three finish following a T-2 result at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist.
(FORT MCMURRAY, Alta.) – In what is becoming a regular occurrence on PGA Tour Canada this season, Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen finds himself atop the leaderboard once again after shooting 4-under par at Fort McMurray Golf Club to take a five stroke lead into the final round of the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON.
The Order of Merit leader got his day started right with birdies on two of his first three holes to break away from the field and look as though he may run away and hide with the Order of Merit lead through three events. Dahmen led by five over Las Cruces, New Mexico’s Tim Madigan and by six over Syracuse, N.Y.’s Daniel McCarthy and defending champion Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C. through three rounds.
“I didn’t make a bogey today, which is huge. It was kind of a goal of mine,” said Dahmen, who has made just two bogeys for the week and is without a blemish on the scorecard in his last 35 holes. “It’s been great.”
After cruising along for much of the day without trouble, the 26-year old faced a difficult sand save on the par-3 15th and a 15-foot par putt following an indifferent bunker shot. The ensuing putt, however, found the cup for par, keeping Dahmen’s momentum going.
“I hadn’t been close to a bogey all day, so I said to my caddie, ‘We have to make this one.’ There was a little fist pump in there. That was huge,” said Dahmen, who shared the 54-hole lead here last year before finishing tied for fourth.
Despite the considerable lead heading into Sunday and the chance to take a vice grip on PGA TourCanada’s Order of Merit, the former University of Washington Husky isn’t getting too far ahead of himself before a chance to close the deal in the final round.
“It’s far from over,” said Dahmen. “One swing and you make double or triple and a guy makes birdie and it’s back to square one. If I go out tomorrow and shoot four- or five-under and play well it’s going to be very difficult for somebody to catch me, and that’s going to be the plan.”
Dahmen added that the big lead wouldn’t lead to a change in his strategy at Fort McMurray Golf Club on Sunday.
“I’m not taking too many chances, but it’s more of a conservative strategy with an aggressive swing,” said Dahmen. “My strategy isn’t overly aggressive, but my mind frame has to be.”
Canada is well represented in the top 10 thru three rounds. Riley Wheeldon shot 66 Saturday and is tied for third. Montreal’s Beon Young Lee, who recently earned an exemption into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, shot 69 and is tied for fifth with Ryan Williams, who carded 72.
Devin Carrey of Burnaby BC is 11-under at the close of 3 solid rounds and is tied for eighth.
(FORT MCMURRAY, Alta) – PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit leader Joel Dahmen took control of the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON Friday, firing a 6-under 66 at Fort McMurray Golf Club to take the 36-hole lead by three shots over Vancouver’s Ryan Williams.
Dahmen, the PC Financial Open champion three weeks ago in Vancouver, rebounded from a bogey at the first hole with seven birdies, finishing at 15-under through 36 holes, three ahead of Williams.
“I’ve made a few putts. When you get in a groove, you just try to keep playing golf and not think about it too much,” said the Clarkston, Washington native of his red-hot play over the first two rounds. “I started to play more aggressively and the putts fell on the back nine for me.”
With a win in his back pocket already this year and the chance to take a strong grip on the top spot on PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit, Dahmen said he would be trying to go full speed into the weekend to secure another victory. The 26-year-old is looking to build on experience from last year at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial, where he held the 36-hole lead by three before faltering on the weekend to a 7th place finish.
“There’s still a lot of golf left. I did the same thing last year [in Cape Breton] and had a three-shot lead going into the weekend and it didn’t pan out, so there’s still a lot left. I still have to keep the pedal down and keep going,” said Dahmen.
2014 has been a breakout season for the former University of Washington Husky, who claimed two wins on the All-American Gateway Tour this winter and now finds himself in the driver’s seat on PGA Tour Canada, a position he admitted he hasn’t always felt comfortable in but now expects to see each time he tees it up. Dahmen credited a new mental approach crafted with former University of Washington assistant coach Jon Reehoorn, now the head coach at Oregon State, centered around playing aggressively regardless of his position on the leaderboard.
“We were talking about staying aggressive, and keeping the same mentality all the way through the round,” said Dahmen. “I really fought myself hard today, and I’m going to be excited when I text him and tell him that I did it. I fought myself early and I turned it around and played really well.”
With a great chance at another win this weekend, Dahmen said the confidence he gained from his win at the PC Financial Open has helped him play well this week.
“For me to actually win in Vancouver was huge. I know that I can do it, and I feel like I belong. I feel like I’m supposed to be at the top,” said Dahmen.
One shot behind Williams in third was Florida’s Jeff Corr, who shot 65 to finish at 11-under. Two shots behind Corr were Montreal, Quebec’s Beon-Yeong Lee, California’s Sean Shahi and Monday qualifier Kevin Spooner of West Vancouver at 9-under.
Fort McMurray, AB – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit leader Joel Dahmen tied the course record at Fort McMurray Golf Club on Thursday, carding a 9-under 63 to take the first round lead at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON.
The Clarkston, Washington native, who claimed the PC Financial Open three weeks ago for his first PGA TOUR Canada win, made 10 birdies and one bogey to lead by two shots over Massachusetts’ Evan Harmeling.
“I actually only made one putt outside of 12 feet, so I hit it really close all day,” said Dahmen. “My wedges were on fire.”
The 26-year old comes to Fort McMurray a year after sharing the 54-hole lead at the 2013 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON, and while he was only able to muster a 1-under 71 and a tie for fourth last year, Dahmen said he was comfortable on Thursday thanks to his experience last year.
“I played really aggressively off the tee today,” said Dahmen. “There are some lines off the tee I can be more aggressive on because I’m more comfortable out here, and I hit it really well, so that helps a lot.”
With a win at the start of the 2014 season, Dahmen said he felt comfortable taking more risk in his on-course strategy to try and secure another strong finish to solidify his place atop the Order of Merit.
“I’m playing well and I’m hitting it well, so that helps me to play aggressively, but knowing I had a little head start and a win in the back pocket definitely frees me up a lot,” said Dahmen.
Two shots behind Dahmen, Harmeling said a solid day on the greens propelled him to his opening round of 65, his lowest career round on PGA TOUR Canada.
“I came out here yesterday and made everything and kind of continued it on today,” said Harmeling. “I thought they were rolling true. I’m really happy with how I played. I putted really well out there.”
Another shot behind Harmeling were California’s Daniel Miernicki, who held the lead for much of the day by carding the low round of the morning wave, and Sarnia, Ontario’s Matt Hill, who birdied his final three holes for a 6-under 66.
HILL MAKES MOST OF RETURN WITH OPENING 66
Two years ago at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON, Sarnia, Ontario’s Matt Hill was in the middle of a torrid run that drove him to an Order of Merit title. The former Jack Nicklaus Award winner at NC State University wound up losing in a playoff to Cory Renfrew, then won the following week at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel to cement his top spot, eventually earning a spot on the Web.com Tour for 2013.
Playing this week on a sponsor’s exemption, Hill finds himself in a different situation with a chance to play his way up the conditional member ranking with a solid finish this week. The 25-year old said he was simply focusing on playing good golf, however, and avoiding any distractions.
“I’m not really looking at what everything means. I’m just out trying to have some fun and play golf,” said Hill. “I know I can win out here, and that’s my goal. I try to prepare as well as I can and just try to play smart golf and hit fairways and greens.”
ANDERSON USES HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE IN ROUND ONE
When four-time PGA TOUR Canada winner Stuart Anderson was a kid, he would take advantage of the long northern Alberta summer days by playing 54 holes a day at Fort McMurray Golf Club, breeding a familiarity with the golf course few players can claim at a PGA TOUR Canada event.
“You can close your eyes and go through every piece of the property. It’s a beautiful place and I love being here,” said Anderson, who fired a 3-under 69 in round one to sit tied for 20th.
The 36-year old is playing on a sponsor’s exemption this week, and looking to get back to the form that saw him win as recently as the 2011 TOUR Championship of Canada. After reaching the Web.com Tour in 2012, Anderson failed to keep his PGA TOUR Canada card last season and finds himself looking to return to the TOUR with a solid performance on his home track. One way to do that would be finishing in the top-20 this week and earning a start at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel in two weeks.
“One goal is to finish top-20 so I play the next event in Saskatoon,” said Anderson. “Overall I’m happy. Going into the week I had the goal of shooting in the 60s every day, so it’s a good start to that.”
