Stakes are high at Manitoba Open

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This article was published 22/08/2023 (941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The stakes will be high and the scores could be low as some of the best up-and-coming professional golfers in the world tee it up this week at the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open.

One of the oldest tournaments in North America — its prestigious roots go all the way back to 1919 — will have no shortage of storylines to follow when the action gets underway on Thursday morning at Southwood.

“There is a lot to play for,” Scott Pritchard, the executive director of PGA Tour Canada, said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of pressure players are putting on themselves.”

This really is a chance to see some stars of tomorrow, considering 65 players have eventually moved from the Canadian Tour to the PGA Tour in the past decade. That includes recent Manitoba Open winners such as Tyler McCumber (2018), Kramer Hickok (2017) and C.T. Pan (2015).

You also have homegrown talents such as Nick Taylor, a graduate of the PGA Tour Canada who was born in Winnipeg and raised in British Columbia and just won the RBC Canadian Open earlier this year in dramatic, walk-off fashion.

“Nick has been a inspiration this year for our Canadian contingent,” said Pritchard.

A total of 156 golfers will compete for a share of US $200,000 in prize money, with the winner earning US $36,000. The field will be cut down to the top 60 and ties after the first two rounds are completed on Friday.

Here’s a guide to get you ready:

1. AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME:

This is the eighth PGA Tour Canada event of 2023, with just one more stop left (next week in Minnesota) before the season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship to be held in Calgary.

Only the top 60 qualify for that final event, which includes a $100,000 bonus pool in addition to all participants securing their 2024 tour cards.

That’s an even bigger deal than usual, with PGA Tour Canada merging next season with PGA Tour Latinoamérica to form PGA Tour Americas, which will play a total of 16 events across Latin America, Canada and the United States.

That means time is running out for the required moving and shaking, especially for those currently on the outside looking in.

Once the final putt is holed in Alberta, the top five will graduate to the Korn Ferry Tour for next season, which is the feeder to the PGA Tour.

“These guys are really good, and not far from being on the PGA Tour,” said Pritchard.

Leading the way right now is Davis Lamb, the 26-year-old from Maryland who has won two of the seven tournaments so far and will be looking for the rare three-peat here in Winnipeg.

Right behind him is rookie Sam Choi, a 23-year-old from South Korea who has yet to taste victory but has managed to finish in the top-10 in six of seven events. In other words, he’s right on the cusp.

There is no defending champ in the field, as last year’s winner, Parker Coody, is currently plying his trade on the Korn Ferry, where he is currently 16th-overall in their standings.

2. OH, CANADA:

You have to go back to 2009 for the last time a Canadian won the Manitoba Open, with Graham DeLaet accomplishing the feat.

There’s no shortage of quality candidates this year.

Stuart Macdonald, who is currently No. 3 on the Fortinet Cup standings behind Lamb and Choi, would have been the favourite. However, the Vancouver product (who won the Ottawa Open last month) is skipping this event because his wife, Carly, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child any down now.

Etienne Papineau begins the week in the all-important No. 5 spot. The 26-year-old from Quebec is having a breakthrough year, having won the season-opening event in Victoria in June.

Other top Canucks include Myles Creighton of Nova Scotia (No. 14 overall) and Noah Steele of Ontario (No. 18).

There are a total of 33 Canadians in the field, which trails only the United States (111) by number. Other countries represented include Argentina, Australia, China, Costa Rica, England, France, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.

3. PLENTY OF LOCAL FLAVOUR:

There’s also plenty of players with local links for fans to root for.

Braxton Kuntz, the three-time reigning Manitoba Amateur champion, is competing for a second straight year under a sponsor’s exemption. The Winnipegger was four-under par in his debut last year, missing the cut by a single stroke.

“Last year was definitely a learning experience for me. Just playing in front of so many people in an event like this big was something I haven’t done before,” said Kuntz, who at 19 is the youngest player in the field.

“To be able to go in that and show pretty well… you know, missing the cut on the number was pretty disappointing. But it just makes me even more hungry to come out this year and play well again.”

Getting to play the weekend this time around would be an achievement for Kuntz, who is headed back to college at Ball State this fall.

Ryan McMillan of Winnipeg and Travis Fredborg of Selkirk were last-minute additions to the event after successfully Monday qualifying to gain entry.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju, who was born in India but immigrated with his family to Manitoba at a young age before moving to Ontario, is a full-time participant on the tour and currently sits 23rd in the rankings. He’ll be looking to move up with a big week.

Finally, there’s Jets forward Morgan Barron, who follows in the shoes of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor to play in the event.

“I just plan to enjoy it and have fun. I know getting stressed out isn’t going to help my game at all,” said Barron, who isn’t under any illusion that he will become the first NHL player to make the cut.

“It’s obviously a really cool experience. I’m just going to try and have as much fun with it as I can.”

Barron got his first look at the course during a practice round on Monday, during which he met local member Colin Lafreniere who is going to serve as his caddy.

“He was fantastic. Helped calm me down a little bit. Obviously he knows the course, and he’s a good golfer. I think he’s a scratch golfer. It’s good to have him around,” said Barron.

4. HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?

Coody tore up the course last year, finishing an incredible 27-under par as light winds made for prime scoring conditions.

It could be a much different story this year if Mother Nature decides to be a menace.

“The wind is the best defence out there,” said Kuntz. “It looks like it’s going to be a bit breezy out here the first couple rounds. It will make the course more interesting. I know they’re growing the rough out, too.”

Could this be the year that the mighty Southwood strikes back? Stay tuned.

5) CAMARADERIE AND COMMUNITY:

The folks at Southwood are seasoned pros when it comes to organizing a big tournament such as this, which speaks to why the Manitoba Open was named the 2022 Tournament of the Year by PGA Tour Canada executives.

They’ve got a fleet of approximately 200 volunteers and 65 caddies lined up, along with more than three dozen corporate sponsors.

“It provides a certain amount of calm when you have such an experienced group of volunteers,” said tournament chair Neil Taylor.

“We’ve actually had some members say this is their favourite week of the summer, because they get to watch good golf, they get to volunteer and it builds a lot of great community.”

There’s also the all-important charity element, with 100 per cent of net proceeds going to Camp Manitou and Project 11 through the True North Youth Foundation.

One of the new additions is the “Party Zone” hole on No. 17, in which live music, concessions and grandstands surround the green to give it a rowdy vibe not typically seen on a golf course.

“It’s the best thing that’s happened to the Tour in my estimation,” said Jeff Scott, the chief operating officer of Southwood.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg