Springer claims first pro victory

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This article was published 27/08/2023 (955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hayden Springer took a Texas-sized step towards his big dream of one day playing on the PGA Tour Sunday, capturing the Manitoba Open in convincing fashion by leaving a crowded pack of contenders in his dust.

The talented 26-year-old from the Lone Star State finished the 72-hole event at Southwood Golf and Country Club at 21-under par after rounds of 66-65-70-66, pocketing $36,000 in the process. That’s three strokes ahead of Étienne Papineau of Quebec and four up on South Korea’s Sam Choi, who have both previously won PGA Tour Canada tournaments this summer.

“I’ve dreamed of this forever,” said Springer, who has been playing professional golf since 2019 after graduating from Texas Christian University.

“It’s one of those things that can feel elusive, getting your first win. You don’t know when exactly that’s going to happen. I feel like I’ve always believed it’s possible. So it’s pretty cool to get that done today. To do it in Canada, to do it here in Winnipeg, it’s perfect. I’m really happy.”

Springer came through with a clutch performance under pressure, pulling away on the back nine Sunday with birdies on four straight holes (12, 13, 14, 15), an incredible par save on 16 after putting his second shot in the water, and then another birdie for good measure on the 17th.

“I got on a little bit of a run on the back nine, and I’ve played the back nine really well this week,” said Springer. “It seems like the front’s been OK and then I get on the back and am able to rattle off some birdies.”

Indeed, he went 16-under on the back nine in his four combined rounds, and five-under on the front for the tournament.

Springer was four shots off the lead after Thursday’s opening round, but then grabbed a three-stroke advantage with a stellar performance on Friday in cold, blustery conditions. He was in a three-way tie for top spot after Saturday’s third round, where he learned plenty about himself.

“I haven’t been in that position, in the lead, final group, in a while. I felt like I was kind of a bit more nervy, not really making confident swings, getting a little bit quick, all that,” said Springer.

“So it was good for me to have (Saturday) and still manage to hang around and be tied for the lead, to learn from it and know (Sunday) it was going to be some of the same feelings.”

A Canadian hasn’t won in Manitoba since Graham DeLaet did it in 2009, and it looked like this might be the year, with several in the hunt. Papineau came closest, while Ontario’s Johnny Travale and Quebec’s Joey Savoie — who began the day tied with Springer — finished in a tie for fourth at 16-under, with China’s Charles Wang.

American Derek Oland was alone in seventh at 15-under, while British Columbia’s Chris Crisologo made it four Canucks in the top eight by finishing at 14-under. California’s Devon Bling, who opened with a 10-under 62 on Thursday, ended up tied for 13th after following that up with rounds of 74, 68, 73.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju, who was born in India but immigrated to Winnipeg with his family as a child before eventually moving to Ontario, finished tied for 25th at nine-under. Selkirk’s Travis Fredborg, who Monday qualified to get into the event, tied for 49th at three-under.

Springer is the second straight Texan to win the Manitoba Open, after Parker Coody did so last year. Coody is now tearing up the Korn Ferry Tour and should soon be a full-time member on the PGA Tour, a path Springer would love to follow.

“I’ve played quite a few times with Parker. He’s a little bit younger, but we grew up playing some amateur tournaments, some college tournaments,” said Springer. “It’s nice to have two Texas guys win this tournament back-to-back.”

Springer has bounced around the past couple of years, playing in 12 events on the LatinoAmerican Tour in 2022 and making nine cuts, including four top-10 finishes. The closest he came to winning was a pair of fifth-place ties.

This year, Springer had teed it up in four Korn Ferry events where he had conditional status, making just one cut and finishing tied for 53rd. On the PGA Tour Canada he’d competed in four tournaments this summer prior to landing in Winnipeg, making three cuts and with a previous best finish of tied for 9th in Quebec last month.

“This year has been a little bit weird for me. I felt like I kind of struggled early on,” said Springer. “But I kind of got back to some stuff that I felt like kind of worked for me in the past. I got off to a great start this week, played great on Friday in really tough conditions and that kind of gave me a good boost of confidence.”

Springer is now seventh on the PGA Tour Canada rankings, with just next week’s tournament in Minnesota and the season-ending championship in Calgary left to come. The top five at the end of the season get their Korn Ferry Tour cards for next year.

“This is a stepping-stone to getting there. Obviously there’s still a lot that has to be done. But this is one step closer,” said Springer. “I’m not in that top five yet. That’s kind of the goal. Finish out these two tournaments strong.”

He was quite emotional as he accepted the trophy on the 18th green Sunday, thanking his wife, Emma, along with his parents and her parents for providing the type of support system that keeps him on the road chasing his goals.

Springer’s daughter, Sage, was born in 2020 with Trisomy 18, an extremely rare genetic disorder that is often fatal. The family have since started a charitable foundation to help other families experiencing similar difficulties. The little girl, who will soon turn three, still requires around-the-clock care but has made significant strides.

“It’s been interesting the last few years. We’ve been through a lot,” said Springer, who got a text from his father just before he teed off Sunday urging him to “stay patient. Relax.”

“I’m very fortunate to have those people in my life that allow me to be here,” he continued. “Now we get to celebrate this. It feels like it pays off, all of that stuff that goes into it, on a day like today that you come out on top.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg