Svard wins Manitoba Open in playoff

History will show Daniel Svard won the 2026 Manitoba Open on the 73rd hole of play, sinking a nervy three-foot par putt in a playoff to claim his first professional victory on Sunday afternoon at Elmhurst.

But it was much earlier in his final round — which started with three bogeys in the first five holes — where the tournament really was won. Or, more precisely, not lost.

“Pretty wild, the range of emotions I went through,” said the 23-year-old PGA Tour Americas rookie from Sweden, who began the day with a two-shot lead but suddenly found himself in chase mode.

“I was feeling really good and really confident and then I had kind of a nightmare start. I actually had to make some big putts to not completely play myself out of it. Everything kind of worked out in the end, but it was a roller-coaster to get there. I’m pretty excited and proud of how I got there to fight back.”

Svard managed to steady himself with a birdie on the sixth.

“That was the boost to get me back in the game,” he said.

Ten pars and two more birdies would follow as Svard finished at 14-under (67-65-64-70) — the exact same score as his playing partner, California Adam Duncan (66-66-66-68).

The pair, who were followed by a huge gallery all afternoon, put on quite a show on the back nine as they pulled away from the rest of the pack and essentially engaged in match play.

Highlights included Duncan chipping in from the rough for a birdie on 12, and then Svard doing the very same thing one hole later. Back and forth they went, with Duncan briefly grabbing a one-shot lead with a birdie on 15, then giving it right back with a bogey on 16.

Both made par on the 17th and 18th, necessitating the need for some sudden-death golf.

It didn’t last long.

Duncan’s four-foot par putt rimmed out, opening the door for Svard to make his slightly shorter one.

“It’s just so hard to describe and so overwhelming,” said Svard, who got emotional as he spoke about the journey to get to this place in his career.

Svard just graduated from Northwestern University this past spring and got status on this tour by virtue of finishing 19th in the NCAA golf standings. The No. 1 player went straight to the PGA Tour, Nos. 2-10 went to the Korn Ferry and 11-20 came to PGA Tour Americas.

His parents followed him on tour for his first three tournaments, which ended with a tie for 36th in New Brunswick, a tie for 31st in Ottawa and a missed cut in Toronto. With a two-week break prior to this week, they flew home and didn’t get to witness Svard’s magical moment in person.

“Everything they’ve done for me, it’s hard to think about. So much time, so much effort,” he said.

Svard spoke earlier in the week about how quickly he’s come to love Canada while also raving about Winnipeg and Elmhurst.

“All things Winnipeg are going to be special to me now,” he said.

Svard rockets up the tour points list with the win, going from 120th to 16th. That’s a huge deal with just four tournaments left — the top 10 at the end of the season get their Korn Ferry Tour cards, while the top 60 qualify for the tour championship event being held in the Dominican Republic and also get full status for 2027.

“I’m excited for what could come from all of this,” he said.

Indeed, recent Manitoba Open winners such as Johnny Keefer and Hayden Springer have already graduated to the biggest stage, the PGA Tour.

“But for me, I’m still going to keep putting my head down and working hard. There’s no guarantee I can continue to play well,” he said.

Duncan, 23, was a most gracious runner-up, coming so close to his first triumph. The Colorado Christian University grad is in his second year on the tour and had only made five of 17 cuts heading into this week — including just two of eight this season to sit 89th in the rankings. He now jumps to 23rd.

“It was a good time,” he said of the day-long battle. “It’s so easy when you’re close to the lead to be complacent. But when you see someone else doing good, that makes you want to do well.”

Conner Godsey of Alabama finished alone in third, three shots back of Svard and Duncan after rounds of 69-65-69-66. Austin Greaser of Ohio sat fourth at 10-under, while a group of players were tied for fifth at nine-under including top Canadian Etienne Papineau of Quebec.

Winnipeg’s Braxton Kuntz, who earned his way into the tournament through Monday qualifying, finished tied for 56th after rounds of 65-72-70-76.

“I think this golf course is one of the best I’ve played in terms of architecture and the way they set it up to challenge you mentally. It got firm really quickly throughout the week,” said Svard.

“It got so firm you really had to shift your mindset with how you played each day. Tournament officials did a really good job of making sure good shots were rewarded and smart play was rewarded. And you needed a little bit of luck, which I got along the way. To shoot 70 in the final round, absolutely fighting my way back, is a testament to a great course and setup.”

There’s not a lot of time for Svard to savour the victory. He’ll be back in action this coming week at the tour’s next stop in Brainerd, Minn., where he was headed on Sunday evening.

“I’m going to celebrate with a five-hour car ride down to Minnesota,” he said. “I would love to have a road beer on the way, but I think that’s illegal.”

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre