Celebrate century of fine Players Cup play

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/08/2019 (2548 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is one of North America’s oldest tournaments, an annual summer gathering rich with history that has played host to some of the biggest names in golf.

While it has undergone a number of name and venue changes since legendary Canadian Karl Keffer raised the first trophy in 1919, the event now known as the Players Cup will celebrate its 100th birthday when it begins this morning at Southwood Golf & Country Club.

I vividly remember, as a wide-eyed teenager caddying in what was then called the Manitoba Open, getting to hang out with the likes of Steve Stricker and Mike Weir as they were just starting their incredible careers.

Many other stars have emerged since then, which is obvious by the drive in to Southwood where a dozen banners line rue des Ruines du Monastere in St. Norbert honouring some of the most successful recent graduates of the Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada: Adam Hadwin. Tony Finau. Sam Ryder. Ben Silverman. Joel Dahmen. Corey Conners. J.J. Spaun. C.T. Pan. Aaron Wise. Adam Long. Nick Taylor. Mackenzie Hughes. 

The list goes on. Last year’s champion at Southwood, Tyler McCumber, just captured his PGA Tour card after a successful year on the Korn Ferry Tour (previously known as the Web.com Tour). Kramer Hickok, the 2017 winner at Pine Ridge, is also on the big tour. All told, some 40 previous Mackenzie Tour members have moved all the way to the top.

Yes, these guys are good. Really, really good.

Along with $200,000 in prize money, there is more at stake for the 156 players who will tee it up for the third-last event of the season. Some are looking to cement their status on the money list and move up to the Korn Ferry Tour. Others are trying to hang on to their Canadian cards for next year.

No, the crowds around these parts may not be as big as they once were back in the heyday, due to a number of factors including an overall decline in players and interest surrounding the sport. But this regular pit stop remains a highlight of the Mackenzie Tour schedule, due to the well-organized nature and the success so many participants have gone on to enjoy.

“You can kind of feel the energy coming across here and you hear all the guys talking out there that this is, they think, by far one of the best-run events of the year. They were saying how magnificent the greens and the practice facility are, so it’s pretty cool to be part of that,” said Selkirk’s Travis Fredborg, who is making his professional debut this week after finishing his collegiate career at the University of Arizona.

The price to get in and watch the action at Southwood this year is speaking the kind of language notorious bargain-hunting locals will love: free. That’s right, for the low, low cost of zero dollars you can get up close with some of the “next big things” in the world of professional golf.

It’s being framed as a way to celebrate the milestone anniversary of the event, but in reality it’s also a response to declining galleries. Same goes for the decision to give a high-profile exemption last year to Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele, and another one this time around to linemate Kyle Connor.

Scheifele shot 29-over par through his two rounds last year and missed the cut by a mile, finishing last. A similar result by Connor won’t be surprising. But it’s about trying to get more eyes on the product.

“Hockey and hockey players participating in the Players Cup has a long history. You guys will all remember when Jonathan Toews was involved in the event and we had the charity hockey game on the grass, the Miracle on Grass as it were, and the Mackenzie Tour players had the great opportunity to play against some of the hockey players from Manitoba and throughout the country,” Scott Pritchard, the vice-president of the tour, said Wednesday.

“It’s a great opportunity for our players to get up close and personal with the hockey players, which means a lot to our players. I think on the flipside, when you talk to Jonathan and Mark last year, and I’m sure Kyle this year, they’ll talk about what it’s like for them to play inside the ropes and really have an appreciation for our players and how great these athletes are.”

Fredborg is one of a handful of local products in the field, hoping to become the first homegrown winner since Rob McMillan did it in 1996 as an amateur.

“This is my first pro event. Just to be out here, I’m super happy. Just excited for the opportunity. Hopefully can have a good showing this week, and maybe one day I’ll be able to see myself out on this tour,” said Shilo’s Austin Dobrescu, who is here as a sponsor’s exemption after finishing runner-up in the Manitoba Men’s Amateur earlier this summer (winner Colwyn Abgrall, a member of Southwood, is competing in the U.S. Amateur this week).

Along with Fredborg, Manitoban Devon Schade (University of Manitoba) has also shed his amateur status and is hoping to collect a paycheque as a professional this week. Both men have competed three prior times in the Players Cup as amateurs.

“I have some high expectations of myself. Top 25, even top 10, is something I’d like to shoot for. Hopefully I can play well, I know kinda what it takes, you gotta go low here, so that’s my plan here this week,” said Schade.

“As an amateur I feel like I wasn’t as prepared and kind of got intimidated by the guys. But now I’ve played Division I golf down in the States and I know what it takes to be at the highest level. And I thoroughly believe I can compete and beat these guys.”

Fredborg said he took notice of the banners driving in to the course and often thinks about how and when he’ll get his first big pro moment.

“Just like every little kid, you (dream) of a 10-footer on the putting green to win the Masters. You make it a lot. But you just need that putt,” said Fredborg, who believes it’s only a matter of time before a Manitoban breaks through.

Why not him?

“I think it’s a lot closer than you think, for sure. Playing with all the local talent, day in and day out, you realize how good these guys are. Especially going down to school in the States, I’ve played with some of the top amateurs in the world. Austin, Devon, myself, there’s really no difference. Anybody can get hot, that’s really all it is. Skill wise, we’re all up there,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg