Manitoba Open winner overcomes tough week

Theo Humphrey has, admittedly, always been his own worst enemy. Now, at 29, the one-time college golf phenom has the breakthrough victory he’s been desperately seeking.

Humphrey captured the Manitoba Open on Sunday at Breezy Bend, finishing the weather-shortened 36-hole event at 11-under par after rounds of 66 and 65. That was good enough to edge fellow American Peter Knade by a single stroke.

“I certainly didn’t think it would take this long to win a PGA Tour sanctioned event,” said Humphrey, who was born in Chicago, raised in New York, starred at Vanderbilt University and turned pro in 2018 — even qualifying for the U.S. Open that summer.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this hard. Definitely rewarding to know that I’m doing the right things and I’m on the right path. You know, it makes a lot of the struggle worth it.”

Humphrey doesn’t shy away from his faults — he can be extremely emotional and even volatile at times, particularly in his past. He also suffers from anxiety and routinely deals with what golfers would describe as the “yips” — causing him to repeatedly back away from hitting or hover over the ball for extremely long periods of times.

There are several videos of him doing just that over the years which have gone viral, opening him up to ridicule.

“We all know golf mentally is really hard. I just got in a bad way for a bunch of years,” he told the Free Press. “I have kind of done some deep-diving on how to get past that, how to get over it, really to make golf more fun and obviously help my talent shine through.”

There are still good weeks and bad weeks — including this one, ironically.

“That’s actually kind of interesting based on the result. It was a really tough week with my mindset, my routine,” said Humphrey.

“We all know golf mentally is really hard. I just got in a bad way for a bunch of year. I have kind of done some deep-diving on how to get past that.”– Theo Humphrey

His struggles were most evident on Sunday’s 11th hole, when he was hit with a one-shot penalty for slow play after already being put on the clock by officials.

“I actually had my nine-iron in my hand when I thought it was my eight-iron. I took too long. It actually kind of felt like a good thing in the moment,” he said.

“I’ve struggled a lot through the years with taking too long to hit shots, just not feeling comfortable, having some nerves and anxiety and just really struggling to get the club back. This was kind of a wake-up call, like, OK, let’s get our routine under control. Obviously I was a little upset by it, but I felt like it almost calmed me down to focus on what I needed to.”

The penalty turned what would have been a birdie into a par, but Humphrey didn’t let it derail him. He rattled off three more birdies down the stretch and made a clutch up-and-down par save from the bunker on 17 to finish on top — his first professional win in 102 starts.

“Somehow, I was kind of able to get past it, to have an off-week mentally and still be able to perform,” he said. “It’s exciting, because I know how good it can be when I’m really thinking clearly and doing the things I want to.”

One possible key to the victory? Having his father on the bag.

“It’s really special. We’ve had some good successes in the past, and it was fun to have him come out this week and spend the time together, especially off the golf course,” said Humphrey.

The victory came with a US$40,000 payday and vaulted Humphrey from 32nd to sixth on the tour points list — significant, as the top 10 at season’s end earn promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. Just four events remain on the 2025 schedule.

“I’d love to get back out there,” said Humphrey, who had status in both 2020 and 2022 before losing his card. “I played some good golf out there in 2020 and I’d love another crack at it. I feel like I’m a better player. I’m more experienced and I’ll be more prepared.”

“It was really just about staying patient because you’re going to hit some good shots that didn’t end up great just because of how much wind was blowing. And just trusting my game.”– Theo Humphrey

This year’s Manitoba Open, which dates back to 1919, turned into a sprint after torrential rain wiped out play on Thursday and Friday, leaving all 156 players to compete over the weekend without a cut. Strong winds, narrow fairways and thick rough at Breezy Bend added to the challenge.

“The conditions were just really hard,” said Humphrey, who was three shots out of the lead after the opening round and figured he’d need to get to double-digits under par to have a chance.

“It was really just about staying patient because you’re going to hit some good shots that didn’t end up great just because of how much wind was blowing. And just trusting my game.”

In total, he carded 13 birdies, two bogeys and 21 pars. Four players finished two shots back at nine-under: first-round leader Riley Lewis (63-70), fellow American Jackson Buchanan (67-66), Norway’s Mats Ege (65-68) and Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak (67-66).

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“No matter how much success you might have, you still kind of always battle the same things,” said Humphrey, who will try to keep the momentum going this coming week as the next tour stop in Brainerd, Minn.

“This is a huge step in the right direction. I learned a lot about myself.”

This was the start of a five-year rotation for the Manitoba Open, which shifts to Elmhurst next August.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.