Abgrall fires 67 to qualify for Manitoba Open

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This article was published 15/08/2022 (1474 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Open will have another home representative in the field this week.

Colwyn Abgrall was one of eight players – and the lone Manitoban — to qualify for the PGA Tour of Canada event after firing a stellar 5-under par 67 in the qualifying round at Southwood Golf and Country Club on Monday.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity. It doesn’t really get too much better than this. I’ve been feeling pretty confident with my game all season so I was holding myself to pretty high expectations and I’m just glad that I was able to capitalize on the opportunity,” Abgrall told the Free Press on Monday.

Abgrall, a personal coach at GOLFTEC, was one of seven Manitobans in the field of 27 hopefuls. He was the only one to shoot in red figures, finishing one shot behind winner Kade Johnson of Yorkton, SK.

The 25-year-old has had this tournament circled on his calendar for years.

After earning a spot in the 2019 tournament (then called the Players Cup) that he wasn’t able to fulfill, Abgrall tried securing a sponsorship exemption this year but was denied. His last hope was to show out in the Monday qualifier.

“It’s funny, I fully took off this week of work in anticipation that I’d be playing one way or another. Just turned out I had to get in the hard way,” he said.

“It’s just one of those events that don’t come around too often. It’s the PGA Tour of Canada. I want to be able to test myself against these other top players that are coming out of college or trying to advance to the next level and I kind of want to see where my game is at.”

The Manitoba Open, hosted at Southwood Golf and Country Club, makes its return to the Canadian circuit after a two-year hiatus owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Known as a links-style course, Southwood will demand golfers stay true off the tee to avoid dealing with the thick fescue that can quickly run up a score.

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Abgrall will surely enjoy the comfort of playing at a familiar track. He’s been a member at Southwood for five years and said he’s “certainly capable of going lower,” boasting a personal-best 9-under 63.

“I don’t expect to shoot 67 and 69 every time I tee it up there, but I’ve done it recently, obviously, and I’m pretty confident in my abilities to replicate it,” he said.

Abgrall joins a field that includes fellow Manitoban, Braxton Kuntz, who was offered a spot in the tournament after winning the Manitoba men’s amateur title last month.

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam

Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh 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.