Results
2023: Papineau delivers another win for Canada at Royal Beach Victoria Open
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
Étienne Papineau said he didn’t dare look up at the leaderboard Sunday at Uplands Golf Club until the 16th hole. He liked what he saw when he finally trained his eyes on it. “It was hard [not to take an earlier peek]. I saw I was leading by three strokes. It was amazing,” said the native of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., who played in the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open last week. The graduate of the NCAA Div. 1 University of West Virginia Mountaineers would stretch that to a five-stroke victory at 18-under 262 over four rounds to win the first prize of $36,000 at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by the Times Colonist, the first event of the 10-tournament 2023 PGA Tour Canada season. “I had surgery in December and you never know how you are going to bounce back from surgery,” said Papineau. “There was lots of rehab but I stuck to the plan. The body needed time to heal but I came back strong. There were a few tears [after winning Sunday], I’m not going to lie. This was my first win on PGA Tour Canada and I am going to remember this week.” So are his people back home in Quebec: “My family could not be here this week, but they are probably crying back home right now. I can’t wait to talk to them and celebrate with them.” The volunteers at Uplands sang O Canada as Papineau approached the podium to accept the championship trophy.
It was appropriate as his win continued a big month for Canadian golf following Nick Taylor’s victory last week to become the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher of Victoria in 1954. “Nick Taylor began his pro career here at Uplands in 2011 and the next Nick Taylor will emerge from the PGA Tour Canada,” said PGA Tour Canada executive director Scott Pritchard. “Maybe this [Papineau] is the next Nick Taylor we are seeing.” Papineau acknowledged the rise of Canadian golf: “We are trending in the right direction and the Canadians on the PGA Tour are doing amazing things.
The goal is to get even more Canadians on the PGA Tour.” At stake in the 2023 PGA Tour Canada season are five spots into the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, which is the gateway Tour to the PGA Tour, much like the AHL is to the NHL. The former Canadian Tour became the PGA Tour Canada in 2013 and 65 PGA Tour Canada alumni, of all nationalities, have advanced to play on the PGA Tour over the past decade with 25 PGA Tour victories between them. More than 300 PGA Tour Canada alumni have gone on to play on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2013 with more than 50 victories between them. “Our young Canadian pro golfers see our PGA Tour players such as Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson and think ‘why can’t that be me?’ ” said Pritchard.
“And our PGA Tour players are friends with a lot of these emerging Canadian pros and asking them ‘why can’t that be you?’ On the heels of Nick Taylor, Étienne [Papineau] just proved that today. Adam [Hadwin], Nick [Taylor] and Adam Svensson started here and they go to our development camps to help the next generation. Canadian golfers are great at supporting one another.”
Also knocking on the door is Jared du Toit of Kimberley, who was the second-highest placing Canadian at Uplands on Sunday, tied for fourth at 12-under 268, following Americans Chris Korte and George Kneiser, who tied for second at 13-under 267. “There is strength in numbers and there are going to be more Canadians making it in pro golf over the next 10-15 years,” said du Toit. He said the next generation of Canadian golfers will be inspired by Taylor’s win in the Canadian Open last week in the same way his generation was inspired by Mike Weir’s victory in the 2003 Masters. Top Islander at Uplands was former University of Victoria Vikes standout Lawren Rowe.
The Mount Douglas Secondary graduate, who turned pro in 2019, tied for 11th at 10-under 270 on a course he knows well. “If you can shave off a stroke here and there, who knows what can happen in your career?” said Rowe, of chasing the pro dream. “We can all see it on the leaderboards on the PGA Tour with Canadians such as Adam [Hadwin], Corey [Conners] and Nick [Taylor] and the others. It’s nice to see Canadians playing so well in pro golf.”
It was the 40th anniversary of the Victoria Open, which in its earlier years saw future PGA Tour players go through it such as Weir, Steve Stricker, Craig Parry, Kirk Triplett and Scott McCarron to more recently Taylor, Hadwin, Conners, Hughes, Tony Finau, Paul Barjon, Doc Redman and Taylor Moore.
The Victoria Open has raised nearly $800,000 for Island charities since 2013, including $73,000 this year for the Victoria chapter of the Salvation Army.
2023: Papineau delivers another win for Canada at Royal Beach Victoria Open
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
Étienne Papineau said he didn’t dare look up at the leaderboard Sunday at Uplands Golf Club until the 16th hole. He liked what he saw when he finally trained his eyes on it. “It was hard [not to take an earlier peek]. I saw I was leading by three strokes. It was amazing,” said the native of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., who played in the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open last week. The graduate of the NCAA Div. 1 University of West Virginia Mountaineers would stretch that to a five-stroke victory at 18-under 262 over four rounds to win the first prize of $36,000 at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by the Times Colonist, the first event of the 10-tournament 2023 PGA Tour Canada season. “I had surgery in December and you never know how you are going to bounce back from surgery,” said Papineau. “There was lots of rehab but I stuck to the plan. The body needed time to heal but I came back strong. There were a few tears [after winning Sunday], I’m not going to lie. This was my first win on PGA Tour Canada and I am going to remember this week.” So are his people back home in Quebec: “My family could not be here this week, but they are probably crying back home right now. I can’t wait to talk to them and celebrate with them.” The volunteers at Uplands sang O Canada as Papineau approached the podium to accept the championship trophy.
It was appropriate as his win continued a big month for Canadian golf following Nick Taylor’s victory last week to become the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher of Victoria in 1954. “Nick Taylor began his pro career here at Uplands in 2011 and the next Nick Taylor will emerge from the PGA Tour Canada,” said PGA Tour Canada executive director Scott Pritchard. “Maybe this [Papineau] is the next Nick Taylor we are seeing.” Papineau acknowledged the rise of Canadian golf: “We are trending in the right direction and the Canadians on the PGA Tour are doing amazing things.
The goal is to get even more Canadians on the PGA Tour.” At stake in the 2023 PGA Tour Canada season are five spots into the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, which is the gateway Tour to the PGA Tour, much like the AHL is to the NHL. The former Canadian Tour became the PGA Tour Canada in 2013 and 65 PGA Tour Canada alumni, of all nationalities, have advanced to play on the PGA Tour over the past decade with 25 PGA Tour victories between them. More than 300 PGA Tour Canada alumni have gone on to play on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2013 with more than 50 victories between them. “Our young Canadian pro golfers see our PGA Tour players such as Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson and think ‘why can’t that be me?’ ” said Pritchard.
“And our PGA Tour players are friends with a lot of these emerging Canadian pros and asking them ‘why can’t that be you?’ On the heels of Nick Taylor, Étienne [Papineau] just proved that today. Adam [Hadwin], Nick [Taylor] and Adam Svensson started here and they go to our development camps to help the next generation. Canadian golfers are great at supporting one another.”
Also knocking on the door is Jared du Toit of Kimberley, who was the second-highest placing Canadian at Uplands on Sunday, tied for fourth at 12-under 268, following Americans Chris Korte and George Kneiser, who tied for second at 13-under 267. “There is strength in numbers and there are going to be more Canadians making it in pro golf over the next 10-15 years,” said du Toit. He said the next generation of Canadian golfers will be inspired by Taylor’s win in the Canadian Open last week in the same way his generation was inspired by Mike Weir’s victory in the 2003 Masters. Top Islander at Uplands was former University of Victoria Vikes standout Lawren Rowe.
The Mount Douglas Secondary graduate, who turned pro in 2019, tied for 11th at 10-under 270 on a course he knows well. “If you can shave off a stroke here and there, who knows what can happen in your career?” said Rowe, of chasing the pro dream. “We can all see it on the leaderboards on the PGA Tour with Canadians such as Adam [Hadwin], Corey [Conners] and Nick [Taylor] and the others. It’s nice to see Canadians playing so well in pro golf.”
It was the 40th anniversary of the Victoria Open, which in its earlier years saw future PGA Tour players go through it such as Weir, Steve Stricker, Craig Parry, Kirk Triplett and Scott McCarron to more recently Taylor, Hadwin, Conners, Hughes, Tony Finau, Paul Barjon, Doc Redman and Taylor Moore.
The Victoria Open has raised nearly $800,000 for Island charities since 2013, including $73,000 this year for the Victoria chapter of the Salvation Army.
2022: Lengthy playoff pays off for American Stevens
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
The first call Scott Stevens makes after every tournament is to his mother, Tricia, and father, David, back in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Only on Sunday he did it as tournament champion, after winning the PGA Tour Canada Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by the Times Colonist, on the third playoff hole at Uplands over fellow American Jake Knapp.
“My parents have sacrificed,” Stevens said of his golf career. “It’s lonely sometimes out here and you need the support.”
It’s part of chasing the dream. The $36,000 first-place prize was important for Stevens, but it was just another building block. The golfers at Uplands, crossing the road in the parking lot between holes, did so under a billboard featuring PGA Tour Canada alumni and current PGA Tour players Corey Conners and Tony Finau. All the current players on PGA Tour Canada hope there are bigger things in their careers.
“The money is a nice bonus but the ultimate goal is the Korn Ferry Tour and then the PGA Tour,” Stevens said. Only a few will get there, of course. But everybody playing at Uplands on Sunday was at a level — as author Roger Kahn once said about the minor pros — where you are good enough to dream. Stevens has already played in six career Korn Ferry Tour tournaments.
“The players are so good out here this week — any of the 156 starters could have won — and it’s such a fine line from here [to the Korn Ferry Tour],” said Stevens, a 2019 graduate of the NCAA Div. 1 University of South Carolina Fighting Gamecocks.
Stevens and Jake Knapp, an NCAA graduate of the UCLA Bruins who played 36 events on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, finished tied after four rounds at 16-under 264. Stevens sank a clutch putt and birdied the 18th to force the extra holes. He then birdied all three sudden-death playoff holes, and Knapp the first two, as Stevens won on the third playoff hole by one stroke as the high drama stretched into the evening.
“It was a blur, to be honest,” Stevens said. “The fans made it special in the rain. It was a dream come true. It is something I will remember forever. There are a ton of big names on this trophy.”
Cooper Dossey, two-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American out of Baylor University, was third at 15-under 265.
The top Canadian was Joey Savoie in fourth place at 14-under. Savoie won the low round trophy at Bear Mountain two years ago in the Canada Life Series tournament. The native of La Prairie, Que., out of NCAA Middle Tennessee State, represented Canada in the 2019 Lima Pan Am Games and was Canadian amateur golfer of the year in 2018 and competed in the RBC Canadian Open that year. The second overall Canadian, in a two-way tie for fifth place at 12-under, was Etienne Papineau, who grew up with Savoie on the south shore near Montreal.
“This was an amazing course with unbelievable conditions and greens that were perfect and the kind I haven’t played on in a long while,” said Papineau, the 2015 Quebec amateur champion, who played NCAA Div. 1 at West Virginia University for the Mountaineers. As with several of the Canadian golfers, Papineau caught the red-eye out of YYJ on Sunday night to be in Toronto on Monday morning for the RBC Canadian Open qualifier. That might seem like a whirlwind for the lay golfer, but that’s life in the pros.
“It makes for long days, and a lot of travel, but it’s our profession and what we choose to pursue,” he said.
Top Island golfers were Jeevan Sihota of Gorge Vale, tied for 31st at 6-under, Maxwell Sear of Royal Colwood, tied for 41st at 5-under and Riley Wheeldon of Comox, tied for 46th at 4-under. Jimmy Jones, son of the late LPGA player Dawn Coe-Jones of Lake Cowichan, was tied for 26th at 7-under. The golfers at Uplands were trying to follow in the footsteps of the likes of the top-two finishers of the last normal prepandemic Victoria Open in 2019 — both winner Paul Barjon and runner-up Doc Redman went on to the PGA Tour. They are part of a total of 54 PGA Tour Canada alumni to have advanced to play on the PGA Tour since 2013 with 16 PGA Tour victories between them.
More than 250 PGA Tour Canada alumni have gone onto play on the Korn Ferry Tour — one step from the PGA Tour — since 2013, with 50 victories between them. The golfers this season are chasing the full-season exemption into the 2023 Korn Kerry Tour for the top placer in the 2022 PGA Tour Canada Fortinet Cup season points standings, with the second-through-fifthplace finishers earning selected provisional starts on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour. The top-two season finishers, and top Canadian, on the PGA Tour Canada this year will also earn exemptions into the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
The Royal Beach Victoria Open was the opening tournament of the 11-event 2022 PGA Tour Canada season. Next up is the ATB Classic from June 16 to 19 at the Edmonton Petroleum Club.
2022: Lengthy playoff pays off for American Stevens
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
The first call Scott Stevens makes after every tournament is to his mother, Tricia, and father, David, back in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Only on Sunday he did it as tournament champion, after winning the PGA Tour Canada Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by the Times Colonist, on the third playoff hole at Uplands over fellow American Jake Knapp.
“My parents have sacrificed,” Stevens said of his golf career. “It’s lonely sometimes out here and you need the support.”
It’s part of chasing the dream. The $36,000 first-place prize was important for Stevens, but it was just another building block. The golfers at Uplands, crossing the road in the parking lot between holes, did so under a billboard featuring PGA Tour Canada alumni and current PGA Tour players Corey Conners and Tony Finau. All the current players on PGA Tour Canada hope there are bigger things in their careers.
“The money is a nice bonus but the ultimate goal is the Korn Ferry Tour and then the PGA Tour,” Stevens said. Only a few will get there, of course. But everybody playing at Uplands on Sunday was at a level — as author Roger Kahn once said about the minor pros — where you are good enough to dream. Stevens has already played in six career Korn Ferry Tour tournaments.
“The players are so good out here this week — any of the 156 starters could have won — and it’s such a fine line from here [to the Korn Ferry Tour],” said Stevens, a 2019 graduate of the NCAA Div. 1 University of South Carolina Fighting Gamecocks.
Stevens and Jake Knapp, an NCAA graduate of the UCLA Bruins who played 36 events on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, finished tied after four rounds at 16-under 264. Stevens sank a clutch putt and birdied the 18th to force the extra holes. He then birdied all three sudden-death playoff holes, and Knapp the first two, as Stevens won on the third playoff hole by one stroke as the high drama stretched into the evening.
“It was a blur, to be honest,” Stevens said. “The fans made it special in the rain. It was a dream come true. It is something I will remember forever. There are a ton of big names on this trophy.”
Cooper Dossey, two-time NCAA Div. 1 All-American out of Baylor University, was third at 15-under 265.
The top Canadian was Joey Savoie in fourth place at 14-under. Savoie won the low round trophy at Bear Mountain two years ago in the Canada Life Series tournament. The native of La Prairie, Que., out of NCAA Middle Tennessee State, represented Canada in the 2019 Lima Pan Am Games and was Canadian amateur golfer of the year in 2018 and competed in the RBC Canadian Open that year. The second overall Canadian, in a two-way tie for fifth place at 12-under, was Etienne Papineau, who grew up with Savoie on the south shore near Montreal.
“This was an amazing course with unbelievable conditions and greens that were perfect and the kind I haven’t played on in a long while,” said Papineau, the 2015 Quebec amateur champion, who played NCAA Div. 1 at West Virginia University for the Mountaineers. As with several of the Canadian golfers, Papineau caught the red-eye out of YYJ on Sunday night to be in Toronto on Monday morning for the RBC Canadian Open qualifier. That might seem like a whirlwind for the lay golfer, but that’s life in the pros.
“It makes for long days, and a lot of travel, but it’s our profession and what we choose to pursue,” he said.
Top Island golfers were Jeevan Sihota of Gorge Vale, tied for 31st at 6-under, Maxwell Sear of Royal Colwood, tied for 41st at 5-under and Riley Wheeldon of Comox, tied for 46th at 4-under. Jimmy Jones, son of the late LPGA player Dawn Coe-Jones of Lake Cowichan, was tied for 26th at 7-under. The golfers at Uplands were trying to follow in the footsteps of the likes of the top-two finishers of the last normal prepandemic Victoria Open in 2019 — both winner Paul Barjon and runner-up Doc Redman went on to the PGA Tour. They are part of a total of 54 PGA Tour Canada alumni to have advanced to play on the PGA Tour since 2013 with 16 PGA Tour victories between them.
More than 250 PGA Tour Canada alumni have gone onto play on the Korn Ferry Tour — one step from the PGA Tour — since 2013, with 50 victories between them. The golfers this season are chasing the full-season exemption into the 2023 Korn Kerry Tour for the top placer in the 2022 PGA Tour Canada Fortinet Cup season points standings, with the second-through-fifthplace finishers earning selected provisional starts on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour. The top-two season finishers, and top Canadian, on the PGA Tour Canada this year will also earn exemptions into the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
The Royal Beach Victoria Open was the opening tournament of the 11-event 2022 PGA Tour Canada season. Next up is the ATB Classic from June 16 to 19 at the Edmonton Petroleum Club.
2021: Newfoundlander Bursey fends off all comers at Uplands
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
From the rock on the East Coast to the rock on the West Coast, it was all islanders all the time at the 2021 Reliance Properties DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist. Blair Bursey from Gander, Newfoundland, won with a four round total of 10-under-par 270 at Uplands Golf Club on Sunday. One stroke behind, in a four-way tie for second place, was emerging 17-year-old Victoria teenage amateur Jeevan Sihota.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Callum Davison of Duncan finished at 7-under 273 to win the season points title on the eight-tournament Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada season. Davison, who won two tournaments this year, Bursey and Noah Steele, Brendan Leonard and Michael Blair secure their Mackenzie Tour cards for next season. Sihota, the amateur and online-schooled Grade 12 student whose NCAA Div. 1 athletic scholarship offers from big U.S. universities are piling high, will be an intriguing player to watch for in the years ahead.
But this Sunday belonged to the tournament champion from the island on Canada’s other coast. “I came from as far away as possible in Canada to here to do this,” said Bursey.
“It was a mental battle. I just had to find a way to do it. This was the largest gallery I have ever played in front of. The gallery was very polite even though you can tell they wanted hometown Jeevan [Sihota] to do well. Jeevan has a lot of talent and shows a lot of promise. Everybody can see his future is incredibly bright.”
Bursey joined some heady company. The top two finishers from the last Victoria Open pre-pandemic in 2019, winner Paul Barjon and runner-up Doc Redman, are both now on the PGA Tour. There’s nothing unusual about that. Future PGA players from Steve Stricker to Tony Finau to Mackenzie Hughes have come through the Victoria tournament since 1981.
“I hope one day to be at the highest level, but I will never forget this,” said Bursey. More than most of the golfers who performed at Uplands, he realized it’s just a game. Bursey, who played NCAA Div. 1 at Utah Valley University, survived a near-death health scare in his rookie pro season of 2018 after a bowel knot went septic and required emergency surgery to save his life.
“It’s a cliché, but it gives you a sense of perspective and orders the right priorities,” said Bursey. “It happened very quickly and was a difficult time in my life. I was lucky to be in Canada [hometown of Gander] at the time. I try to flip it around and use it as a positive. I’m grateful every day and feel I got a second chance at life. Hopefully, I do something with the rest of my days.”
Bursey won $18,000 for the victory. The prize purse was reduced to $100,000 this year due to the pandemic. It will return to its normal $200,000 level next year, with $36,000 going to the winner.
“I’m not doing it for the money. But it certainly helps,” said Bursey. Sihota, meanwhile, could not accept a paycheque because he is an amateur. But he played the hometown hero to a tee, even though falling one shot short. “I can’t describe the gallery. It was awesome,” said Sihota, who tied for sixth place in his first golf tournament against professionals two weeks ago in Calgary. “I will keep grinding away. I know now I’ve got the game to compete with the pros, and that’s nice to know.”
Season-champion Davison is another young Islander on the rise. “This gives me a boost of confidence into next year,” said the Cowichan Golf Club member. Forced by the pandemic, this is the second to latest date the Victoria Open has been held since its inception in 1981 and the latest since Craig Stadler won in October of 1984 at Uplands. The tournament will revert to its regular first week of June time slot in 2022.
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada leads to the Korn Ferry Tour, which leads to the PGA Tour.
CHIP SHOTS: The Reliance Properties DCBank Open has a significant charity component and $100,000 was raised over the weekend for the Salvation Army in Victoria.
2021: Newfoundlander Bursey fends off all comers at Uplands
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
From the rock on the East Coast to the rock on the West Coast, it was all islanders all the time at the 2021 Reliance Properties DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist. Blair Bursey from Gander, Newfoundland, won with a four round total of 10-under-par 270 at Uplands Golf Club on Sunday. One stroke behind, in a four-way tie for second place, was emerging 17-year-old Victoria teenage amateur Jeevan Sihota.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Callum Davison of Duncan finished at 7-under 273 to win the season points title on the eight-tournament Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada season. Davison, who won two tournaments this year, Bursey and Noah Steele, Brendan Leonard and Michael Blair secure their Mackenzie Tour cards for next season. Sihota, the amateur and online-schooled Grade 12 student whose NCAA Div. 1 athletic scholarship offers from big U.S. universities are piling high, will be an intriguing player to watch for in the years ahead.
But this Sunday belonged to the tournament champion from the island on Canada’s other coast. “I came from as far away as possible in Canada to here to do this,” said Bursey.
“It was a mental battle. I just had to find a way to do it. This was the largest gallery I have ever played in front of. The gallery was very polite even though you can tell they wanted hometown Jeevan [Sihota] to do well. Jeevan has a lot of talent and shows a lot of promise. Everybody can see his future is incredibly bright.”
Bursey joined some heady company. The top two finishers from the last Victoria Open pre-pandemic in 2019, winner Paul Barjon and runner-up Doc Redman, are both now on the PGA Tour. There’s nothing unusual about that. Future PGA players from Steve Stricker to Tony Finau to Mackenzie Hughes have come through the Victoria tournament since 1981.
“I hope one day to be at the highest level, but I will never forget this,” said Bursey. More than most of the golfers who performed at Uplands, he realized it’s just a game. Bursey, who played NCAA Div. 1 at Utah Valley University, survived a near-death health scare in his rookie pro season of 2018 after a bowel knot went septic and required emergency surgery to save his life.
“It’s a cliché, but it gives you a sense of perspective and orders the right priorities,” said Bursey. “It happened very quickly and was a difficult time in my life. I was lucky to be in Canada [hometown of Gander] at the time. I try to flip it around and use it as a positive. I’m grateful every day and feel I got a second chance at life. Hopefully, I do something with the rest of my days.”
Bursey won $18,000 for the victory. The prize purse was reduced to $100,000 this year due to the pandemic. It will return to its normal $200,000 level next year, with $36,000 going to the winner.
“I’m not doing it for the money. But it certainly helps,” said Bursey. Sihota, meanwhile, could not accept a paycheque because he is an amateur. But he played the hometown hero to a tee, even though falling one shot short. “I can’t describe the gallery. It was awesome,” said Sihota, who tied for sixth place in his first golf tournament against professionals two weeks ago in Calgary. “I will keep grinding away. I know now I’ve got the game to compete with the pros, and that’s nice to know.”
Season-champion Davison is another young Islander on the rise. “This gives me a boost of confidence into next year,” said the Cowichan Golf Club member. Forced by the pandemic, this is the second to latest date the Victoria Open has been held since its inception in 1981 and the latest since Craig Stadler won in October of 1984 at Uplands. The tournament will revert to its regular first week of June time slot in 2022.
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada leads to the Korn Ferry Tour, which leads to the PGA Tour.
CHIP SHOTS: The Reliance Properties DCBank Open has a significant charity component and $100,000 was raised over the weekend for the Salvation Army in Victoria.
Barjon sizzles on Sunday at Bayview Place DCBank Open
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
From deep in the South Pacific to southern Ontario via Uplands. With a big cheque in hand. Frenchman Paul Barjon won the 37th Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist, plus the $36,000 winner’s purse and berth into the PGA Tour Cana-dian Open this week in Hamilton, which came with the title. “It’s great to get an opportunity to play on the PGA Tour against the best players in the world and I am looking forward to it,” he said. Barjon was raised playing on the public course in the far-flung French-administered protectorate of New Caledonia, which is about 1,200 kilometres off Australia, and a moonshot away from France. He shot a final-round 65 on Sunday to finish with a four-round total of 19-under 261 at Uplands to best American Doc Redman by one stroke in the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event. Redman, out of NCAA Clemson, played in the 2018 Masters thanks to his 2017 U.S. Amateur title. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina, led or shared the lead through the first three rounds but shot a 68 Sunday to finish at 18-under 262. “It feels good but I’m still in shock,” said Barjon. “It was a great match with Doc. I had a great eagle on the 12th hole and that put me in front.” The two leaders were followed by a large gallery all day at Uplands.
“The crowd was pretty intense,” said the 26-year-old Barjon. “Walking down the fairway gave me a taste of the PGA Tour.” That is something Barjon will experience this week at Hamilton in the 2019 Canadian Open. It’s all part of the trajectory. “No hard feelings, but I won’t be back here any time soon,” he quipped, despite expressing love for the Victoria tournament. Moving on is the whole idea in the pro golf ladder. The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada leads to the Web.com Tour, which in turn leads to the PGA Tour.
The Order of Merit season champion on the Mackenzie Tour will gain a 2020 season exemption on Web.com Tour, which is one step from the PGA Tour. The next four in the overall standings will earn conditional status on the Web.com Tour, while sixth through 10th will gain exemptions to the final round of the Web.com qualifying school and 11th through 25th a bye into the second round of the Web.com Q-School. Barjon now leads the Order of Merit race with $43,200 in winnings after two events. Since 2013, when the Canadian Tour became the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, numerous players from the Victoria tournament have gone on to the PGA Tour, including seven PGA Tour tournament winners in Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor, Aaron Wise, Adam Long, Corey Conners and C.T. Pan. Barjon and Redman hope to one day join that group. They went at each other like two heavyweight boxers Sunday, exchanging metaphorical blows all over the course. “Paul played great … with no bogeys on the day,” said Redman. So instead of cruising into the opening round of the Canadian Open on Thursday, Redman suddenly had to ready himself to catch a red-eye flight in order to try to Monday qualify in Hamilton. Top Canadian at Uplands was Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., at 10-under 270 for a three-way 10th place tie. “Victoria is one of my favourite spots in Canada and I love playing here,” said Pendrith. Like many in the Bayview Place tournament, Pendrith said he also will be catching a red-eye into Toronto and then driving down to Hamilton for Monday qualifying in the hopes of getting into the Canadian Open, which no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher of Victoria in 1954. Jimmy Jones, son of the late Canadian women’s golf ground-breaker and LPGA player Dawn-Coe Jones of Lake Cowichan, was popularly followed by galleries all week and finished tied for 33rd at 3-under 277. Two golfers who qualified out of the Island Bayview Place Performance Tour made the cut with Evan Holmes finishing 5-under 275 for a 23rd-place tie and 59-year-old European, Asian, PGA and Champions tour veteran Jim Rutledge at 1-under 279 for a 46th-place tie. “I didn’t hit my targets today,” said Rutledge, of his final-round 73, on his home course. “But this is the event of the year for these kids [on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada] and overall one of their favourite weeks. I hope they keep this tournament going.” Ken and Patricia Mariash of Bayview Place, the main sponsors of the tournament, were unable to attend Sunday but released a statement that read in part: “We believe in and love this tournament and the community.” Meanwhile, $194,000 was raised for youth mental health during the week by the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island, which was the official charity of the tournament.
Barjon sizzles on Sunday at Bayview Place DCBank Open
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
From deep in the South Pacific to southern Ontario via Uplands. With a big cheque in hand. Frenchman Paul Barjon won the 37th Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist, plus the $36,000 winner’s purse and berth into the PGA Tour Cana-dian Open this week in Hamilton, which came with the title. “It’s great to get an opportunity to play on the PGA Tour against the best players in the world and I am looking forward to it,” he said. Barjon was raised playing on the public course in the far-flung French-administered protectorate of New Caledonia, which is about 1,200 kilometres off Australia, and a moonshot away from France. He shot a final-round 65 on Sunday to finish with a four-round total of 19-under 261 at Uplands to best American Doc Redman by one stroke in the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event. Redman, out of NCAA Clemson, played in the 2018 Masters thanks to his 2017 U.S. Amateur title. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina, led or shared the lead through the first three rounds but shot a 68 Sunday to finish at 18-under 262. “It feels good but I’m still in shock,” said Barjon. “It was a great match with Doc. I had a great eagle on the 12th hole and that put me in front.” The two leaders were followed by a large gallery all day at Uplands.
“The crowd was pretty intense,” said the 26-year-old Barjon. “Walking down the fairway gave me a taste of the PGA Tour.” That is something Barjon will experience this week at Hamilton in the 2019 Canadian Open. It’s all part of the trajectory. “No hard feelings, but I won’t be back here any time soon,” he quipped, despite expressing love for the Victoria tournament. Moving on is the whole idea in the pro golf ladder. The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada leads to the Web.com Tour, which in turn leads to the PGA Tour.
The Order of Merit season champion on the Mackenzie Tour will gain a 2020 season exemption on Web.com Tour, which is one step from the PGA Tour. The next four in the overall standings will earn conditional status on the Web.com Tour, while sixth through 10th will gain exemptions to the final round of the Web.com qualifying school and 11th through 25th a bye into the second round of the Web.com Q-School. Barjon now leads the Order of Merit race with $43,200 in winnings after two events. Since 2013, when the Canadian Tour became the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, numerous play-ers from the Victoria tournament have gone on to the PGA Tour, including seven PGA Tour tourna-ment winners in Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor, Aaron Wise, Adam Long, Corey Conners and C.T. Pan. Barjon and Redman hope to one day join that group. They went at each other like two heavyweight boxers Sunday, exchanging metaphorical blows all over the course. “Paul played great … with no bogeys on the day,” said Redman. So instead of cruising into the opening round of the Canadian Open on Thursday, Redman suddenly had to ready himself to catch a red-eye flight in order to try to Monday qualify in Hamilton. Top Canadian at Uplands was Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., at 10-under 270 for a three-way 10th place tie. “Victoria is one of my favourite spots in Canada and I love playing here,” said Pendrith. Like many in the Bayview Place tournament, Pendrith said he also will be catching a red-eye into Toronto and then driving down to Hamilton for Monday qualifying in the hopes of getting into the Canadian Open, which no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher of Victoria in 1954. Jimmy Jones, son of the late Canadian women’s golf ground-breaker and LPGA player Dawn-Coe Jones of Lake Cowichan, was popularly followed by galleries all week and finished tied for 33rd at 3-under 277. Two golfers who qualified out of the Island Bayview Place Per-formance Tour made the cut with Evan Holmes finishing 5-under 275 for a 23rd-place tie and 59-year-old European, Asian, PGA and Champions tour veteran Jim Rutledge at 1-under 279 for a 46th-place tie. “I didn’t hit my targets today,” said Rutledge, of his final-round 73, on his home course. “But this is the event of the year for these kids [on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada] and overall one of their favourite weeks. I hope they keep this tournament going.” Ken and Patricia Mariash of Bayview Place, the main sponsors of the tournament, were unable to attend Sunday but released a statement that read in part: “We believe in and love this tournament and the community.” Meanwhile, $194,000 was raised for youth mental health during the week by the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island, which wass the official charity of the tournament.
Fidone runs away with Bayview Place DCBank Open title
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
Walking down to the final hole on the final day in the final group is what it’s all about in golf. “Coming down the 18th to the green, with people lining the fairway, it felt [PGA] Tour-like,” said Sam Fidone
That was certainly a moment to savour as Fidone won the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist at Uplands Golf Club to become the 36th champion of the oldest event on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada. The native of Lufkin, Texas, won going away in carding a 5-under 65 in the fourth round Sunday to win the $36,000 first prize at 19-under-par 261, which was five strokes clear of second-place Blake Sattler of Dover, Ohio. “We’re all here to get to the next level, which is the Web.com Tour, and one day the PGA Tour,” said the 25-year-old Fidone.
That’s the idea. Since 2013, when the Canadian Tour became the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, 20 players from the Victoria tournament have gone onto the PGA Tour, including PGA Tour event winners Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes, Tony Finau and Aaron Wise.
Last year’s Victoria winner, Max Rottluff of Dusseldorf, Germany, is now on the Web.com Tour. In a bit of added serendipity, Chase Wright, who played last year in the Bayview Place Victoria tournament, won the Web.com Tour’s Rust-Oleum tournament on Sunday in Illinois to take another step closer to earning his PGA Tour card. That was not lost on anybody who played at Uplands over the last week.
“I feel I’m on the right trajectory,” said Fidone. I’m more mature with my decisions now every time I step up to the tee.”
Fidone came out of NCAA Southern Methodist and began his pro quest with two seasons on the PGA Tour Latinamerica, winning the 2016 Honduras Open, before taking medallist honours in the first of five qualifying tournaments this year to earn exemption for the entire 2018 Mackenzie Tour season.
Fidone took a two-shot lead into the final round and steadily increased it throughout Sunday. “On the 12th is when I knew I had control,” he said. It was one of those days when there was going to be no question about the outcome. “I woke up in the morning and felt very confident and strong going into the day,” said Fidone.
All that runner-up Sattler could do was sit back and enjoy the Fidone show, like everybody else at Uplands. “With [Fidone] up six with six-seven holes to go, you knew you were playing for second,” said Sattler, the 34-year-old, who is out there still plugging away on his dreams of the higher levels. “I had a slow start but I battled over the last 12 holes and put up a good fight to the end.”
Emerging Canadian player Jared du Toit, alone in third and within striking distance at three back after three rounds, had a free-fall Sunday to 23rd spot after carding 5-over 75 to finish at 6-under 274. “It sucks. It was a tough day, obviously, and not fun at all,” said the 23-year-old from Kimberley. “I want to remember how this feels so I can avoid feeling like this again.” He’s going to be a good one, regardless of Sunday’s meltdown.
Last week, at the Golf Canada national training centre on Bear Mountain, du Toit was named to the Team Canada Young Pros squad with Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., the latter who also finished tied for 23rd at Uplands at 274. The top Canadian was somebody at the other end of the career spectrum. Forty-two-year-old veteran Wes Heffernan of Calgary, who has twice played in the U.S. Open and made the cut in 2011, was tied for sixth place with a four-round total of 11-under 269. The personable Heffernan takes it as it comes these days.
“I’m not full time but still grinding it out,” he said.
“I will definitely play Calgary [ATB Financial Classic in August] and see if there’s a few more in me, also,” he said, of his plans for the rest of the 2018 Mackenzie Tour. Hefferman’s result was well received at Uplands. “Victoria has always been a great tournament for me. I’ve been in contention here lots in the past. It’s nice to feel that support.”
Riley Wheeldon of Comox, top Canadian and 10th overall last week in the season-opening tournament at Point Grey, was tied for 37th at 4-under 276. Top amateur was Kevin Carrigan of Royal Colwood, tied for 60th at 1-over 281, which is where host Uplands club-champion Jake DuVall also finished.
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada continues with the GolfBC Championship, from Thursday to Sunday at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna.
Fidone runs away with Bayview Place DCBank Open title
Cleve Dheensaw ~ Times Colonist
Walking down to the final hole on the final day in the final group is what it’s all about in golf. “Coming down the 18th to the green, with people lining the fairway, it felt [PGA] Tour-like,” said Sam Fidone
That was certainly a moment to savour as Fidone won the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist at Uplands Golf Club to become the 36th champion of the oldest event on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada. The native of Lufkin, Texas, won going away in carding a 5-under 65 in the fourth round Sunday to win the $36,000 first prize at 19-under-par 261, which was five strokes clear of second-place Blake Sattler of Dover, Ohio. “We’re all here to get to the next level, which is the Web.com Tour, and one day the PGA Tour,” said the 25-year-old Fidone.
That’s the idea. Since 2013, when the Canadian Tour became the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, 20 players from the Victoria tournament have gone onto the PGA Tour, including PGA Tour event winners Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes, Tony Finau and Aaron Wise.
Last year’s Victoria winner, Max Rottluff of Dusseldorf, Germany, is now on the Web.com Tour. In a bit of added serendipity, Chase Wright, who played last year in the Bayview Place Victoria tournament, won the Web.com Tour’s Rust-Oleum tournament on Sunday in Illinois to take another step closer to earning his PGA Tour card. That was not lost on anybody who played at Uplands over the last week.
“I feel I’m on the right trajectory,” said Fidone. I’m more mature with my decisions now every time I step up to the tee.”
Fidone came out of NCAA Southern Methodist and began his pro quest with two seasons on the PGA Tour Latinamerica, winning the 2016 Honduras Open, before taking medallist honours in the first of five qualifying tournaments this year to earn exemption for the entire 2018 Mackenzie Tour season.
Fidone took a two-shot lead into the final round and steadily increased it throughout Sunday. “On the 12th is when I knew I had control,” he said. It was one of those days when there was going to be no question about the outcome. “I woke up in the morning and felt very confident and strong going into the day,” said Fidone.
All that runner-up Sattler could do was sit back and enjoy the Fidone show, like everybody else at Uplands. “With [Fidone] up six with six-seven holes to go, you knew you were playing for second,” said Sattler, the 34-year-old, who is out there still plugging away on his dreams of the higher levels. “I had a slow start but I battled over the last 12 holes and put up a good fight to the end.”
Emerging Canadian player Jared du Toit, alone in third and within striking distance at three back after three rounds, had a free-fall Sunday to 23rd spot after carding 5-over 75 to finish at 6-under 274. “It sucks. It was a tough day, obviously, and not fun at all,” said the 23-year-old from Kimberley. “I want to remember how this feels so I can avoid feeling like this again.” He’s going to be a good one, regardless of Sunday’s meltdown.
Last week, at the Golf Canada national training centre on Bear Mountain, du Toit was named to the Team Canada Young Pros squad with Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., the latter who also finished tied for 23rd at Uplands at 274. The top Canadian was somebody at the other end of the career spectrum. Forty-two-year-old veteran Wes Heffernan of Calgary, who has twice played in the U.S. Open and made the cut in 2011, was tied for sixth place with a four-round total of 11-under 269. The personable Heffernan takes it as it comes these days.
“I’m not full time but still grinding it out,” he said.
“I will definitely play Calgary [ATB Financial Classic in August] and see if there’s a few more in me, also,” he said, of his plans for the rest of the 2018 Mackenzie Tour. Hefferman’s result was well received at Uplands. “Victoria has always been a great tournament for me. I’ve been in contention here lots in the past. It’s nice to feel that support.”
Riley Wheeldon of Comox, top Canadian and 10th overall last week in the season-opening tournament at Point Grey, was tied for 37th at 4-under 276. Top amateur was Kevin Carrigan of Royal Colwood, tied for 60th at 1-over 281, which is where host Uplands club-champion Jake DuVall also finished.
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada continues with the GolfBC Championship, from Thursday to Sunday at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna.
Bayview Place & DCBanks Confirm Commitment to Victoria’s Golf Community
February 15, 2018
Ken and Patricia Mariash of Bayview Place and Jeff Smith of DCBank have joined together and pledged their continued support for the 2018 Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist.
The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada event will hold its 36th playing this year at Uplands Golf Club from June 3-10 with an increased $200,000 purse as some of the world’s top up-and-coming players look to take the next step towards the PGA TOUR.
“Patricia and I are pleased to once again be sponsoring this major event in Canada’s home of golf. We’re proud to be involved not only with the main tournament, but also the Bayview Place Junior Vikes Development Clinics along with the Bayview Place Vikes Performance Tour which sees local pros and amateurs compete for a spot in the tournament,” said Ken Mariash. “We look forward to working with organizers to engage with our local golf and business communities for support over the next few months to ensure the overall event sees the success it deserves.”“We’re so pleased to be participating in this wonderful event alongside Ken and Patty Mariash and Bayview Place,” said DCBank President and CEO Jeffrey J. Smith. “The tradition of this event has made it a highlight on the calendar in Victoria each year and we look forward to being a partner in the tournament’s exciting next chapter.”
“With a history and tradition that stretches back nearly four decades, the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist is one of the most storied professional golf events in Canada. Each year, Mackenzie Tour players and their families embrace the event’s warm hospitality and Victoria’s wonderful atmosphere,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “We’re thrilled to have the support of Bayview Place and DCBank along with the Victoria Times Colonist and look forward to working with everyone involved as the event continues to make a positive impact in the community.”
In support of golf development in our community and to add a local flavor to the event, Bayview Place will also sponsor the Bayview Place Vikes Performance Tour, which is open to amateur and professional golfers who will play for 12 weeks starting Sunday, February 18 at Cordova Bay and concluding Tuesday, June 4 at Uplands Golf Club. The top three players from the Tour will receive sponsor exemptions into the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist. Cash prizes will also be available each week. Jason Giesbrecht of Royal Colwood Golf and Country Club and Jeff Palmer of Highland Pacific Golf Club will operate the Tour.
In addition, with a commitment to youth in the sport, the Bayview Place Junior Vikes Development Clinics will engage approximately 400 boys and girls who will take lessons and play each other through the summer.
“We are excited to see the 2018 Bayview Place Vikes Performance Tour build on the great success from last year. The opportunity to showcase Victoria’s finest players through this tour, and ultimately the Bayview Place DCBank Open, is something we believe is profoundly important to furthering competitive golf in our community,” “This tour is a significant investment in the game and we are extremely grateful this partnership has provided the game of golf in Victoria.” said Giesbrecht and Palmer jointly.