Today’s up-and-comers tomorrow’s PGA regulars

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2024 (406 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no Scheffler, Schauffele, Mcllroy or Matsuyama in the field. In that sense, you’ll be searching long and hard to find many household names this week at the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open.

But make no mistake: The pros who will be teeing it up at Southwood Golf & Country Club starting on Thursday are on the cusp of a career breakthrough and potentially becoming “the next big thing” on a much bigger stage.

“These players are some of the top up-and-coming players in the world and they’re going to be on the PGA Tour in a matter of years, if not sooner,” Scott Pritchard, the vice-president of PGA Tour Americas, said Tuesday at the launch for one of the oldest tournaments in North America, which first began in 1919.

For Exhibit A, look at last year’s champion, Hayden Springer. The 27-year-old Texan has gone from grinding it out in the Great White North to full-time member on the PGA Tour in the blink of an eye. Springer, who shot a 59 earlier this season at the John Deere Classic, has earned US$825,940 in 2024 including a trio of top-10 finishes.

“The rapid progression of Hayden is something we haven’t seen before, and that’s a testament to him and his skill level,” said Pritchard. “But I think you’re going to start seeing players get to the PGA Tour in an even quicker fashion.”

Springer has plenty of company. Parker Coody, who won the Manitoba Open in 2022, is also a PGA Tour regular, and other recent winners such as Tyler McCumber (2018) and C.T. Pan (2015) have played in multiple events.

It’s gone through a few name changes — from the Mackenzie Tour to PGA Tour Canada to the current PGA Tour Americas brand — but the end game remains the same: Provide an outlet for some of the best up-and-coming players in the sport to sharpen their skills and hopefully take the next step.

So who will have put their name on the map when the action concludes at the links-style St. Norbert track on Sunday afternoon and the purse of US$225,000 is paid out, with US$40,500 going to the champ.

The top 12 money winners through the 2024 season — and 18 of the top 20 — are all competing this week. That should make for stiff competition considering there are only two tournaments left after this and the Top 10 in the final Fortinet Cup standings get their Korn Ferry Tour Cards for next year, which takes them one step closer to the ultimate goal.

The list includes four Canadians: Money-leader Matthew Anderson of Ontario, No. 9 Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver, No. 14 A.J. Ewart of British Columbia (who got his first win last weekend in Saskatchewan) and No. 18 Joey Savoie of Quebec.

Perhaps one or more of them are going to be the next Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, MacKenzie Hughes or Taylor Pendrith, who all cut their teeth around here, too. A Canadian hasn’t won the Manitoba Open since Graham DeLaet did it in 2009.

If you’re looking for truly local flavour, a pair of sponsor’s exemptions are worth keeping an eye on.

Winnipeg’s Braxton Kuntz is having memorable summer which includes winning a record-breaking fourth straight Manitoba Amateur and then placing third earlier this month in the Canadian Amateur. The 20-year-old, who is headed back for his senior season of college in Indiana and plans to turn pro next spring, is the youngest player in the tournament.

The Breezy Bend member is hoping third time will be the charm, having missed the cut in his first two cracks at the pro level.

“If I look back over the last couple years, I just got a little sloppy,” said Kuntz.

“I think the birdies have been there. That’s a good thing. I’m not struggling to get under par. But it’s the bogeys and those little mistakes that these guys out here are more polished and don’t make them. I think I’ve got a lot more experience under my belt now, more years in college, playing more courses like this that are long. I’m looking just to keep more of a clean scorecard this year.”

Dylan Samberg is the latest member of the Winnipeg Jets to take a swing at the professional golf life, at least for a couple days. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and, most recently, Morgan Barron have previously teed it up.

“I finally got a golf membership this year, so I found some time to play a bit more golf, which was good,” said Samberg, whose busy offseason has also included getting married at home in Minnesota. “I’ve been trying to prepare as much as possible for this.”

Although Samberg has played Southwood about a dozen times, this will be his first experience “from the tips.”

“It should be fun. I’m just looking to enjoy it. Driving in here it’s pretty cool to see all the grandstands and everything,” said Samberg. “I’m excited to see the atmosphere. It should be a fun, fun week.”

He’s not under any illusions of making the cut, but hopes to at least have some bragging rights within the Jets room by bettering the previous performances of his teammates. Scheifele is the clubhouse leader at 18-over par after shooting 78-84 in 2022. Barron (80-86) was 22-over last year, while Connor (94-90) was 40-over in 2019.

“If I don’t beat them, I’m sure I’ll hear about it all year,” said Samberg, who believes his short game is his best weapon on the course.

“I’m excited to talk to a lot of the pros and see what it’s like from a pro sports perspective.”

This year’s 156-player field has more international flavour, thanks to the merger between what was PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamérica to form the new PGA Tour Americas. The result was a 16-tournament circuit — the first six in Latin America, the final 10 in North America.

While Americans (102) form the majority of players, with Canadians (21) a distant second, 19 other countries are represented this week: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand. Scotland and South Africa.

“It’s been tremendous,” said Pritchard. “These are countries (in Latin America) that are investing in the future of the game, trying to develop players in their respective markets. It’s definitely a diverse make-up of players from around the world.”

The tournament begins at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, with the field cut down to the top 60 and ties following 36-holes. Tickets are available at www.manitobaopen.com, with the True North Youth Foundation being the charitable arm of the event.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg