Ontario Open Woodington Lake GC

Goodwin runs away with wire-to-wire Ontario Open win

Final Results

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open

Woodington Lake Golf Club (Legend Course)

Tottenham, Ontario, Canada

July 31, 2022

Full Leaderboard

PGA TOUR Canada Media Site

theontarioopen.com

Contact: Jay Fawler, PGA TOUR Canada Communications, (519) 817-7336, jayfawler@pgatourintl.ca

Sara Wright, PGA TOUR Communications, 719-310-2606, sarawright@pgatourhq.com

Pos.PlayerScoresFortinet Cup Pos.
1Noah Goodwin (U.S.)64-68-68-67—267 (17-under)4
T2Lee Detmer (U.S.)71-67-68-68—274 (10-under)14
T2Cameron Sisk (U.S.)71-68-65-70—274 (10-under)12
T2Thomas Walsh (U.S.)70-70-67-67—274 (10-under)23
T5Ian Holt (U.S.)73-69-69-64—275 (9-under)13
T5Trent Phillips (U.S.)72-71-64-68—275 (9-under)10
T5Danny Walker (U.S.)67-72-69-67—204 (9-under)1
T8Blake Hathcoat (U.S.)71-66-69-70—276 (8-under)37
T8Dylan Meyer (U.S.)67-70-68-71—276 (8-under)53
T8Easton Paxton (U.S.)70-71-67-68—276 (8-under)47

TOTTENHAM, Ontario—Noah Goodwin stood tall Sunday at the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open. Actually, he towered above the competition in all four rounds of the PGA TOUR Canada event to capture his first professional victory. The rookie did so in impressive fashion, finishing 17-under and winning by seven shots. He also jumped into the top five in the Fortinet Cup standings, improving 89 positions, into the No. 4 slot.

“It’s still sinking in right now. It was just kind of one of those days everything fell into place. I wouldn’t change anything about it,” Goodwin said. “The stars aligned for me this week.”

Goodwin’s margin of victory was the largest on the Canadian circuit since current PGA TOUR player Taylor Pendrith rolled to an eight-shot triumph over Kyle Mueller at the 2019 Quebec Open.

“I was just able to stay patient and give myself chances,” Goodwin said. “I wasn’t trying to force anything or get too fancy—just played some consistent golf.”

Diagnosed with a growth-hormone deficiency as a child, doctors told Goodwin he wouldn’t grow to be very big. That led to his focus on golf. The 22-year-old, 5-foot-9 155-pounder was more than big enough to post the wire-to-wire tournament title. The Texan topped the leaderboard all four days at the Woodington Lake Golf Club, becoming the first to do so on PGA TOUR Canada since Robby Shelton won the GolfBC Championship in 2017.

Goodwin’s final round featured highs and lows. Armed with a three-stroke lead when the day began, he birdied the first hole. Trouble, however, came shortly thereafter with bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6.

The response was swift and decisive. Goodwin turned things around with birdies on the next two holes and an eagle on No. 9. He moved to 17-under with a birdie on the 11th hole, extending his lead to seven.

“I was able to regroup. I came to terms with everything,” Goodwin said of his stumble midway through his opening nine. “I knew I had a game plan that was going to work, and it had been working. I just needed to kind of re-center myself with that.”

It more than sealed the deal. No serious challenges followed as he claimed the 500 Fortinet Cup points and the $36,000 paycheck. Goodwin moved to No. 4 in the Fortinet Cup standings.

Goodwin said it “was just a beautiful day out there.” Made even more memorable with his father carrying the bag.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without him,” noted Goodwin.

Lee Detmer, Cameron Sisk and Thomas Walsh tied for second, at 10-under.

“Overall it was a solid week. I have a lot to build off. Knowing I had a lot left in the tank is a really good sign,” Sisk said. “I struck it well, not as well as I can. I just didn’t make too many momentum putts that you need to make to put yourself in contention.”

Ian Holt, Trent Phillips and Danny Walker shared fifth place, at 9-under. Another group—Blake Hathcoat, Dylan Meyer and Easton Paxton—tied for eighth, at 8-under.

PGA TOUR Canada heads to Blainville, Quebec, next week. The Quebec Open begins Thursday and concludes Sunday at the Club de Golf Le Blainville.

Did you know tournament champion Noah Goodwin just turned pro in June? The former Southern Methodist standout was 12th in the final PGA TOUR University Global Velocity Ranking to earn his playing privileges. As a hedge to that ranking, he played in the Qualifying Tournament in mid-April at The Wigwam in suburban Phoenix. There, he earned his playing privileges by tying for fifth and was also the low amateur that week.

Key information

How the Canadians fared

Brendan MacDougall of Hamilton, Ontario, topped nine others for the best finish for Canada among the 10 golfers who made the cut and played Saturday and Sunday. MacDougall tied for 11th.

Pos.PlayerScore
T11Brendan MacDougall71-67-69-70—277 (7-under)
T18Jared du Toit67-71-67-73—278 (6-under)
T23Etienne Papineau72-69-68–70—279 (5-under)
T28Myles Creighton71-71-69-69—280 (4-under)
T36Drew Nesbitt71-72-71-67—281 (3-under)
T46Blair Hamilton72-71-72-68—283 (1-under)
T55Wil Bateman72-71-73-68—284 (Even)
T58Branson Ferrier69-67-73-76—285 (1-over)
T60Peyton Callens (a)70-67-76-73—286 (2-over)
T60Jimmy Jones71-71-72-72—286 (2-over)

Fortinet Cup Standings

Danny Walker’s tie for fifth was good enough to keep him atop the Fortinet Cup standings for a second consecutive week. The top five spots are held by this season’s tournament winners.

RankPlayerPointsThis Week’s Finish
1Danny Walker (U.S.)720T5
2Brian Carlson (U.S.)620T11
3Wil Bateman (Canada)597T55
4Noah Goodwin (U.S.)520Won
5Scott Stevens (U.S.)519Missed Cut
6Cooper Musselman (U.S.)418Missed Cut
7Joe Highsmith (U.S.)404T28
8Cooper Dossey (U.S.)37771
9Jake Knapp (U.S.)369T60
10Trent Phillips (U.S.)338T5

The last wire-to-wire PGA TOUR Canada winner was Robby Shelton at the 2017 GolfBC Championship in Kelowna, British Columbia. Shelton, a current Korn Ferry Tour member, opened with an 8-under 63 and followed with scores of 68-65-69 to lead after every round on his way to a one-stroke victory over Cody BlickJohnny Ruiz and Adam Webb.

Along with winner Noah Goodwin, two other PGA TOUR University alums finished in the top 10. Cameron Sisk (Arizona State) tied for second, while Trent Phillips (Georgia) tied for fourth.

This week, Mike Van Sickle made his first PGA TOUR Canada start since 2016’s Niagara Championship, where he tied for 46th down the road in Fort Erie, Ontario. Van Sickle, a Monday qualifier, rebounded from an opening, 4-over 75 with scores of 67-70-66 over his final 54 holes. Van Sickle tied for 18th, a finish that earned him an invite to next week’s Quebec Open.

Sunday’s top climber was Ian Holt. He shot a 64 to move up 29 positions and into a tie for fifth at 9-under. Thomas Hutchison fired a 66 to rise 25 spots up the board. He finished 5-under and tied for 25th.

Noah Goodwin is the fifth PGA TOUR Canada winner in five tournaments played this season. The previous four champs all played in the Ontario Open. Danny Walker (Osprey Valley Open winner), Brian Carlson (Prince Edward Island Open winner) and Wil Bateman (ATB Classic winner) made the cut, while Scott Stevens (Royal Beach Victoria Open winner) did not. Walker finished at 9-under. Carlson and Bateman wound up 7-under and even-par, respectively.

Mike Van Sickle (6-under) and Branson Ferrier (1-over) were the only Monday qualifiers to make the cut. Thus far, nine of 40 qualifiers have made it to the weekend this season.

Peyton Callens, the lone amateur to make the cut, finished at 2-over. The University of Nevada star, who is from Langton, Ontario, earned All-Mountain West Conference honors as a senior and still has a year of eligibility remaining.

Quotable

“I finally just let myself kind of relax and trust in my game.” — Noah Goodwin

“Every shot coming down the stretch when you’re in contention is huge. Especially when it comes to money and the points.” — Cameron Sisk

“SMU. I’m so thankful for them. All my teammates and everybody who pushed me to be better and helped me along the way. They’re my closest friends or my brothers. I wouldn’t be here without them pretty much.” — Noah Goodwin on what his college experience meant to his career development

“That’s kind of what Sundays do to people. It’s a lot of pressure. Every stroke counts.” — Cameron Sisk

“Golf is hard. We’ve picked a crazy sport to play that isn’t the most rewarding most of the time.” — Noah Goodwin

 Final-Round Weather Report: Mostly sunny and warm. High of 28. Wind variable at 6-9 kph.

Ontario Open Woodington Lake GC

Goodwin in position for a wire-to-wire win at Ontario Open

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open

Woodington Lake Golf Club (Legend Course)
Tottenham, Ontario, Canada
July 30, 2022

Full Leaderboard

PGA TOUR Canada Media Site

www.theontarioopen.com

Contact: Jay Fowler, PGA TOUR Canada Communications, (519) 817-7336, jayfawler@pgatourintl.ca

Laury Livsey, PGA TOUR Communications, 904-525-5538, laurylivsey@pgatourhq.com

Pos.PlayerScoresFortinet Cup Pos.
1Noah Goodwin (U.S.)64-68-68—200 (13-under)T93
2Luke Schniederjans (U.S.)68-72-63—203 (10-under)34
3Cameron Sisk (U.S.)71-68-65—204 (9-under)51
T4Justin Doeden (U.S.)70-66-69—205 (8-under)54
T4Jared du Toit (Canada)67-71-67—205 (8-under)T66
T4Blake Dyer (U.S.)69-68-68—205 (8-under)87
T4Dylan Meyer (U.S.)67-70-68—205 (8-under)
T4Jacob Solomon (U.S.)71-71-63—205 (8-under)18
T9Patrick Cover (U.S.)70-67-69—206 (7-under)
T9Lee Detmer (U.S.)71-67-68—206 (7-under)T60
T9Alex Fitzpatrick (England)66-69-71—206 (7-under)126
T9Blake Hathcoat (U.S.)71-66-69—206 (7-under)73
T9Samuel Saunders (U.S.)69-69-68—206 (7-under)95

 
TOTTENHAM, Ontario—Just when it looked like things were tightening up at the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open, Noah Goodwin made an eagle to regain some separation. He leads Luke Schniederjans by three shots.

After having his lead cut to a single stroke, the 22-year-old Texan drained a 13-foot putt for a 3 on the par-5 17th hole to garner some breathing room in his bid to win the PGA TOUR Canada event at the Woodington Lake Golf Club. Should he do so, Goodwin would also become the season’s first tournament champion to hold leads after all four rounds. The PGA TOUR University alum out of Southern Methodist opened with a 64 and followed with two 68s.

Goodwin said he just kept giving himself opportunities in a round that included three birdies on the front nine and a double bogey on No. 10. He rectified the latter with his third eagle of the tournament.

“I just kept giving myself opportunities. Kept rolling it really well, kept giving myself looks,” Goodwin said. “Then I was able to get the eagle back on No. 17, which was huge for the momentum and everything.”

Entering the day with a three-stroke lead, Goodwin was confident he knew what needed to be done.

“I played my game and kept it smart out there,” he explained. “(I) was just trying to stay patient.”

It’s all part of the game plan Goodwin has had this week. On Sunday, Goodwin can claim his first PGA TOUR Canada title.

As the closest contender, Schniederjans, a Georgia native, got off to a special start. He sunk a 70-footer for birdie on the first hole to set the tone for an 8-under 63 that lifted him into second place.

“It was a good round, and I’ll try to put up another good round [Sunday],” said Schniederjans, who had six birdies and an eagle in his bogey-free day.

Cameron Sisk (9-under) is all alone in third place. He’s one shot ahead of a fourth-place group that includes Canadian Jared du Toit and Americans Justin Doeden, Blake Dyer, Dylan Meyer and Jacob Solomon, all at 8-under.

“It was just a fantastic day. I was super dialed on ball striking,” said Solomon, who moved up 36 spots on the leaderboard Saturday with a 63 of his own. “I mean, this had to be one of the best ball-striking rounds I’ve ever played—just hitting fairways, hitting greens.”  

Did you know Noah Goodwin has played on only one weekend prior to this one on PGA TOUR Canada? He tied for 34th at the Prince Edward Island Open after missing the cut in his other three starts.

Key Information

How the Canadians fared

Jared du Toit (Calgary) leads the 10 Canadians who made the cut. Du Toit is 8-under after shooting a 67 Saturday and tied for fourth, five shots off the lead entering the final round.

Pos.PlayerScore
T4Jared du Toit67-71-67—205 (8-under)
T14Brendan MacDougall71-67-69—207 (6-under)
T22Etienne Papineau72-69-68—209 (4-under)
T22Branson Ferrier69-67-73—209 (4-under)
T34Myles Creighton71-71-69—211 (2-under)
T48a-Peyton Callens70-67-76—213 (Even)
T57Jimmy Jones71-71-72—214 (1-over)
T57Drew Nesbitt71-72-71—214 (1-over)
T63Blair Hamilton72-71-71—215 (2-over)
T67Wil Bateman72-71-73—216 (3-over)

 Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates)

RankPlayerPointsTournament Pos. through 54 Holes
1Danny Walker (U.S.)620T20
2Wil Bateman (Canada)591T67
3Brian Carlson (U.S.)562T14
4Scott Stevens (U.S.)519Cut
5Cooper Musselman (U.S.)418Cut
6Joe Highsmith (U.S.)379T41
7Cooper Dossey (U.S.)374T70
8Jake Knapp (U.S.)364T41
9Chris R. Wilson (Canada)336Cut
10Jorge Villar (Mexico)258Cut

Sunday, Noah Goodwin will attempt to become the first PGA TOUR University alum coming off the 2022 Global Velocity Rankings to win this season. He enters the final round with a three-stroke lead. Four times this season, PGA TOUR U. players have posted top-fives, led by Joe Highsmith and Trent Phillips. Highsmith lost in a playoff at the ATB Classic presented by Volvo Edmonton and added a tie for fourth at the Prince Edward Island Open presented by IMP Solutions. Phillips has a pair of ties for fourth, coming at the same tournaments—the ATB Classic and the Prince Edward Island Open. Here are the results of top-15 finishes by PGA TOUR U. players this season.

PGA TOUR University Global Velocity Rankings

Top PGA TOUR Canada Finishes

PlayerFinishTournamentGlobal Velocity Rankings Finish
Joe Highsmith2ATB Classic10
Trent PhillipsT4ATB Classic8
Trent PhillipsT4Prince Edward Island Open8
Joe HighsmithT4Prince Edward Island Open10
Cameron SiskT15ATB Classic14
Parker CoodyT15ATB Classic13

To show what a difficult-scoring day it was in Thursday’s first round, there were only 27 rounds in the 60s from the 152 players who completed 18 holes. Saturday, with the wind down and only 72 players remaining after the cut, 33 posted sub-70 scores.

Monday qualifiers Branson Ferrier (4-under, tied for 22nd) and Mike Van Sickle (1-under, tied for 41st) fired third-round scores of 73 and 70, respectively. Peyton Callens, the lone amateur left in the tournament, shot a 76 and is now even par and tied for 48th.

The biggest mover on the day was Trent Phillips (6-under). He improved 42 positions into a tie for 14th with a 7-under 64.

Charles Wang and Luke Schniederjans both made holes-in-one on No. 16 Saturday. There have now been six aces on the Tour this season. The other four came at the ATB Classic. John DuthieJ.T. GriffinJosh Hart and Noah Woolsey all had holes-in-one on No. 13 at the Edmonton Petroleum Golf and Country Club.

Windy weather doesn’t seem to bother Alex Fitzpatrick of England. He’s used to it. “I don’t mind the wind at all,” he said while noting it suits his game well. “The more it blows, probably the more I enjoy it.” Fitzpatrick is 7-under and tied for ninth.

An impressive streak ended Saturday when Cooper Dossey shot a 4-over 75. The former Baylor Bear had a run of 18 consecutive rounds of par or better. Dossey was under par 15 times during the stretch.

Quotable

“I’m hitting the ball well. I’m trusting my game. So just play smart out there.” — Noah Goodwin

“I love playing on the weekend. I love playing the twosomes. It’s just good vibes. Now that you’ve made the cut, it’s kind of stress-free. Let’s go try to win the golf tournament.” — Jacob Solomon

“The course is kind of interesting because it’s a lot of irons and 5-woods off the tee. But it challenges your iron play, and you’ve got to hit your irons good out here, which is fun.” — Luke Schniederjans

“I’m excited for a chance. Any time you put yourself in contention after three days you did a good job. You kind of get rewarded with some pressure [Sunday].” — Jared du Toit

“The lack of wind definitely allowed me to go at more pins, especially on the par-4s. But, really, it was just such a nice groove. I mean, ball-striking with my shorter and mid-irons is really good right now. So that’s where you have to be really good at to score around this place. So, if I keep doing that, and I’ll be in a good spot.” — Cameron Sisk

“I had an awful ball-striking week last week from the fairway. So I did some work when I got here, just some practice and found a drill that worked for me pretty well. So going into the week, I felt really confident, and it’s paid off.” — Cameron Sisk

“I think the most weird part is going from college to professional golf. In college, you have 54 guaranteed holes. You get out here and we’re sitting around the cut line and things get to be a little bit intense. I’m trying to be a little bit more comfortable when it comes to that and then being able to be aggressive and play free on the weekend. That’s definitely important.” — Cameron Sisk

“This is definitely a step in the right direction. There are a lot of good players out here. I can take this as a positive, and more weeks like this will help me.” — Cameron Sisk

Third-Round Weather: Mostly cloudy in the morning becoming sunny in the afternoon. High of 24. Wind W at 9-15 kph.

Ontario Open Woodington Lake GC

Goodwin tops Ontario Open Leaderboard in Tottenham

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open

Woodington Lake Golf Club (Legend Course) Tottenham, Ontario, Canada July 28, 2022

Full Leaderboard:  

PGA TOUR Canada Media Site

Contact: Jay Fawler, PGA TOUR Canada Communications, (519) 817-7336, jayfawler@pgatourintl.ca 

Laury Livsey, PGA TOUR Communications, (904) 273-3418, laurylivsey@pgatourhq.com  

Pos.PlayerScoresFortinet Cup Pos.
1Noah Goodwin (U.S.)32-32—64 (7-under)T93
2Alexander Herrmann (Germany)32-33—65 (6-under)91
T3Michael Blair (Canada)33-33—66 (5-under)44
T3Alex Fitzpatrick (England)32-34—66 (5-under)126
T5Jared du Toit (Canada)32-35—67 (4-under)T66
T5Parker Gillam (U.S.)33-34—67 (4-under)17
T5Joseph Harrison (U.S.)34-33—67 (4-under)30
T5Jake Knapp (U.S.)34-33—67 (4-under)8
T5Dylan Meyer (U.S.)35-32—67 (4-under)T127
T5Greyson Porter (U.S.)33-34—67 (4-under)101
T5Brad Reeves (U.S.)33-34—67 (4-under)42
T5Danny Walker (U.S.)33-34—67 (4-under)1

TOTTENHAM, Ontario—Noah Goodwin holds a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open. Goodwin shot a 7-under 64 that included two eagles on the back nine to pull ahead of the pack Thursday at the PGA TOUR Canada event. The sixth stop on the 2022 Tour is taking place at the Woodington Lake Golf Club’s Legends Course.  

“I played great all the way around. I didn’t really make any big, glaring mistakes. And if I did, I was able to save par on most of them and then started rolling the putter really, really well,” said Goodwin, who added that the latter is something his game has been lacking. “So that was really nice to see, and I got a few really long ones for eagle to drop.”

The 22-year-old Texan, who played for Southern Methodist, had eagles on Nos. 12 and 17. He birdied four holes on the front nine and wound up with just one bogey on his round.

“It was just one of those days where everything went really, really well,” Goodwin said.

Germany’s Alexander Herrmann has sole possession of second place. He had nine birdies en route to a 6-under 65.

“There’s still room for improvement always,” Hermann said. “But then again, there were so many putts that went in that usually don’t drop. So, I’ll take it. I’m not complaining.”

Herrmann has had a quiet rookie PGA TOUR Canada season since capturing medalist honors at the first Qualifying Tournament in Weston, Florida, last February. Herrmann has made two cuts in four official starts, but his top performance is only a tie for 40th at the Prince Edward Island Open presented by IMP Solutions. Thursday, Herrmann, who still maintains a home in the Atlanta area after playing collegiately at Georgia State University, posted the 65, which is his low 18-hole score of the season. Herrmann’s previous-low round was a 3-under 67 (Royal Beach Victoria Open) and a 4-under 68 (Prince Edward Island Open).

Alex Fitzpatrick of England is tied with Canada’s Michael Blair for third, two shots off the lead at 5-under. Fitzpatrick’s round featured five birdies and an eagle. Blair recorded seven birdies. That included four in five holes early on.

“I just kept hitting it in makeable spots,” Blair said of his approach shots. “And that was the stretch where they went in.”  

No one, however, got off to a stronger start than Parker Gillam. He had eagles on two of his first four holes. Gillam is coming off back-to-back top-10s, his most recent a tie for fifth last week at the Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

“I’m pretty happy,” Gillam said. “That was a good start, good score. I can’t complain.”

Gillam finished the round at 4-under. He double-bogeyed the par-3 16th but bounced back with consecutive birdies to finish his day. He’s tied for fifth with Jared du Toit, Joseph Harrison, Jake Knapp, Dylan Meyer.

Greyson Porter, Brad Reeves and Fortinet Cup leader Danny Walker, winner of last week’s Osprey Valley Open.

Play continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the champion receiving $36,000 and 500 Fortinet Cop points.

Did you know first-round leader Noah Goodwin has missed the cut at three PGA TOUR Canada stops this season (Victoria, Edmonton and Osprey Valley)? His only weekend of play resulted in a tie for 34th at the Prince Edward Island Open.

Key Information How the top Canadians fared

There are 42 Canadians in this week’s field. Michael Blair, of Hamilton, and Jared du Toit, of Calgary, are in the top five after the first round. Here’s a look at the 11 players who finished at even-par or better after the first 18 holes.  

Pos.PlayerScore
T3Michael Blair33-33—66 (5-under)
T5Jared du Toit32-35—67 (4-under)
T13Cougar Collins34-34—68 (3-under)
T19Branson Ferrier32-37—69 (2-under)
T28a-Peyton Callens36-34—70 (1-under)
T28Freddy D’Angelo33-37—70 (1-under)
T49Myles Creighton34-37—71 (Even)
T49Jimmy Jones 36-35—71 (Even)
T49Brendan MacDougall35-36—71 (Even)
T49Drew Nesbitt35-36—71 (Even)
T49Noah Steele35-36—71 (Even)

Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates)

RankPlayerPoints
1Danny Walker (U.S.)620
2Wil Bateman (Canada)591
3Brian Carlson (U.S.)562
4Scott Stevens (U.S.)519
Cooper Musselman (U.S.)418
6Joe Highsmith (U.S.)379
7Cooper Dossey (U.S.)374
8Jake Knapp (U.S.)364
9Chris R. Wilson (Canada)336
10Jorge Villar (Mexico)258

Noah Goodwin finished the 2022 college season ranked No. 12 in PGA TOUR University’s Velocity Global Rankings, earning him one of the 10 PGA TOUR Canada cards available to those finishing Nos. 6 through 15. The former SMU Mustang product leads the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open and is two shots ahead of Alex Fitzpatrick, who is tied for third. The Englishman finished sixth on the Velocity Global Rankings while playing for Wake Forest. 

So far, not-so-good for first-round leaders on PGA TOUR Canada this season. Not one has gone on to win any of the four tournaments played thus far. Danny Walker is the only second-round leader to end up winning. He ultimately needed a playoff over Cooper Musselman to prevail in last week’s Osprey Valley Open. It was the Tour’s third playoff of the year.

Of this year’s winners, Wil Bateman has the lowest opening-round. Bateman fired a 6-under 65 in winning the ATB Classic. No player has shot an opening-round score in the 70s and won this year. 

Homework, make that coursework, is paying off for Alexander Herrmann of Germany. After missing the cut last week, the former Georgia State standout is in second place following the first round. “It’s a good golf course. I mean, there are some challenging tee shots, and also the green complexes are tricky. So, scouting, that was definitely important. We went out there twice, which we usually don’t do,” Herrmann said. “We usually play one, maybe one-and-a-half practice rounds. But that definitely helped. Just overall it reminded me a lot of golf back home like in Germany. Some of the courses are fairly similar to what I see here. So maybe that was an advantage as well.”

It was a tale of two nines for Parker Coody. He started on Woodington Lake Golf Club’s back nine, beginning his day with a triple bogey on No. 10. He added two more bogeys and turned in 40. He fired a 30 on the front nine, racking up six birdies along the way. He parred the first, third and sixth holes. Coody finished with a 1under 70 for the round.

A look at how Monday’s tournament qualifiers fared in the first round: Etienne Brault (3-over), Riley Elmes (6over), Branson Ferrier (2-under), Kevin Gordon (3-over), James Hervol (6-over), Ryan Linton (8-over), Calvin Ross (10-over) and Mike Van Sickle (4-over). Peyton Callens, one of four amateurs in the tournament, was 1under. He’s the low amateur through 18 holes.  

Canadian Cougar Collins had a couple of subpar rounds last weekend, at TPC Toronto, his home course in Caledon, a week ago. Collins bounced back this week, however, with a 68 Thursday—matching the success of his first two days at the Osprey Valley Open.

Tony Gil (Canada) and Motin Yeung (Hong Kong) withdrew from the tournament due to injury. 

Quotable

“I saw some putts roll in early and then was able to keep that momentum going. I love this course and everything about it.” — Noah Goodwin

“We’ll just regroup [Friday]. It’s going to be a different day, a different set of pins. And I’ll just go in with the same strategy that I used today, and we’ll go from there.” — Alex Herrmann

“The greens are pretty tough. They pinned it pretty hard, and there are a lot of weird slopes on them. You’ve got to be real careful.” — Parker Gillam

“The greens are really severe, and you have to be really precise to give yourself good putts. Hitting the green isn’t good enough out here. You’ve got to put it in the right spots.” — Jake Knapp

“I made some good putts and hit a lot of good shots, but it’s just the silly ones you kind of focus on after playing. If I can clean that up, then we’ll see.” — Joseph Harrison

“I can’t wait to get back at it and hopefully continue my play on [Friday].” — Michael Blair

First-Round Weather: Partly cloudy and warm. High of 23. Wind variable at 4-7 kph. 

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Ontario Open PGA Tour Canada Woodington Lake GC

Ontario Open announces new title sponsor

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada to partner with official PGA TOUR Canada event

Now in its 27th year, Woodington Lake Golf Club is poised to host PGA TOUR Canada’s Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open. (Courtesy Woodington Lake Golf Club)

TOTTENHAM, Ontario—The historic Ontario Open, a fixture in Canadian golf from 1923 to the 1990s and recently restored as an important component of the Golf Ontario schedule, announced Monday that the official PGA TOUR Canada tournament will be known as Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open. PGA TOUR Canada Executive Director Scott Pritchard, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada President and CEO Don Kottick and Golf Ontario CEO Mike Kelly made the announcement about the tournament set for July 25-31 at Woodington Lake Golf Club.

This is an important day not only in the history of PGA TOUR Canada but also for golf in Ontario,” Pritchard said. “The Ontario Open is a historic and important part of the golf landscape in this part of the country, and it’s important that it returns to its previous stature. To have a company like Sotheby’s International Realty Canada partnering with the Ontario Open ensures that this will take place.

The Ontario Open was an annual event, starting from its inception in 1923, not even taking time off during the Second World War when numerous tournaments did shut down. Winners during the tournament’s first iteration included Canadian legends George Knudson (five victories), Moe Norman (three victories) and World Golf Hall of Fame member Sam Snead, who captured the 1940 tournament. The Ontario Open began again in 1989, with former PGA TOUR player Michael Bradley winning the event. Various clubs in Ontario hosted the tournament between 1992 and 1996 before the tournament took a 21-year hiatus, beginning in 1997.

As one of the oldest and most storied golf championships in the world, the Ontario Open has a reputation for attracting the best golfers nationally and internationally. Our sponsorship of this tournament is not only a reflection of our company’s commitment to contributing to the communities in which our clients live, work and play, it is a reflection of our commitment to celebrating and aligning with professional excellence, whether in sport or in business,” Kottick said.

Woodington Lake Golf Club opened in 1995 and is celebrating its 27th season offering championship golf to Southern Ontario. The Legends Course first hosted the tournament in 2019—its first playing in 40 years—when it was not affiliated with PGA TOUR Canada. England’s Greg Eason, a PGA TOUR Canada veteran, won the tournament. Woodington Lake and the Legends Course will again host the 72-hole, medal-play event that is the sixth tournament on the 11-event PGA TOUR Canada schedule. It will offer full Fortinet Cup points to all players who make the cut and will help assist in which players move on to the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour.

From our ownership group and all of our dedicated staff, we are thrilled to be hosting the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open at our beautiful facility here at Woodington Lake. Marrying together a partner with the legacy of Sotheby’s and such a historic golf tournament on our Legends course is a privilege, and we look forward to growing the event together for years to come. We’re also excited to host once again The Ontario Disabilities Championship early in the week,” said John Chetti, Partner in Woodington Lake Golf Club.

The Ontario Disabilities Championship promotes awareness and participation for golfers with disabilities and provides a platform for future-talent identification. Up to 60 participants will contest this 36-hole stroke-play championship July 25-26.

Golf Ontario CEO Mike Kelly said, “We are thrilled to see the Ontario Open return as a regular event on the summer golf schedule, and Sotheby’s International Realty Canada’s involvement puts this tournament on strong footing.

The Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open is the sixth stop in the race for the Fortinet Cup, the points-based competition that mirrors the competitive structure on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. The Fortinet Cup will offer a $100,000 player bonus pool—with $25,000 to the winner—to the top Fortinet Cup points-winners will earn membership on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour. The No. 1-ranked player at the end of the season earns Player of the Year honors and is eligible to play in every open Korn Ferry Tour tournament the following season.

For more information about the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open visit here.