In-form Percy primed for Canadian assault
A SPIKE in form has Australian veteran Cameron Percy feeling ready to take on Dustin Johnson a the big names at the Canadian Open as the fight to keep his US PGA Tour card heats up.
With three events remaining on Percy’s schedule this season, he sits 40 places outside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup standings who progress to the lucrative play-offs a re- tain their tour status for next year. But the battle won’t get any easier at this week’s Canadian Open with two-time reigning US Open champion Brooks Koepka, world No.1 Johnson a Bubba Watson headlining the field.
Percy must knuckle down as the tournament is his secondlast event with maximum FedEx Cup points on offer, given next week’s Barracuda Championship is played opposite the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The 44-year-old is inspired by finishing tied for seventh at last week’s Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.
“The game feels great at the moment, but the pressure is on at this point in the season. I need to make hay while the sun shines,” he said. “Last week I finished seventh a only went up 10 [FedEx Cup] spots and while it’s comforting to play well at smaller events, I really need to step up at the bigger tournaments.”
Ranked an impressive 38th for driving accuracy on the US Tour, Percy says the narrow fairways at Toronto’s Glen Abbey course will play into his hands. The Jack Nicklausdesigned course has favoured Australians with Jason Day (2015), Nathan Green (2009) and Greg Norman (1984, 1992) hoisting the Canadian Open trophy there.
“I really like Glen Abbey; you have to drive it well and because it’s so tight from the tee, you can’t slap it around, which suits me,” Percy said.
He will be joined in the field by fellow Australians Aaron Baddeley, Matt Jones, Rod Pampling and John Senden.
Experts are tipping bighitting Johnson, a two-time runner-up at Glen Abbey (2013 and 2016) to dominate and claim his third US Tour victory of the year. But he faces a litany of stars including 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia and American Kevin Kisner.