Du Toit on verge of golf history
Kimberley amateur has a shot at ending 62-year Canuck drought at Canadian Open
OAKVILLE, Ont. — Incredibly, Jared du Toit is on the verge of becoming a household name in every town, hamlet and burg across this country.
Coming into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, the 21-yearold amateur was claimed — quite proudly, I am told by email — by the tiny town of Kimberley and maybe Calgary, where he was born and has spent the last couple of summers.
But if du Toit can somehow walk off the 18th green Sunday with the RBC Canadian Open Trophy tucked into his chest, he will likely be considered a hometown boy by just about every other town out there.
Yeah, what du Toit is this close to accomplishing is that big.
It cannot be understated how unexpected his performance is, how improbable it is for a collegian who has never played a PGA Tour event to be sitting one shot out of the lead for the Canadian Open.
Du Toit, putting the capper on a roller-coaster of a third round with an eagle on the 18th hole, is one shot behind leader Brandt Snedeker at 8-under par with three rounds in the books. Let that sink in. A guy most of us had never heard of less than a week ago is that close to putting to rest the guy we bring up every year, Pat Fletcher, the last Canuck to win this tournament way back in 1954 — more than 40 years before du Toit was born.
He has posted the same score as Dustin Johnson, the No. 2 player in the world, and bettered top-ranked Justin Day by five strokes. Again, let that sink in. If you’re having trouble digesting it, don’t worry. So is du Toit.
“Unbelievable,” he said of his week, echoing what the rest of us are thinking. “It hasn’t set in so far, but I’m loving every minute of it. I’m here having fun and trying to go play golf. The atmosphere out here has been unbelievable.
“Walking to each green, each tee box and everybody is high-fiving, hooting and hollering. This has been a fairy tale so far. Hopefully I can keep it going.”
No matter what happens Sunday, du Toit has gone above and beyond. Nobody could have foreseen what he’s doing. A win would certainly be sweet, although it wouldn’t help his bank account — as an amateur, he’d have to decline the million-dollar winner’s share of the purse.
But one thing money can’t buy is resilience, something du Toit has in spades. Every time you expect him to falter, every time the golf course takes a bite out of him, he responds the way a champion does.
A bogey on the par-4 third hole looked as if it might be the beginning of the end. But du Toit birdied the next hole to bounce right back.
Then, surely, the inevitable collapse would come after a pair of bogeys three holes apart, right? Nope. Another birdie on eight and one on 13 pulled him back to even par for the day.
Rolling in a 40-foot, bending putt from the right side of the green for eagle set off the biggest roar from the gallery all day. Really, it was just one of nine eagles on the par-5 monster, but it meant so much more to those watching than the previous eight.
“Looked like I actually hit it a little too hard,” du Toit said. “But it went dead centre and, you know I was pretty fired up about it. I knew it had a chance but when it disappeared, that’s the biggest putt of my career so far.”
With all the dramatics, third-round leader Snedeker was watching from the TV commentators booth behind the 18th green. Even after carding a 6-under 66 to leapfrog Johnson into top spot, Snedeker was left marvelling at what du Toit was doing on a very difficult Glen Abbey.
“He’s great,” Snedeker said. “For a 21-year-old kid to be playing golf here is awesome, let alone to do it in your national Open. I mean, I can’t imagine the nerves the kid has to be playing as great of golf as he has.
“I think I’m going to be the most hated man in Canada (Sunday), but it’s going to be a lot of fun trying to figure it out.”
Snedeker and du Toit won’t be playing in a bubble, though.
They will have to contend with Johnson, who carded his second straight 1-under 71 Saturday, along with Steve Wheatcroft (7-under), who had an impressive 64, Alex Cejka (7-under) and a group of six others, including Matt Kuchar, at 6-under.
Among the other Canadians to make the cut. Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin is at even par after a 74 while another amateur, Garret Rank of Elmira, Ont., sits at 4-over (76) and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is at 6-over (76).
But now, with 18 holes left and history waiting, the country is wondering one thing — can du Toit close the deal?
“I have no idea. I’ve never been there,” du Toit said with more honesty than expected. “But I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never kind of been in this kind of pressure, this atmosphere before.
“Obviously, I want to play well, but it’s kind of my first go at it. Win or lose, I’m happy with the way this week has gone.”
So is Kimberley, Calgary and the rest of Canada.