Canadian pair sits atop PGA Tour Americas
Back-to-back wins by Canadians have added a bit of maple flavour to the top of the PGA Tour Americas points list.
Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald shot a 1-under 71 to finish 17-under overall for a two-stroke victory at the Diners Club Peru Open on Sunday and rocket up to third on the Fortinet Cup standings. He’s 83 points back of No. 1 Matt Anderson of Hamilton, who won the 69th ECP Brazil Open on April 21.
“When you get a win, and you get 500 points, it’s a lot,” Macdonald told the Canadian Press. “You separate yourself from the rest of the guys.
“If you get two wins, that’s even better, you’re really going to separate yourself.”
Separating oneself from the pack is important with two events left in the Latin America swing of the Americas Tour. The two golfers at the top of the points list earn berths on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour, a step up from the Americas circuit.
“I don’t think I really need to do too much differently,” said Macdonald, who did not miss a cut on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica last season, which has since merged with PGA Tour Canada. “I just need to continue to put in the work on the golf course, on the range, just keep on trying to get better.”
Anderson helped keep himself atop the Americas standings when he tied for 18th at the Los Inkas Golf Club last week.
“Didn’t play my best, but I kind of hung in there and hit some awesome shots coming down the stretch, which was great,” Anderson told reporters after Sunday’s final round in Lima, Peru.
“I hit an awesome shot on 16 and I even gave myself a look on 17, which is a super tough par 3.”
There are seven Canadian players in the top 60 of the Fortinet Cup standings to secure exempt status for the North American swing of the circuit, which begins June 20 with the Beachlands Victoria Open, presented by the Times Colonist, at Uplands Golf Club. Joey Savoie (18th) of La Prairie, Que., Victoria’s Lawren Rowe (35th), Thomas Giroux (39th) of Georgetown, Ont., Victoria’s Jeevan Sihota (47th) and Jimmy Jones (50th), the son of Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Dawn CoeJones, also above that exemption line.
All of them will be back in action this week at the KIA Open at Quito Tenis y Golf Club in Ecuador.
PGA TOUR — Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, sitting 57th in the FedEx Cup standings heading into this week’s event. Hughes will be joined at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney Texas, today by Taylor Pendrith (90th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Ben Silverman (109th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Rogers Sloan (193rd) of Merritt.
CHAMPIONS TOUR —
Calgary’s Stephen Ames will be back in action at the Insperity Invitational. He’s atop the Schwab Cup standings after winning the Mitsubishi Electric Classic last week. He will be joined by No. 49 Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., at The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Texas.