Kimberley’s du Toit shoots up the leaderboard in Calgary
The video evidence doesn’t lie: Jared du Toit has a wicked wrist shot.
Video posted to the Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada Twitter account before the opening round of the Syncrude Oil Country Championship last week in Edmonton shows du Toit ripping three consecutive wrist shots top corner on a shooter tutor.
“High glove?” he casually asked before lining up his target and hitting it with ease on all three attempts.
The pride of Kimberley then traded in the hockey stick for the flat blade and finished tied for ninth in Edmonton. An eventful second round of 7-under par 63 propelled him into contention for the remainder of the weekend and eventually his third top-10 finish of the 2017 season.
Firing a 63 is impressive, but it started in less than ideal fashion with a double bogey on the first hole.
After going 1-over par for his round the day before, du Toit’s plans for the weekend were suddenly put in jeopardy with that first-hole slip-up to start the second round. It’s the kind of start that can make a round go sideways.
Instead, he rallied with six straight birdies, going from being in danger of missing the cut to making a sudden move up the leaderboard.
And that has typified his campaign to date: When he’s on the top of his game, the birdies can flow, and he can, with some consistency, challenge to move up the leaderboard.
“I think every tournament I’ve at least been on the first page of the leaderboard at least one time in the week,” said du Toit, before his opening round at the ATB Financial Classic in Calgary.
“I’ve put myself in good positions to win and unfortunately it hasn’t come to fruition yet. But I feel really good about the steps I’ve taken.”
Du Toit sits tied for 35th after two rounds in Calgary, at 4-under par for the tournament.
He opened the season at the Bayview Place Open in Victoria and finished tied for 29th. That’s not a bad season debut by any stretch, but the final round didn’t go as planned for du Toit, who fell 21 places down the leaderboard with a 3-over par 73.
“I was pretty nervous. First real time thinking about the money and everything,” he said, adding his experience playing under an intensified spotlight in the final group at the 2016 Canadian Open has helped in pressure situations.
“It kind of feels like a win or bust right now because I was feeling really good about my game.”
Du Toit has finished in the top10 in each of the last two events, including a tie for seventh — his best result of the year so far — at the Mackenzie Investments Open. He’s 24th on the tour in scoring average (69.81) and has made the cut in six events. He sits 20th on the tour’s order of merit, a little more than $21,000 out of fifth.
The top-five finishers earn Web.com Tour status for 2018.
Du Toit was especially pleased with his wedge and iron play in the last tournament, giving himself better looks at birdie on the green. Whether it’s with a hockey stick or a golf club, he’s proven capable of getting on quite a hot streak.
“When I do get hot, I feel like I can really turn on the jets,” he said, “because I don’t have any one thing really that’s my Achilles heel.”
CHIP SHOTS
It’s been a difficult rookie year ■ so far for Vancouver’s Stuart MacDonald on the Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada. He’s missed the cut in six events. He won’t miss the cut this weekend. In fact, he’s in contention at the ATB Financial Classic. MacDonald fired a 3-under par, 68, on Friday and is 7-under par for the tournament, at one point three shots off the lead.
Victoria’s Jim Rutledge won ■ the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada by seven shots, with a final round of 4-under par, 66, on Friday. Philip Jonas of Surrey finished tied for fifth and Douglas Morgan of Richmond Country Club finished eighth.
I think every tournament I’ve at least been on the first page of the leaderboard at least one time in the week,