Goldberg Continues Remarkable Year At Tour Championship

Aaron Goldberg officially put his personal stamp on one of the most dominating seasons in Canadian Tour history Sunday at the Canadian Tour Championship in St. Catharines, Ont.

By claiming his third triumph in his last four starts at the $325,000 event, the 25-year-old Californian left little doubt of his place in the Canadian Tour history books.

A final-round five-under 65 at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club gave Goldberg a 15-under 265 total for four days work, six shots clear of Mitch Gillis of Williams Lake, B.C., Clayton Rask, Josh Habig, Brian Unk and overnight co-leader Kane Hanson.

In just seven starts this year, Goldberg has built a resume that includes three wins, a second and three other showings inside the top nine.

“I could get used to this,” said Goldberg. “This really seals off the year for me. It’s been quite an unbelievable season.”

Goldberg upped his earnings to over $151,000, wiping out the all-time Canadian Tour record for money earned in one season set when Trevor Dodds took home $129,158 in 1996.

Now, Goldberg has another Dodds record in his sights. Should he win the season-ending Desert Dunes Classic, a first-year event to be staged in his home state in November, Goldberg would match Dodds’ record for most wins in a season with four in 1996.

Not only did Goldberg officially clinch the Canadian Tour money crown with one event remaining in the season, but he also earned an exemption into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School this fall.

Thanks to a back-nine 30, American Brock Mackenzie held off Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., by less than $400 to earn the second exemption.

“Getting through that first stage is just a huge bonus,” Goldberg said. “Obviously, you want to get through every year, but it’s never a given. Not having to worry about that takes some pressure off. That’s the time of year you want to be playing your best.”

Paired with the Canadian Tour’s hottest player of the year, Hanson didn’t waste any time getting down to work with birdies on his first two holes to open a two-shot lead. Goldberg didn’t take long to answer, with birdies on four and five to pull even again.

Both players double-bogeyed the eighth, allowing Andres Gonzales to take a share of the lead. That didn’t last long as Gonzales doubled the par three 12th. With Hanson leading by one, the turning point came on the par three 14th, when Goldberg jarred a 15-foot birdie before a Hanson bogey.

Goldberg added another birdie on 15 to open a two-shot edge and essentially end any drama for the afternoon. Closing in style, Goldberg added an eagle on 16 and another birdie on 17 to play his final five holes at five under.

“I knew down by one on 14, that I hard to start making a run,” said Goldberg. “Someone was going to make some birdies coming in. I figured it might as well be me.”

In 32 Canadian Tour rounds in 2010, Goldberg was over par in just five and shot in the 60s 21 times, including eight straight rounds through Sunday.

“I knew if I played how I was capable of, I could do something like this,” he said. “It’s been an awesome year, and I’ve seen the guys that have come off this tour and gone on to great careers on the PGA Tour. That’s why I came up here.

“I feel it might be my time now.”

Leaderboard Stays Crowded At Tour Championship

Kane Hanson is turning the Canadian Tour Championship into a Cinderella story of sorts, while Order of Merit Aaron Goldberg will try to end the dream on Sunday in St. Catharines, Ont.

Hanson, who shot a 70 in the third round, and Goldberg (66) will make up the final pairing Sunday as they share the lead at 10-under heading into the final round of the $325,000 Tour Championship at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club.

Andres Gonzales, the 2009 Saskatchewan Open champion, made a push with a 63 to vault into third spot, one shot behind the leaders. Devin Carrey of South Surrey, BC (71) is at eight under.

It was a much different story for Kris Wasylowich of Lethbridge, Alb. Starting the day just two shots behind Hanson, Wasylowich stumbled to a 79.

As he arrived in St. Catharines, Hanson knew he had to come up with a strong effort if he wanted to keep his tour card. Having not made a cheque since April, Hanson was facing the very real possibility of losing his playing status for next year.

“It’s been weighing on my mind for the past month and a half,” he admitted. “This was a big week for me. I just wanted to make sure I had a place to play next season.”

It’s looking like that won’t be a problem. Instead of just holding on to status, Hanson has his eyes on the $52,000 winner’s share of the tour record $325,000 pot.

Goldberg, on the other hand, is looking to put an exclamation point on an outstanding sophomore season. The 25-year-old has made the cut in all seven of his starts, with a pair of wins, a runner-up and three other top nine finishes.

A win or solo runner-up finish Sunday will give Goldberg the all-time Canadian Tour record for earnings in one season, eclipsing the $129,158 racked up by Trevor Dodds in 1996. Goldberg has this week and November’s inaugural Desert Dunes Classic in California to earn just under $30,000.

“It’s a little easier having that confidence and feeling you can win every time you step up to the tee,” said Goldberg.

“This is the biggest event of our year, so getting it done here would just be the icing on the cake. I really want to win that Order of Merit. It just shows you’ve had a very consistent year. I’ll try to go out and get it done Sunday,” he added.

Even with a California event officially closing out the 2010 season later this year, his performance this week essentially salts away the Order of Merit title for Goldberg. Should he hold on for a triumph tomorrow, it will be his third victory in four events.

Hanson led by two late Saturday before a bogey on the par five 16^th, where he missed a tricky three-foot slider. An unimpressive 2010 season thus far doesn’t really tell the whole story for Hanson, who has won several tournaments at both the amateur and professional levels.

At the Jane Rogers Championship two weeks ago, he put up a quadruple bogey eight on the 15th hole in the second round to miss the cut by one, illustrating that Hanson has just found ways to shoot himself out of contention.

“It almost got to the point where it was comical,” he said, adding that Sunday is shaping up as a memorable day.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Hanson. “Aaron has been beating everyone up pretty good out here, so it should be fun to watch.”

Top of Leaderboard Crowded at Tour Championship

Overnight leader Kris Wasylowich wasn’t able to give himself any breathing room Friday during the second round of the Canadian Tour Championship at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club in St. Catharines, Ont.

With Wasylowich plodding his way through an even-par day, Minnesota native Kane Hanson elbowed his way to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend at the $325,000 event.

Hanson put up a six-under 64 to take the lead, while Devin Carrey, from South Surrey, B.C., posted 63 and is just one shot back. Wasylowich is in third spot at eight-under.

Current Order of Merit leader Aaron Goldberg (67) is tied for fourth at six-under with Victoria’s Stuart Anderson (63) and Jose de Jesus Rodriguez of Mexico (65). Canadians Adam Hadwin and Ryan Yip are at five under, along with American John Ellis.

With his card locked up for 2011, Carrey isn’t feeling a lot of pressure as he chases the $52,000 winner’s share of the largest purse in Canadian Tour history. He was four-under on his front nine and played the five par three holes at two-under.

“Everybody definitely knows what is at stake, but you have to try and treat it like every other tournament out there,” he said of the purse.

On the other hand, Hanson is worried about having a place to play next year after not making a cheque since April. Heading into this week, he sat 96th on the Order of Merit, six spots outside the number needed to keep non-exempt status for 2011.

A couple more days like Friday and he isn’t going to have much to worry about when it comes to holding down his status.

“I need to play well this week to keep my status out here, so this is huge. If I missed the cut this week, I would have to go back to Q-school, so it’s a very important week for me to play well,” said Hanson.

“With the way I’m playing I think I would have to take Top-20 to keep my card so I’m not too concerned about that,” he said. “My goal right now is to just play solid and if I continue to putt like I am I have a really good chance. I’m excited about it.”

The Magic Returns For Albertan At Tour Championship

Kris Wayslowich may have picked the ideal time to get out of his season-long funk.

The native of Lethbridge, Alta., finished the first round of the $325,000 Canadian Tour Championship with an eight-under 62 at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club.

Wasylowich leads fellow Canadian Ryan Yip by one shot with six-time Canadian Tour winner Mike Grob in at 64 at a tournament with the largest purse in tour history.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., the low Canadian at last month’s RBC Canadian Open, is alone in fourth after a 65.

For Wasylowich, his Thursday performance isn’t reflective on how the rest of his campaign has gone. In fact, it’s the complete opposite.

Frustrated with the state of his game, the former national amateur team member spent most of the summer at home in Lethbridge working on his swing. He has made just one cut in three starts, tying for ninth in Saskatoon earlier this summer.
On Thursday, he looked like the same player who racked up a pair of third-place finishes early in his 2008 rookie season.

“I’ve really just been spending some time back home, trying to get back to the level I know my game should be at and trying to get a little confidence,” said Wasylowich.

“The past year and a half, I haven’t been having any fun. I’m putting too much pressure on myself and trying too hard,” he said.

That wasn’t evident on Thursday. Wasylowich made a 15-footer on the par-four 10th, his first hole of the day, and he was off and running.

“I knew once I made that putt, it was going to be a good day,” said Wasylowich, who was five-under over his inbound nine. “All day long, I felt if I hit it inside 15 feet, I was going to make it.”

Return To Seaforth Is Like Coming Home For Eger

Kent Eger may want to consider relocating from Regina to Seaforth, Ont., where he seems to be right at home.

For the second time in the brief three-year history of the Canadian Tour’s Economical Insurance Groups Seaforth Country Classic, Eger’s name will be etched on the championship trophy after he closed with a six-under 65 Sunday.

Thanks to a late-day birdie binge, Eger ended his week at 20-under 264, two shots clear of Kiwi Josh Geary (64). Cesar Coello of Mexico (66) and American Tom Glissmeyer (67) finished third, three shots back.

Overnight leader Darren Griff (70) of Nanaimo, B.C., and Matt McQuillan (65) of Kingston, Ont., placed fifth at 16-under. Looking to win his third consecutive Canadian Tour start, Californian Aaron Goldberg couldn’t get untracked Sunday and ended up five shots off the pace.

Shortly after he accepted hardware yet again Sunday afternoon, Eger shared his thoughts on the misfortune of Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, who was disqualified Saturday afternoon.

Rodriguez had just put the finishing touches on a 10-under 61 that would have tied him for the course record and given him a three-shot lead before failing to sign his scorecard after his round.

Nothing can take away from Eger’s performance Sunday, but he admitted it was a tough break for the Mexican.

“Well, it worked out better for me, but that doesn’t really matter,” admitted Eger. “You just don’t want to see that happen any time, but he’s a great player. He’ll get back there soon enough.”

As Sunday dawned, it was shaping up to be a sprint to the finish and the final day didn’t disappoint.

Eger went on a tear late in the day with birdies on four of his final five holes, including a clutch 45-footer on 15.

“I just really enjoy playing here,” said Eger. “I sort of tweaked my attitude coming into this week. It seems I’ve played frustrated for the past year and a half. Now, I’m just trying to stay out of my own way. It seems to be working.”

Prior to Sunday, this season had been shaping up as a rather mediocre one for Eger. Making the cut in four of seven starts heading into Seaforth, he had been unable to crack the top 10 and had missed the weekend in each of his last two starts.

“I’ve learned it’s not even an issue if I make bogey,” he added. “You’re going to make bogeys in this game. I’m just trying to move on to the next shot and go from there.”

With the tour set to move into St. Catharines for this week’s $325,000 Canadian Tour Championship, Eger is looking forward to an encore performance as players chase the highest purse in Canadian Tour history.

“I’m feeling really good right now, better than I’ve felt in the last year and a half.

“A win never hurts the confidence.”

Goldberg Goes Two Straight At Jane Rogers

Aaron Goldberg captured his second consecutive Canadian Tour start Sunday, chipping in for eagle on the first extra hole to hold off a snake-bitten Trey Denton at the ClubLink Jane Rogers Championship near Milton, Ont., on Sunday.

It marked the second straight playoff loss for Denton at the Jane Rogers Championship, one year after losing to Ryan Yip in extra holes.

Both Goldberg and Denton finished four rounds at Greystone Golf Club at eight-under 276. Rob Grube (66) and Daniel Im (68) settled into third, one shot behind.

Coming off low Canadian honours at the RBC Canadian Open, Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC carded a final-day 71 to tie for seventh at three under.

With the $20,000 payday, Goldberg has built an almost insurmountable lead atop the tour’s Order of Merit. With just two events remaining, Goldberg is more than $36,000 ahead of his closest pursuer.

The top two on the money list after the $325,000 Canadian Tour championship will get an exemption into the second stage of the PGA Tour qualifying school.

A spectacular sophomore season for Goldberg has been punctuated by two wins, a runner-up and two other top tens in just six starts.  In his last event, he captured the $300,000 Players Cup in Winnipeg.

“To win twice in a row is just awesome,” added Goldberg. “Winnipeg was special because I knew I could win out here, but I had to prove it to myself. This just kind of backs that up.

“Coming into the season, I was focused on three things – getting into the (Nationwide Tour) Wayne Gretzky Classic, the Canadian Open and finishing in the top two on the money list to get that exemption,” he added.

“I’ve accomplished two of those, now I’m working on the third. That exemption is a huge incentive for us, but I have to keep playing well and ride that momentum. I want to finish the season strong.”

Goldberg Continues Momentum At Jane Rogers

After Friday’s second round of the Canadian Tour’s ClubLink Jane Rogers Championship, a second consecutive triumph for Aaron Goldberg seemed a longshot at best. Apparently Goldberg didn’t get that memo.

Eight shots off the lead as he began Saturday’s third round, the 25-year-old Californian tore up Greystone Golf Club for an eight-under 63 to grab a share of the lead with overnight leader Ryan Thornberry.

Californian Daniel Im, a two-time Canadian Tour champion, fired a seven-under 64 to vault into a tie for third with fellow American Trey Denton (67), who lost a playoff to Ryan Yip at this event last year.

Im’s performance is even more impressive considering he has been battling severe tendonitis and needed to make a cheque this week or next in Seaforth to qualify for the $325,000 season-ending Canadian Tour Championship.

Adam Hadwin, the low Canadian at the RBC Canadian Open, fired a one-over 72 and is four shots back.

Making the turn at two-under, it was looking to be a rather ordinary day for Goldberg before he found another gear on the back nine.

After picking up another shot with a birdie on the 10th, Goldberg dropped a 30-foot birdie putt before reeling off four in a row to end his day and cap off a back-nine 30.

“Yeah, it was a great back nine. I was able to make the putts I was supposed to,” said Goldberg. “I didn’t play very well the first couple of days, but felt if I could put a good one together today, I could get back in it.”

A triumph this week for Goldberg would expand his healthy lead atop the money list and all but assure him a spot in the top two, which would give him a coveted free pass into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School later this year.

With a win and three other top ten showings, including a runner-up, in just five starts prior to this week, Goldberg has established himself as the man to beat heading into the final two weeks of the tour season.

“You can call it a little bit of everything – confidence, momentum and just having the expectation of competing every week,” he added. “It’s a tough golf course, so I’ll just try to be patient and take what it gives me.”

Close Race At Jane Rogers

American Ryan Thornberry will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Canadian Tour’s ClubLink Jane Rogers Championship near Milton, Ont.

The native of Ceres, Calif., backed up his opening-day 67 with a three-under 68 Friday to take the lead at the halfway mark with a seven-under 135. Fellow American Tom Glissmeyer (68) is one shot back, while Michael Jensen (71) is at five-under.

Overnight leader Andrew Parr of London, Ont. (73) and freshman standout Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. (69) are tied for fourth, three shots back.

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., playing on a sponsor’s exemption, is at three under, while 2009 NCAA champion Matt Hill of Forest, Ont. sits at one over par.

On the par five 10th, his opening hole of the morning, Thornberry knocked a wedge to three feet before cashing in the birdie putt. 

The 26-year-old made the turn at three under before giving one back on the par four first hole. On the par three sixth, Thornberry hit a seven iron to eight feet to set up another birdie and get to the top of the leaderboard.

The greens at Greystone Golf Club once again lived up to their reputation.

“There’s a lot of undulation and speed on these greens and any time you put those two together, you’d better be paying attention,” said Thornberry. “I played pretty steady all around and didn’t put myself in a lot of trouble. You’re not going to hit all 18 greens out here. You just have to deal with what the course gives you.”

Canadian Amateur, Jane Rogers Are Underway

Graham Hill of Forest, Ont. fired a five-under-par 67 to take the opening round lead at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in London, Ont.

Hill, who played his opening-round at the London Hunt and Country Club, carded eight birdies and three bogeys to take a single stroke lead into tomorrow’s second round.

The Canadian Amateur is Hill’s first competitive golf event in almost a year.

“I didn’t really know what to expect today because I haven’t played competitive golf for a while,” said Hill a former member of Team Canada and brother of Matt Hill. “I played well, made a couple of bogeys I’d like to have back, but I also left some birdies out there.”

Hill’s last competitive golf championship was the 2009 U.S. Amateur. He missed the cut, but considering he had mononucleosis, just playing that week was a victory.

The 24-year old has a golf resume that includes two appearances at the World Amateur, a third-place finish at the Mexican Amateur Championship and a semi-final appearance at the 2007 Canadian Amateur. He also won the 2005 Ontario Amateur Championship at Redtail Golf Course, where he’ll play on Friday.

“I know Redtail better than London Hunt,” added Hill. “The rough is pretty penal, so I’m going to try and keep it in the fairway. It’s still early, I’m not even thinking about whether or not I can win.”

A logjam of players trail Hill, including American Lion Kim of Ann Arbor, Mich., Jeffrey Clarridge of Barrie, Ont., Daniel Kim of Toronto and Marc-Étienne Bussières of Gatineau, Que.

The four players shot matching four-under par 68s.

With players at both golf courses, Redtail had a scoring average of 76.61, while London Hunt yielded a 75.9.

Coinciding with the stroke play championship is the Willingdon Cup Interprovincial Team Championship.

Team British Columbia takes a slim two-stroke lead into Friday’s final round of team play after combining for a team three under par.

British Columbia last won the Willingdon Cup in 2004, when the event was held at Beaconsfield Golf Club in Pointe Claire, Que.

Two strokes is Alberta, with the host Ontario team in third at one over.

Parr Guns For First Tour Win: Andrew Parr of London, Ont., took a step towards his first Canadian Tour triumph at the ClubLink Jane Rogers Championship on Thursday.

Parr opened with a six-under 65 at Greystone Golf Club near Milton, Ont., good for a one-shot edge on American Michael Jensen. Ryan Thornberry and Daniel McCarthy are two shots off the pace.

Champions Tour player Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., who accepted a sponsor’s exemption, is tied for fifth, three shots back along with Colombia’s Eduardo Herrera, Tom Glissmeyer and Garrett Sapp.

Five others, including RBC Canadian Open fan favourite Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C, are four shots behind Parr.

Playing in the second group of the morning, Parr sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the opening hole. Making the turn at four under, Parr picked up two more strokes on his back nine with birdies on three of his last four holes to cap off an eight-birdie, two-bogey performance.

“Any time you make birdie on the first hole with a 7:40 tee time, you’ve got to be happy,” said Parr. “It was just a really solid day. Both times I got myself in trouble, I just chipped out and took my bogey.”

“It’s nice to get a good start. I haven’t been able to get out to a fast start the past couple of years. I’m usually fighting from behind.”

Tales Of Two Tournaments

The Canadian PGA Radio Show streams live via the web on GNN and at www.cpga.com. Co-hosts Jeff Dykeman, director of business development and brand for the Canadian PGA, and Hamilton Spectator golf journalist Garry McKay dive into debates and discussions with a variety of industry insiders, key Canadian PGA members and high profile guests on a variety of subjects.

Season 2 | Show 15 | Aug. 10, 2010

• George Sourlis: The director of business development and client manager for Landmark Sport Group joins the show to talk about running the Jane Rogers Championship this week on the Canadian Tour and representing rookie PGA Tour player Graham DeLaet.
• Colin Thompson: The head professional at St. George’s Golf and Country Club talks  about hosting the RBC Canadian Open a few weeks ago.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[click on the arrow to listen / volume controls are on the left]

Nelford Emphasizes Lower Body When Teaching

The Canadian Tour is generally regarded as a place for developing players to hone their skills, but when the ClubLink Jane Rogers Championship takes place next week near Milton, Ont., there will be one player in the field whose focus is helping other players develop.

The Jane Rogers Championship was started by sports agent Elliott Kerr, who began the event as a tribute to his wife, who died from cancer in 2007 and was a keen fan of the tour. Proceeds from the tournament go to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada and the Trillium Hospital Oncology Unit.

“Elliott has been my agent for a long time and I wanted to play a few events up there, but didn’t get into (last month’s Montreal Championship),” said Jim Nelford, who played the PGA Tour throughout the 1980s.

“I’ve been working on my game and working on my teaching. I certainly wanted to support Elliott in whatever way I could. I just wasn’t able to come up the year before. This is the year,” added Nelford, a two-time Canadian Amateur champ in the ‘70s.

Nelford is still a regular visitor to the range, but these days, playing isn’t his first priority as he continues to work on a book, DVD series and teaching aids devoted to a teaching philosophy he has developed. Read more

Volunteers Needed For Jane Rogers Championship

After Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., became low Canadian at last week’s RBC Canadian Open, he will swing back on to the Canadian Tour, which resumes Aug. 12-15 when the ClubLink Jane Rogers Championship takes place at Greystone Golf Club, near Milton, Ont.

The tournament is still looking for volunteers, scorers and caddies.

If any of your club members or staff are interested in participating, they should contact Joan Fisher at joantfisher@gmail.com. Caddies should contact Travis Daniels at travisdaniels@cogeco.ca.

Open Emphasized Importance of Canadian Tour

When the greatest show on earth from a golfing perspective rolls into town, whether it’s St. George’s in Toronto this year or Shaughnessy in Vancouver in 2011, the denizens of this fine pastime tend to fall all over themselves in going goo-gah for the PGA Tour.

It’s natural, I suppose, considering the obsession our society has with celebrities, but despite the superlatives launched by the media and the fans who arrive with wide eyes at the thought of seeing the world’s best up close and personal, the PGA Tour is just one aspect of the game.

After Carl Pettersson’s victory on Sunday, the PGA Tour is gone for another year, but the tour continues within our borders, one in which Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Graham DeLaet, Chris DiMarco, Steve Stricker and Adam Hadwin have played.

Wait a minute … Adam Hadwin?

If you are familiar with that name, it’s likely because the 22-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., became a fan favourite at the just-concluded RBC Canadian Open and not because he’s also a solid player on the Canadian Tour. Read more

Change In Plans Sends Goldberg East Instead Of West

Aaron Goldberg was forced to make some last-minute changes to his travel itinerary Sunday night.

The Californian, who will turn 25 later this week, gave himself an early birthday present in the form of a Toronto-bound flight for this week’s RBC Canadian Open following his first Canadian Tour title Sunday at the $300,000 Players Cup in Winnipeg.

Starting the day three shots off the lead, Goldberg posted a five-under 66 at Pine Ridge Golf Club to finish the tournament at 11-under 273 and edge Victoria’s Jim Rutledge (66) by one shot. Mike Grob (68) finished alone in third at nine under, one shot better than Rob Grube (68).

Danny Sahl of Sherwood Park, Alb. (71) tied for fifth, four shots behind Goldberg.

Also earning berths in this week’s Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club thanks to their standing on the Order of Merit are Rutledge, Grube, Brock Mackenzie, Will Wilcox and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C.

Instead of catching a flight to San Diego, Goldberg will now travel to Toronto. He already had a Toronto flight booked, just in case because he was in position to be inside the top five on the money list whether he won or not, which called for a back-up plan.

The catch was that he wasn’t going to make that flight Sunday night. Instead of heading to the airport, Goldberg was standing on the 18^th green, accepting the Players Cup championship trophy.

“I had a flight at 7:30 (Sunday night), but that’s not going to happen,” said Goldberg just before the trophy presentation

The Winnipeg triumph not only gave Goldberg the automatic free pass into the Canadian Open, but the $48,000 payday lifted him into top spot on the Canadian Tour Order of Merit.

It had been an impressive rookie season for Goldberg before he even stepped to the tee on Sunday. Heading into this week, he had three top-10s in four  starts, including a runner-up at the Times Colonist Open in Victoria.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” admitted Goldberg. “I’ve been close this year, so this one feels pretty special.

 “I gave myself plenty of chances and a few dropped in for me,” said Goldberg, who admitted glancing at the leaderboards as he made his way around the back nine at Pine Ridge.

“I was looking to see where I stood. A lot of guys don’t like to, but I want to know where I am. I didn’t know it was Jim playing that well. I was looking at the numbers, not the names,” he said.

Sponsor’s Exemption Wins Prairie Event

American Will Wilcox knows how to make the most of a sponsor’s exemption.

The 24-year-old from Alabama sunk a 15-foot birdie putt on the 72^nd hole Sunday to edge fellow American Brady Stockton and win the Canadian Tour’s $250,000 Dakota Dunes Casino Open in Saskatoon.

Wilcox closed with a six-under 66 to finish at 25-under 263, one shot clear of Stockton. New Zealand’s Josh Geary, who won in Saskatoon in 2008, and Garrett Frank placed third, a distant five shots off the pace.

Californian Cody Slover posted a course record 11-under 61 to vault into fifth with fellow American Wil Collins and Edmonton’s Danny Sahl.  Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., (64) and Kris Wasylowich of Lethbridge, Alta., (66) finished ninth at 18-under.

“This is great, just unbelievable,” said Wilcox, who took home $40,000 for the triumph. “This is really going to have a positive impact on my career going forward. Life just changed for me. This is great stuff.”

Both Wilcox and Stockton traded shots down the backstretch at Dakota Dunes and it was beginning to look like last birdie would win, which is exactly how the final moments unfolded.

Stockton birdied 11, 12 and 13 to pull ahead by one, before Wilcox answered with birdies of his own at 13 and 14. Stockton made long putts on 16 and 17 to save par and remain even.

On the par five closing hole, Wilcox hit his second shot into a greenside bunker and blasted out to 15 feet. Seconds after Stockton failed to knock in his 18-foot birdie attempt, Wilcox stepped up and sunk the winner.

“I thought for sure he was going to make that putt on 18,” said Wilcox. “We had quite the battle down the stretch and he seemed to be making everything.”

Wilcox will now have to alter his travel plans for the coming week, although he isn’t complaining. Originally scheduled to compete in a mini-tour event in Texas, he will stay for this week’s $300,000 Players Cup in Winnipeg. He’s now fully exempt on the Canadian Tour through 2012.

“It’s a no-brainer,” said Wilcox. “My decision was all based on how I played today, but now, I don’t even have to think about it. That’s some serious money.

“I’m going to Winnipeg.”

Tour Returns To Fort McMurray

The Canadian Tour is returning to Fort McMurray, Alta., with the announcement that the Syncrude Boreal Open will begin next year. The new event is confirmed through 2013.

The inaugural Syncrude Boreal Open, which will be played in either June or July in 2011, will have a minimum purse of $150,000 and will be played at the Fort McMurray Golf Club. Official dates will be announced later this summer.

“One of the things that the Canadian Tour does very well is bring world-class golf into communities that might not otherwise have the chance to see golf played at this level,” said Canadian Tour commissioner Rick Janes.

“The other thing golf does better than any other sport is raise awareness and funds for important local causes and charity. We are very excited about returning to Fort McMurray in 2011 and we hope that the entire community will embrace the event.”

Syncrude president and chief executive officer Tom Katinas said the event will add some profile to Fort McMurray.

“This is an excellent tourism opportunity for Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region,” said Katinas. “This event will give the community an opportunity to showcase the warmth and friendliness found here and show off all the features that make this a great place to live and raise a family.”

“A local non-profit organization, which will be announced at a later date, will enjoy financial benefit from the various venues,” Katinas added.

Fort McMurray has served as a host to the Canadian Tour in the past at the Fort McMurray Charity Classic, which was played in the late 1980s.

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