DeLaet Wins His Second Before Playing the Open

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., shot a two-under-par 69 to capture the Canadian Tour Players Cup in Winnipeg by one stroke over Byron Smith, Lucas Lee and Ryan Horn.

DeLaet finished the week at eight-under-par 276 and, with his second title of the season, jumps to the top of the Order of Merit with $78,500 after his $32,000 payday on Sunday.

John Ellis posted a 71 to grab solo fifth at 278, while Derek Gillespie (71) and Mark Leon (73) shared sixth spot at 279.

Finishing in a tie for eighth at 280 were Mitchell Gillis (70), Luke Hickmott (72) and Ryan Thornberry (71).

DeLaet started with four consecutive pars and then backed up with consecutive bogeys at five and six.

Settling down with a birdie at eight, he parred three more before posting birdies on three of his next four, starting at 12, then was handed the victory when Smith bogeyed the final hole.

Smith, a winner in Victoria last month, birdied to start the day, but gave it back at five.

He went birdie-bogey at eight and nine and added a birdie at the par five 15th to move him one ahead of a charging DeLaet.

However, Smith bogeyed 16 to drop back into a tie with DeLaet before the fateful bogey at 18 left him one back.

DeLaet, who had already earned an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open, will be join by fellow Canadian Tour players Mauricio Molina, Mike Grob, Andres Gonzales, Hugo Leon, Rafael Gomez, Stuart Anderson and Wes Heffernan.

DeLaet to Write CPGA Blog

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., has become a Canadian PGA member and will write a weekly blog on the association’s website, www.cpga.com.

DeLaet, 27, will write an inside-the-ropes commentary on a season that has started off well with four top-15 finishes in South Africa, two of those as runner-up.

His performance in South Africa comes on the heels on a tie for 13th at the World Cup in China while playing with Calgary’s Wes Heffernan and a victory at the Canadian Tour’s Montreal Open. He also finished second at the Jane Rogers Championship and Canadian Tour Championship as the 2008 season wound down.

“The experience I’ve had in the last few months playing golf around the world should be great preparation for the 2009 season,” said DeLaet, who is currently ranked 245th in the world.

DeLaet’s first blog will appear following the first event on the Canadian Tour season.

DeLaet Continues to Roll

Canadian Tour player Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., fired a final round 64, but fell one shot short of winning the Telkom PGA Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa on the weekend.

It was DeLaet’s second consecutive runner-up finish after an eight-birdie, no-bogey performance that left him sixth on the Sunshine Tour’s Order of Merit with over $96,000 Cdn. in four events.

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