In the News

[Jeffrey Reed]

THE CANADIAN TOUR RETURNS TO WINDSOR



Before the start of the 2009 Canadian Tour Championship, Calgary's James Love (below) struggled for most of the year on the Canadian Tour. He was so distraught of his golf game that year that he considered putting away his golf clubs for good. But instead he continued on. And on a late August day in St. Catharines, Love dropped in a par putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole to secure his first ever Canadian Tour title.



That is one of a number of amazing stories in the brief history of the Canadian Tour Championship. This week we open a new chapter as the Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor will serve as the host course for the 2011 edition of the Canadian Tour's flagship event. This also marks the return of the Canadian Tour to the City of Roses. Windsor has not hosted a Canadian Tour event since the 1991 Windsor Charity Classic.



The Ambassador Golf Club was designed by renowned golf course architect Thomas McBroom and opened in 2005. In that short time it has been the host of amateur and collegiate championship tournaments. The Ambassador Golf Club is the premier golf facility in Essex County and has been recognized as one of the top golf courses in Ontario.





Aaron Goldberg (above) was in his sophomore year on the Canadian Tour. He turned that 2010 season into the one for the ages. Aaron not only won the Tour Championship that year but also the Players Cup and the Jane Rogers Championship. It was at the Canadian Tour Championship that he secured the Order of Merit title and received one of two exemptions into the second stage of the PGA TOUR Qualifying School. He would turn that exemption into a non-exempt card on the Nationwide Tour in 2011. Goldberg would go on to win ROLEX Player of the Year honours in 2010. He also broke Trevor Dodd's 1996 record for the most money earned in a single season with $156,118.



Aaron's win in St. Catharines also clinched the Canadian Bursary in the International Division earning him $5,000. The Canadian Bursary was created in 2006 to recognize the consistent performance of players on the Canadian Tour and to help assist aspiring touring professionals. Points are awarded to players who finish in the Top 10 in Canadian Tour events in Canada. This year, Hugo Leon is leading the International Division by 20 points on Jose de Jesus Rodriguez. Dustin Risdon is on top in the Canadian Division, 20 points ahead of Danny Sahl, 25 up on Roger Sloan. With the Tour Championship being the final Tour stop in Canada for 2011, the race for first in the Canadian Bursary will go down to the wire.


CANADIAN TOUR ALUMNI OF THE WEEK



This week we salute PGA TOUR player George McNeill of Naples, Florida. McNeill made a late charge at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. He entered the final round tied for 9th and shot a 64 but was unable to catch Webb Simpson. Simpson won the tournament by three strokes over McNeill who came in second.





George played on the Canadian Tour in 2002 finishing in a tie for 35th at the Michelin Ixtapa Classic in Mexico.


PLAYERS TO WATCH IN WINDSOR

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Iraputo, Guanajuato, Mexico

Rodriguez is on the verge of becoming the first Mexican-born player, and just the third from outside Canada and the United States, to win the Order of Merit. He finished tied for 32nd at the 2010 Tour Championship in St. Catharines.


Hugo Leon, Santiago, Chile

Hugo is still within striking distance of Jose de Jesus Rodriguez but will need to pull out all the stops if he wants to catch the Order of Merit leader. That means having a big finish at the Tour Championship at the very least. Leon also finished tied for 32nd with Rodriguez at the 2010 Tour Championship.


Adam Hadwin, Abbotsford, British Columbia
@ahadwingolf

Adam is having a year to remember even if his performance on the Canadian Tour in 2011 is slightly off compared to his rookie season. Hadwin played in 3 PGA TOUR events this year, making the cut in all 3, including the RBC Canadian Open where he was low Canadian for the second consecutive time. Adam finished tied for 10th at the 2010 Tour Championship.


Dustin Risdon, Calgary, Alberta

@DustinRisdon


Dustin is on a nice run. His tie for 9th at Seaforth gives him 4 Top-10 finishes on the season and has been perfect in making cuts in the 7 tournaments he has played in. He last played in the Tour Championship in 2008 where he finished in a tie for 8th.





Devin Carrey, Surrey, British Columbia



Devin came out firing on all cylinders at last year's Tour Championship opening with a 68 and 63. He would end up finishing the tournament tied for 7th. Carrey is in his second year on the Canadian Tour and has four Top-25 results in 2011.






Brad Fritsch, Manotick, Ontario

Three of the last four Canadian Tour events Brad has played in resulted in Top-10 finishes (T-9 in Seaforth, T-3 in Winnipeg, and T-5 in Calgary). Fritsch's best result at the Tour Championship was a third place finish in 2006.



James Love, Calgary, Alberta

James is one of two current Canadian Tour players (Stuart Anderson the other) in the Canadian Tour Championship that have won the event in the past. Love has made the cut in his last two Canadian Tour events and always seems to get hot late in the season.







Andrew Parr, London, Ontario



Andrew needed to make the cut last week in Seaforth in order to get into the Canadian Tour Championship. Not only did he make the cut, he finished strong and ended up tied for third. Parr hopes to carry the momentum of that performance into this week's event. He will be playing in his fifth Canadian Tour Championship. His best result was in 2008 when he finished tied for 12th.





Brian Unk, Lewis Centre, Ohio



The 2011 Seaforth Country Classic winner will look to become the second Canadian Tour player this year to win back-to-back tournaments (Jose de Jesus Rodriguez). Unk came close to winning the 2010 Canadian Tour Championship. He ended up finishing that tournament in a tie for second.

[Jeffrey Reed]

2011 Canadian Tour Championship - August 25, 2011

Ambassador Golf Club, Windsor, ON
August 25 - 28, 2011
Par/ Yardage: 36-35-71 / 7033
Purse: $200,000 ($32,000)


Weather
Partly Cloudy. High of 26. Winds W 26 km/h


First Round Leaderboard
Richard Scott, Kingsville, ON 63 (-8)
Roger Sloan, Merritt, BC 63 (-8)
Wil Collins, Rapid City, SD 64 (-7)
James Love, Calgary, AB 65 (-6)
John Ellis, San Jose, CA (-6)
Garrett Sapp, Los Cerritos, CA 65 (-6)
Jeff Rangel, Martinez, CA 65 (-6)



(Windsor, Ont., August 25, 2011) - Hometown favourtie Richard Scott fired a scorching 8-under-par 63 to tie the course record at Ambassador Golf Club today. Scott who teed off at 8:25AM finished his round just behind Roger Sloan who was first to post the new competitive course record at Ambassador Golf Club.

Scott who grew up in nearby Kingsville, Ont. had six birdies, two eagles and two bogeys on the day. The three-time Canadian Amateur Champion closed his round with a 29 (-7) on the front side, which was his back nine for the day.

"You kinda try not to think about shooting a low round," said Scott, who had a gallery of roughly 50 people following him. "The hometown crowd was definitely behind me, they were hooting and hollering and it was nice to have them out there," added Scott who played Ambassador for the first time last week.

In three events this year on the Canadian Tour Scott has made three cuts and sits in 25th position on the Order of Merit. The University of Georgia graduate posted the best result of his career on the Canadian Tour earlier this year in Calgary where he finished tied for third spot and took home just under $11,000. Should the 27-year-old win this week he will be $32,000 richer and gain the much needed confidence heading to PGA TOUR QSchool later this fall.

"You can put the added pressure on yourself but I decided this week I was just going to try and enjoy everything," added Scott who is competing in Windsor for the first time since being a young junior golfer. "I was saying to my parents it feels weird being home and that I'm playing in a golf tournament but I think it's actually making me feel more relaxed," admitted Scott who last won as a professional on the EGolf Tour in 2010.



Roger Sloan carded nine birdies and one bogey en route to his course record matching 63. The Merritt, BC native was the first player to obliterate the previous course record of 68, finishing his round just after 1:00PM local time.



"There is a couple par 5's out there that you can get home in two so you have to take advantage and I did that nicely today," added Sloan who is right in the mix when it comes to being exempt into second stage of PGA TOUR QSchool. "I can't really be thinking about all of the added bonuses that come with winning this week. It all goes back to Rivershore where I won and I was able to do that by focusing on the process," added Sloan who can empathize with Scott having won near his hometown earlier this season.



Should Sloan win this week and others near him on the Order of Merit falter he will jump into the second position and gain one of the highly coveted PGA TOUR second stage exemptions. Only the first and second place finishers on the Order of Merit earn the exemptions into second stage and currently those spots are held by Jose Rodriguez and Hugo Leon.

"If I happen to win this week that would be great but you know Hugo could finish second this week and still be in front of me on the money list," added Sloan who currently sits in fifth spot behind Dustin Risdon. "There are a lot of X-factors out there and the bottom line is I just need to focus on my game and not worry about everything else," added 24-year-old Sloan.

Giving chase one shot back of Scott and Sloan is former PGA TOUR member Wil Collins. Collins, who held a PGA TOUR card in 2009, made nine birdies and two bogeys en route to carding a 7-under-par 64 and sits in third place alone. The Rapid City, SD native previous best showing on the Canadian Tour came in 2008 where he finished tied for second spot twice. So far this season Collins has posted four top 20's highlighted by a 7th place showing at the Dakota Dunes Casino Classic.

2009 Canadian Tour Championship winner James Love who posted his third 65 in as many events on the Canadian Tour sits two shots back of the leaders. Love is joined in fourth spot by 2008 ROLEX player of the year John Ellis as well as Garrett Sapp and Jeff Rangel.



The Canadian Tour Championship is the flagship event of the Canadian Tour. 2011 marks the first time the Canadian Tour Championship has been played in Windsor and the first time since 1991 that the Tour has been in Windsor. From 1979 to 1991 the Windsor Charity Classic was a staple on the Canadian Tour played at Roseland Golf Course.

Tee times for round two begin at 7:30AM. Tickets for the Canadian Tour Championship are available at Ambassador Golf Club beginning at 7:00 AM Friday.



Notes:

- Richard Scott will be looking to join fellow Windsorite Matt Cole as the only other Windsor native to win in his hometown. Cole won the 1988 Windsor Charity Classic at Roseland Golf Course.


-30-

[Jeffrey Reed]

2011 Canadian Tour Championship - Friday August 26, 2011


Ambassador Golf Club, Windsor, ON
August 25 - 28, 2011
Par/ Yardage: 36-35-71 / 7033
Purse: $200,000 ($32,000)


Weather
Mainly Sunny. High of 24 feels like 30. Winds W 4 km/h


Second-Round Leaderboard
Erick Justesen, Sacramento, CA 66-62 (-14)
Richard Scott, Kingsville, ON 63-66 (-13)
Matt Hoffman, Thornhill, ON 67-65 (-10)
Mike Grob, Billings, MT 67-68 (-10)
Oscar Serna, Mexico 66-66 (-10)
Santiago Russi, Chile 68-64 (-10)
Stuart Anderson, Victoria, BC 69-63 (-10)


(Windsor, Ont., August 26, 2011) - Erick Justesen established a new course record today in the second round of the Canadian Tour Championship at Ambassador Golf Club. Justesen shot 9-under-par 62 to set the new course record, which was matched later in the day by Josh Habig of San Diego. It was the second straight day two players established the course record after Richard Scott and Roger Sloan shot 63 on day one.


Justesen, a California native, used his length to his advantage carding eight birdies, one eagle and one bogey. Playing in his third season on the Canadian Tour the 26-year-old's previous best finish came in 2010 at the ATB Financial Classic where his tied for 16th spot.

"It's Friday and I have a lot of golf ahead of me. I just hope to keep hitting some good shots and make the putts," said Justesen when asked about what it's like to be atop the leaderboard. "I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and focus on the shot at hand and not get ahead of myself," continued Justesen who has only played two events prior to the Tour Championship this year on the Canadian Tour.

Two stories that have developed so far this week are how scorable the 7000 yard Ambassador Golf Club has played and how many of the leaders would be considered long hitters. Players that are long with the driver are taking advantage of the soft greens and it's showing on the leaderboard with the scoring average falling a full shot under par at 69.70.



"Most courses are designed to penalize the 280 to 300 yard drives," said Justesen, who considers Ambassador among the best courses he has played in Canada. "If you can fly it 310 off the tee then you take all the trouble out of play and it's a definite advantage," added Justesen who leads the field in birdies made for the week at 15.



Sitting one shot behind Justesen is local favourite Richard Scott of nearby Kingsville, Ontario. Scott followed up his first round 63 with a solid round of 5-under-par 66.



"It's always tough to bounce back with another low round especially when the previous round is so fresh in your memory," said Scott who carded six birdies and one bogey on day two. "It was another solid round for me today with the putter and overall I'm happy with where I stand." said Scott who is looking to clinch his first win on the Canadian Tour. "


With 36 holes left to play Scott is looking to become the second Windsorite in Canadian Tour history to win in his hometown. Matt Cole of Windsor was the last player to win in the City of Roses back in 1988 at the Windsor Charity Classic. Coincidently Cole and Scott have been working together on Scott's short game.

"Matt helped me a little bit in the off-season on my wedge play," admitted Scott, who grew up playing on nearby Kingsville Golf & Country Club. "Matt has always been a great wedge player and he has helped me a lot," added Scott who worked with Cole at Kingsville Golf & Country Club last Christmas in the indoor facility at the golf course.


Sitting three shots back of Scott and four shots off the lead are five players with differing resumes. Canadian Tour Rookie's Matt Hoffman and Santiago Russi are both looking to secure playing privileges for 2012 while Mike Grob, Stuart Anderson and Oscar Serna are all accomplished players with varying degrees of success to their credit.


Anderson has three wins to his credit on the Canadian Tour while Mike Grob is the all time leading money winner and has chalked up six wins over his career. Serna meanwhile is a former member of the Nationwide Tour and has represented Mexico in the PGA TOUR's World Cup.

A total of 73 players made the cut which came at 3-under-par. Tee times for Saturday's third round begin at 7:36AM with the final group heading off at 1:00PM.



The Canadian Tour Championship is the flagship event of the Canadian Tour. 2011 marks the first time the Canadian Tour Championship has been played in Windsor and the first time since 1991 that the Tour has been in Windsor. From 1979 to 1991 the Windsor Charity Classic was a staple on the Canadian Tour played at Roseland Golf Course.

Tickets for the Canadian Tour Championship are available at Ambassador Golf Club beginning at 7:00 AM Saturday.


-30-

[Jeffrey Reed]

Stuart Anderson Wins Canadian Tour Championship
after Two Hole Playoff with Richard Scott


2011 Canadian Tour Championship - Sunday August 28, 2011

Ambassador Golf Club, Windsor, ON
August 25 - 28, 2011
Par/ Yardage: 36-35-71 / 7033
Purse: $200,000 ($32,000)


Weather

Mainly Sunny. High of 24. Winds E 30 km/h


Final-Round Leaderboard
*Stuart Anderson, Victoria, BC 69-63-66-65 (-21)
Richard Scott, Kingsville, ON 63-66-67-67 (-21)
Garratt Sapp, Cerritos, CA 65-68-64-68 (-19)
Joel Dahmen, Clarkston, WA 68-65-70-64 (-17)
Tyler Harris, Orlando, FL 68-67-66-66 (-17)
Roger Sloan, Merritt, BC 63-71-65-69 (-16)
Erick Justesen, Sacramento, CA 66-62-68-72 (-16)
Matt Hoffman, Thornhill, ON 67-65-70-68 (-14
Creighton Honeck, Austin, TX 66-67-67-70 (-14)

(Windsor, Ont., August 28, 2011) - Stuart Anderson of Victoria, BC drained a 25-footer on the second playoff hole to clinch victory over Richard Scott at the 2011 Canadian Tour Championship. Anderson fired a final round 6-under-par 65 to post 21-under-par for the tournament, which was enough to force a playoff at the 7000 yard Ambassador Golf Club.

Anderson earned the victory by draining a 25 foot birdie putt just moments after missing a mere 16 inch putt to seal the win on the first playoff hole. With the victory Anderson picks up his fourth Canadian Tour win and second Tour Championship of his career.

"It feels wonderful to win this championship again," said Anderson who won the inaugural Tour Championship in 2006. "I love playing this game and I hope I can play it for a living for the rest of my life," added Anderson who moves into fifth spot on the Canadian Tour Order of Merit.



For most of the final round Richard Scott held the lead. The turning point of the day came when Anderson dropped a 70-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. That putt moved Anderson to 21-under-par, which tied Richard Scott at the top of the leaderboard.

Scott wasn't able to move back into the lead after posting pars on his final three holes. The third round co-leader went on to bogey both playoff holes, deflating many of the Windsor fans that were cheering loudly for the hometown favourite. Scott took home just over $19,000 for his efforts.



"Overall I'm happy with how I played, I shot 21-under-par and it was a solid showing," admitted the Kingsville, Ontario native. "It never ceases to amaze me how supportive the Windsor area fans are to me and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart," added Scott who grew up a mere 45 minutes from Windsor proper.


The Canadian Tour Championship is the flagship event of the Canadian Tour. 2011 marks the first time the Canadian Tour Championship has been played in Windsor and the first time since 1991 that the Tour has been in Windsor. From 1979 to 1991 the Windsor Charity Classic was a staple on the Canadian Tour played at Roseland Golf Course.


Hugo Leon clinched international honours in the Canadian Bursary race while Roger Sloan and Dustin Risdon split the Canadian honours. The Canadian Bursary is a fund designed to recognize the consistent performance of players on the Canadian Tour based on top-10 finishes, using a point system similar to that used for the US Ryder Cup team selection. In keeping with the Tour's focus on the development of events across Canada, points apply solely to those events conducted in this country.



Jose Rodrigeuz and Hugo Leon secured the coveted first stage bypass exemptions for PGA TOUR QSchool by virtue of their first and second place showings on the Order of Merit following the Tour Championship. The official Order of Merit does not conclude until after the final event of the year in Dessert Dunes California where a number of players will be vying to maintain their cards.

Notes:

- The shot of the day came on the 174 yard par 3 eighth hole where Mike Mezei used a 7-iron to dunk his third career ace. Mezei's hole in one was the first one he has made in a Canadian Tour event.