VICTORIA — Étienne Papineau celebrated his 30th birthday with a final-round 61 and a four-stroke victory Sunday at the Digital Commerce Group Open.
The Team Canada member from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished at 25 under at Uplands Golf Club after rounds of 65, 64, 65 and 61. American Charlie Nikitas placed second at 21 under following a closing 66.
Papineau’s parents were waiting beside the 18th green, making the victory even more meaningful.
“My dad was there in Toronto when I won a couple months ago. My mom wasn’t there, so having both of them here, it means a lot,” Papineau said. “It’s the first time my mom sees me win, so it was awesome to celebrate and give her the first hug after the putt on 18.
“I’m still on cloud nine.”
Papineau began the final round tied for sixth, three strokes off the lead, and stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 second hole. His response was emphatic.
He made five consecutive birdies beginning at No. 3 and birdied seven of eight holes during one stretch. Three more birdies on the closing nine completed a round of nine under.
“I think the bounce-back right after the bogey on two was incredible,” Papineau said. “Making a birdie after a bogey is good, but making five of them right after a bogey in the final round was pretty incredible.
“I’m proud of the way I handled the whole week.”
Papineau said he did not begin the round with a target score. He simply knew he would have to be aggressive on the par-70, 6,420-yard layout.
“I just tried to go as low as possible because one of these guys at 16 or 17 under was probably going to go low as well,” he said. “I stayed patient out there. I knew there were going to be a lot of chances on the course, a lot of opportunities, and I just had to take advantage of them.”
The victory was Papineau’s second at the Digital Commerce Group Open. He also won the tournament in 2023 and joined Rick Todd, the champion in 1991 and 1997, as the only two-time winners in the event’s history.
Neal Ryan, a member at Uplands, was Papineau’s caddie for both victories.
“It was awesome to have Neal on the bag again,” Papineau said. “He’s super calm, super positive, and that’s what I need on the course.”
Papineau joked that Victoria’s growing place in his career could make the city a long-term destination.
“It might be my retirement home, we’ll see,” he said. “Maybe I’ll retire, whenever I retire, and come here and play golf.”
Papineau said Uplands suits his game, even though his ball-striking was not at its best during the week. Strong putting and timely par saves allowed him to remain in contention before his closing charge.
“This course is just something else for me,” he said. “It fits my game extremely well. I didn’t hit my best, to be honest, but I was extremely, extremely good on the greens this week.”
The victory was Papineau’s second of the PGA Tour Americas season following his playoff win at the Osprey Valley Open in July. He became the circuit’s first two-time winner of 2026 and moved to No. 2 on the season-long points list.
It was a significant turnaround for Papineau, who missed the cut in each of his first five starts of the season. He has since recorded four top-five finishes, including his two victories.
“The first half of the season was a struggle, but the last three months have been incredible, and I’m proud of it,” Papineau said. “Sometimes it’s good that it happens because you learn a lot from it. I was able to learn from it, bounce back and find my confidence again.”
His position on the points list has put him on track to regain Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2027. The top 10 players at the end of the PGA Tour Americas season will earn Korn Ferry Tour status.
Papineau competed on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 and 2025 but lost his membership after finishing No. 121 on last year’s points list.
“If I’m able to go back on Korn Ferry, it will give me a second chance,” he said. “I played there for two years and I learned a lot. Hopefully, I don’t make the same mistakes and I go there more prepared.”
Papineau is now within reach of the top position on the PGA Tour Americas Points List, although he acknowledged that leader Thomas Ponder remains the player to catch.
“The goal is to get that first spot,” Papineau said. “I’ll go out there, play my best and we’ll see what happens. Now it’s definitely reachable, but I still have to play some good golf to get to that spot.”
Papineau’s victory continued a strong Canadian run at the Victoria tournament. A Canadian has won four of the past six editions, with Papineau taking the titles in 2023 and 2026, Drew Nesbitt winning in 2025 and Blair Bursey prevailing in 2021.
Riley Lewis and Thomas Longbella tied for third at 20 under. Kyle Cottam, who began the final round with a two-stroke lead after setting a PGA Tour Americas record with a third-round 58, closed with a 70 and tied for fifth at 19 under.
PGA Tour Americas continues Thursday with the ATB Classic presented by Building Trades of Alberta at Blackhawk Golf Club in Edmonton. Following that tournament, the top 60 players on the points list will qualify for the season-ending Dominican Republic Tour Championship presented by Scotiabank, scheduled for Oct. 15-18.
