A memorable week for Quebec golf came to a fitting conclusion Sunday as Joey Savoie and Étienne Papineau, longtime friends and fellow Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu natives, both secured Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2027.

The final piece fell into place at the season-ending Dominican Republic Tour Championship, where Savoie delivered when it mattered most. Starting the week outside the projected promotion spots, the 32-year-old finished with a five-under 67 to win the championship at 14-under par. The victory vaulted him eight places in the season-long standings, moving him to fourth and comfortably inside the top 10 that earned Korn Ferry Tour status.

For Papineau, the week capped a remarkable comeback season. The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu native had already secured Korn Ferry Tour status for 2027 after victories at the Osprey Valley Open and Digital Commerce Group Open, finishing third in the season-long standings.

Papineau and Savoie were the only players to record two victories apiece on PGA TOUR Americas this season, underscoring their impact on the circuit from start to finish. Savoie’s season-opening victory in May, combined with his season-ending triumph, ultimately propelled him into the promotion positions.

Both players also have longstanding ties to Golf Canada’s Team Canada program. Étienne Papineau has been a member of the national squad since 2020, first as an amateur and later as a professional, while Joey Savoie was part of the program from 2018 to 2024. Their promotions also mark a special moment for Quebec golf, as two Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu natives and Pinegrove Country Club products prepare to compete together on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2027.

Ahead of the season finale, Papineau said he hoped he and his childhood friend would be celebrating Korn Ferry Tour cards together by Sunday evening. Thanks to Savoie’s charge to victory in the Dominican Republic, that wish became reality, and they now take another significant step toward their goal of reaching the PGA Tour.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS

Joey Savoie erased a two-stroke deficit and shot a bogey-free 67 to win the season-ending Dominican Republic Tour Championship by one stroke, and in the process secured his tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour next season. It is his second tour win this season, and it could not have come at a more opportune time. After his first win back in May, Savoie struggled to finish higher than 30th in his next eight PGA Tour Americas events. Going into the final event, he was on the outside looking in, sitting 12th with only the top 10 earning promotion for next season. He started the final round tied for seventh and was projected to finish 13th. Playing in the fourth-to-last group on Sunday, Savoie two-putted for birdie on the final hole to take the clubhouse lead at 14-under, and he secured the victory when Charlie Crockett parred the closing hole to fall one shot short. Savoie played the final 45 holes of the year bogey-free, and the win vaulted him up to No. 4 on the points list. Along with promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour, he also earned an exemption into the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School. …Etienne Papineau‘s finish allowed him to preserve third place in the points standings, earning him promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour next year. After opening the year with conditional membership, the Team Canada member was in danger of missing out on any further starts after missing the cut in his first five events. A tie for second in Colombia preserved his eligibility ahead of the first tour reorder, and after the schedule shifted to North America, he picked up a pair of wins to become the only two-time winner this season. Along with Savoie, he is only the fifth Canadian to finish in the top-10 on PGA Tour Americas and earn promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour. …Fellow Team Canada member Brady McKinlay, the only other Canadian to qualify for the season-ending tournament, finished outside the top-25 of the points list (31st) and missed out on qualifying directly into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School. He is exempt into the First Stage, bypassing pre-qualifying. 

LPGA TOUR

Ruoning Yin birdied two of her final three holes to win the Buick LPGA Shanghai by one stroke. It is her seventh LPGA win and the second time she has won this event, making her the second player to have multiple wins at this tournament. Yin has a win in each of her last two LPGA starts and three straight top-5 finishes. Hye-Jin Choi, who led the tournament through the first three rounds, picked up her second runner-up result this season. She was looking for her first win in 124 LPGA starts. Amy Yang, who was the only player in the field to shoot even par or better in all four rounds, finished third for her first top-10 result since the first tournament of the year. There were no Canadians entered in the event. The late-season LPGA Asian swing stops in South Korea next before going on to Malaysia and Japan.

NEXT EVENT: BMW Ladies Championship (Oct 22)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Maude-Aimee Leblanc (Reserve #30), Leah John (Reserve #48)

ASIAN TOUR

Wang Wei-hsuan made birdie on the first extra hole to win the SJM Macao Open over Sungjae Im. It is the first win on the Asian Tour for the player from Chinese Taipei, who lost in a playoff a year ago. Wang chipped in for eagle on the final hole in regulation to go up by one stroke only to see Im make birdie on the final hole to send it to a playoff. Charles Porter fought off illness to card a final-round 61 to finish solo third. …Henry Lee recorded his best finish in eight starts on the Asian Tour this year. He has three top-12 finishes on the Asian Development Tour. …Richard T. Lee was making his third start since finishing up his first season on LIV Golf. He has a top-20 result on the Japan Tour before missing the cut in a Korean Tour event two weeks ago.

NEXT EVENT: Link Hong Kong Open (Oct. 22)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Richard T. Lee, Henry Lee, Blair Bursey (Reserve #85)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Étienne Papineau has secured a return to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2027 after a two-win season on PGA Tour Americas.

The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native is one of four players mathematically assured of finishing in the top 10 on the season-long points list, tour officials announced. The top 10 earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the following season.

Papineau sits third with 1,382.55 points heading into this week’s Dominican Republic Tour Championship presented by Scotiabank. Americans Thomas Ponder, Corey Pereira and Patrick Flavin have also secured their cards.

For Papineau, the achievement marks a return to the circuit where he competed in 2024 and 2025 before losing his status.

He first earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership by finishing fourth on the PGA Tour Canada standings in 2023. His breakthrough season included a victory at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist and a runner-up finish at the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open.

Papineau recorded his first Korn Ferry Tour top-10 finish in February 2024, tying for eighth at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in Colombia. He finished his rookie season 70th on the points list, inside the top 75 who earned fully exempt status for 2025.

His second season proved more difficult.

Papineau made eight cuts in 25 starts in 2025 and finished 121st on the points list, losing his membership. His best result was a tie for 13th at the Utah Championship, where he opened with a 61. A tie for 19th at The Ascendant was his other top-25 finish.

His bid to regain that status began with another setback as he missed the cut in his first five PGA Tour Americas starts this year.

A tie for second at the Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship in June extended his season at the final event before the first eligibility reorder for conditional members.

Papineau then won the Osprey Valley Open in July and added the Digital Commerce Group Open title three events later, becoming the tour’s only two-time winner this season.

Six remaining Korn Ferry Tour cards will be decided at the season finale, with the standings finalized after Sunday’s round.

Fellow Canadian Joey Savoie enters the tournament in 12th place with 690.48 points. Drew Doyle holds the 10th and final qualifying position with 742.288 points.

The top 60 players qualified for the 72-hole, no-cut event at PGA Ocean’s 4 in Playa Nueva Romana, Dominican Republic. The winner will receive 600 points, up from 500 at regular-season events, leaving every player in the field with a mathematical chance of reaching the top 10.

For as long as Étienne Papineau could remember, golf has been a big passion for his family. Today, as a member of Team Canada, Golf Canada’s National Team Program, the talented 29-year-old has his sights set on pursuing this passion at the highest level.

“My dad’s side of the family are all golfers. My dad, Luc Papineau, competed in some high-level amateur events but never played professionally. He introduced me to golf around the age of four or five, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. It’s become my biggest passion,” said Papineau.

“I remember following him when he was competing in tournaments; and when I was around nine or 10, I started competing in tournaments myself.”

Growing up, young Étienne played soccer and did some ski racing as well, but in his early teenage years he decided to focus his efforts on his golf.

“When I was 13 or 14, I was selected for Équipe Québec, moved to Quebec City, and started to take golf more seriously,” he recalled.

While attending CEGEP—Quebec’s distinctive post-secondary education system that bridges high school and university—in Quebec City, Papineau enjoyed breakthrough success as a junior golfer.

At the age of 16, he won the 2013 Quebec Junior Boys Championship by 13 strokes. In 2014, Papineau was selected for Golf Canada’s Junior Squad and repeated as Quebec Junior Boys Champion. Then, in the summer of 2015, the promising junior golfer continued his success by capturing the Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship.

“My game really started to take off in 2013, when I was attending CEGEP in Quebec City. I completed my CEGEP in English because I was considering playing college golf in the U.S. Over the next few years, I started thinking that maybe I could make a career out of golf.”

After completing his CEGEP, Papineau attended West Virginia University on a golf scholarship.

“I was lucky to go to West Virginia. I had the opportunity to play with some unreal golfers and to cross paths with some of the best golfers today,” he noted.

“I remember we won the Big 12 (conference) tournament, which was really amazing. And the coach was unbelievable.” 

All was going smoothly until the summer of 2020, when the Division I golfer started to experience pain in his knee, which would require surgery later that year.

“I decided to have surgery on my knee in September 2020, and initially I was concerned about putting pressure on it; it took me about a year and a half to fully recover,” he recalled.

By the start of 2022, the West Virginia University grad was healthy and ready to take his game to the professional ranks.

In January of 2022, Papineau had the round of a lifetime when he shot 59 at the Legacy Golf Club in Arizona. He would follow that up by earning a spot to the WM Phoenix Open via the tournament’s Monday qualifier.

Team Canada Men’s Head Coach, Derek Ingram, recalls Papineau’s impressive start as a professional.

“I remember he Monday qualified for the Phoenix Open and just before that, he also shot a 59. He was working hard in that off-season with the other guys from the National Team and had some great results. He had some good mojo,” said Ingram.

In addition to the hard work Papineau put in during the off-season, Ingram speaks about the elements in his game and his personality that contributed to his successful start as a professional.

“Étienne is a very consistent ball striker. He’s athletic and drives it straight and a bit longer than average. He hits a lot of greens in regulation and gives himself a lot of opportunities. He’s a streaky putter. When he’s on, he could have a lot of success and has a chance to win,” Ingram noted.

“As a person, he’s really thoughtful. He has a good energy about him, with a positive vibe and a good sense of humour. He has a quiet, confident approach to the game.”

While Papineau would go on to have a solid first year as a pro in 2022, the following year would be even better.

In June of 2023, Papineau would capture his first pro win on the then-PGA TOUR Canada.

His tournament score of 18-under was good for a five-stroke victory at the Royal Beach Victoria Open. The talented young Canadian would finish third in the Fortinet Cup Standings and secured Korn Ferry status for 2023-2024.

“I think the biggest difference between my first and second years as a professional was my mindset. I started to believe in myself, and when you believe in yourself and are confident in your approach, you can accomplish anything,” said Papineau.

Coming off a difficult 2025 season, the 29-year-old Canadian is competing on the PGA TOUR Americas this season and found some great form recently. In June, he secured a tie for second at the Inter Rapidismo Golf Championship in Colombia and more recently Papineau earned a playoff victory at the Osprey Valley Open.

Currently fifth on the PGA TOUR Americas Points List with five events to go, he is in a strong position to return to the Korn Ferry Tour at season’s end. For Ingram, the story isn’t defined by where Papineau sits on the Points List today, but by the player he knows Papineau to be. He believes the Canadian has the resilience, work ethic and talent to reclaim his place among the game’s best.

“He could have confidence when looking at guys like Taylor [Pendrith] and Mac [Hughes] and knowing it’s not going to be an overnight success. And he could look at guys like A.J. [Ewart] and Sudarshan [Yellamaraju] and say, ‘I regularly practice and compete against those guys, and I could beat them, and they could beat me. If they could do it, then I could do as well.’” Ingram pointed out.

“I know he’s had to overcome some injuries and he’s always worked really hard on his game. I think he’s more than good enough to be a solid PGA TOUR player one day.”

Canadian Drew Nesbitt captured the biggest victory of his career Sunday, closing with a 5-under 66 to win the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS for his first Korn Ferry Tour title.

The 31-year-old from Horseshoe Valley, Ont., finished at 26 under par after opening the tournament with a course record-tying 11-under 60 at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill. He carried a one-shot lead into the final round after a third-round 65 and held off the field to secure the win.

“I can’t even describe it, just unbelievable,” Nesbitt said. “A loss for words. Really, really happy.”

Despite leading for much of the week, Nesbitt said he focused on execution rather than the leaderboard.

“I just managed my game really well,” he said. “You don’t have to do as much as you think, but you’ve got to go out there and execute and do the right things.”

The victory comes after Nesbitt missed three cuts in his previous four starts, though he maintained confidence in his game.

“I haven’t played bad golf, I haven’t scored well,” he said. “I know I can win. I know the quality of my good golf and I just believed in it.”

The breakthrough victory continues an impressive rise for the Canadian, who earned Korn Ferry Tour status after a late-season win on PGA TOUR Americas in 2025. This week’s triumph marks another significant milestone as he converts a career-best performance into his first victory on the PGA TOUR’s primary development circuit. He rises to 22nd in the season-long points race.

“I’m just really proud of myself,” Nesbitt said. “It’s pretty special to be able to say I’m a Korn Ferry Tour winner. No one can take it away from you.”

Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Anna Hung and Leah John named
2025 Emerging Professional of the Year Award recipients

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is proud to announce the names of 20 professional athletes that have been named to the 2026 men’s and women’s Team Canada squads.

Golf Canada’s National Team program aims to help more Canadian athletes achieve success on the world’s leading professional tours, including the PGA TOUR and the LPGA Tour. The Team Canada program supports a group of experienced amateurs on the pathway to playing professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers building their careers as touring pros.

The professional players will join the 34 amateur and junior players that were previously announced as part of the Team Canada program last December. With players choosing to turn professional at different points in the season, an athlete’s involvement in the Team Canada program including financial support continues during their transition from amateur to professional golf. 

2026 Team Canada Rosters:

Team Canada – Women

Team Canada – Men

“Golf Canada is proud to announce the professional athletes selected to the 2026 Team Canada Men’s and Women’s National Team Program. Many of these players achieved significant milestones and enjoyed strong seasons last year, and we look forward to supporting their continued development across all tours while providing them with the resources they need to excel in 2026,” said Paul Perrier, Chief Sport Officer, Golf Canada. “We also extend our sincere thanks to the generous donors of the Golf Canada Foundation and our corporate partners. Their ongoing support of player development is critical in equipping our athletes to train, compete, and pursue success at the highest levels. We are also grateful to the Selection Committee for their diligence and commitment to a rigorous, athlete-focused selection process.”

Team Canada Coaches…

As previously announced, the coaching staff for the men’s and women’s Team Canada squads will return in full for the 2026 season. Team Canada – Men will be led by head coach Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and assistant coach Louis Melanson (Moncton, N.B.). The coaching staff will be supported by mental performance coach, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Winnipeg, Man.) along with strength and conditioning coach Greg Redman (Kelowna, B.C.). Team Canada – Women will be led by Stollery Family Women’s head coach Salimah Mussani (Vancouver, B.C.) along with associate coach Jennifer Greggain (Vancouver, B.C.), strength and conditioning coach Andrea Kosa (Calgary, Alta.) and mental performance coach Judy Goss (Toronto, Ont.).

Team Canada coaches work with athletes and their personal support teams to develop annual training plans and identify areas to impact athlete growth in all areas of their game. Athletes are also supported by an integrated sport science team that includes physical conditioning, mental performance, and mental health support. Players are brought together regularly for training camps with national team coaches and sport science staff.

Team Canada Athletes….

The women’s professional team sees seven returning players including 17-year-old Anna Huang of Vancouver, B.C. Huang turned professional in 2025 and went on to win twice on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Her first professional win came at the La Sella Open in Spain in September, she followed that up with a win at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France the next week. Huang added two top 10’s and six top 20’s over 19 tournaments and finished 11th in the Order of Merit on LET in her rookie season. Leah John of Vancouver, B.C. also found the winner’s circle last season, claiming the Four Winds Invitational in August for her first professional win. John added two top 10 finishes in 20 starts on the Epson Tour. In December, John finished in the top 25 at LPGA Final Qualifying to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2026. Five women will be competing on the Epson Tour this year including, Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont. Last season, Rivers earned five top 10’s including a third place finish at the Casella Golf Championship in July on the Epson Tour. Also returning are a pair of 2025 Epson Tour rookies including Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., who earned four top 20 finishes and made the cut in 16 of 19 tournaments played last season. Along with Chun is Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C. Last season, Parsons earned two top 25 finishes in 12 events on Epson. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont. returns to the Epson Tour after competing on the LPGA Tour last season. Grewal earned five top 50 finishes in 16 starts on the LPGA Tour. Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que. will also be returning to Epson following three top 40 finishes last year. Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C. will be returning to the program for 2026. Last season, Kwon earned two top 40 finishes in 18 starts last year on Epson.

The men’s professional team sees 10 returning players from 2025 and two additional returnees from past years. Three players will compete on the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) this season, including Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver, B.C. and Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont. Last season, Creighton earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the Wichita Open in June. He added another top five, a top 10 and four top 25 finishes in 25 events on Tour. This season, Creighton has earned two top 25 finishes in five events on the KFT. Macdonald earned a runner-up finish at the Tulum Championship last May and added a top five, three top 10’s and five top 25 finishes on the KFT last season. Macdonald has two additional top 25 finishes this season in five events played. Anderson collected a third place finish, a top five, two top 10’s and three top 25’s last season on KFT; he also finished T47 at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open. Five players will compete on PGA TOUR Americas including Brendan MacDougall of Calgary, Alta., Hunter Thomson of Calgary, Alta., Noah Steele of Kingston, Ont., Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. and returning member, Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont. Callens was last a junior team national team member in 2019. Also returning to the national team after two seasons is Henry Lee of Coquitlam, B.C. Lee spent the past two years competing on the Vancouver Golf Tour and won twice in 2025 while adding five runner-up finishes. Lee earned playing status for both the Korean Tour and Asian Tour for the 2026 season. Piercen Hunt of Calgary, Alta. and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. and Johnny Travale of Hamilton, Ont. who competed on PGA TOUR Americas last season will return to the national team for 2026. Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont. and A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C. have both graduated from the Team Canada program, following their progression to the PGA TOUR this season.

For full Team Canada athlete and coach bios along with tournament results and additional information, please click here.

Team Canada is proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Puma, Foresight, Golf Canada Foundation and Sport Canada.

EMERGING PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Golf Canada Foundation is proud to announce Sudarshan Yellamaraju as the male recipient of the Emerging Professional of the Year Award, presented by Andrew Cook. The female co-recipients are Anna Huang and Leah John. 

“We are thrilled to continue the Emerging Professional awards again this year, with three deserving players getting a head start on their 2026 season with a grant to offset the many costs associated with starting your professional career,” said Martin Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Golf Canada Foundation. “Andrew Cook has been a long-time supporter of the Foundation and golf in Canada, and his generous support is meaningful and impactful for Team Canada players again this year.”

The Emerging Professional of the Year Award is funded by a generous donation from Andrew Cook, a proud Trustee of the Golf Canada Foundation and past President of Golf Canada. Each year, the top male and female professionals receive a $10,000 grant to support their next season. Past recipients include PGA TOUR member Taylor Pendrith, current and former Korn Ferry Tour members Matthew Anderson, Myles Creighton, Stuart Macdonald, Wil Bateman, Etienne Papineau and current and former LPGA Tour members Maude‑Aimée Leblanc, Savannah Grewal and Maddie Szeryk. 

Canada’s Sudarshan Yellamaraju is heading to the top tour in men’s golf.

The 24-year-old Yellamaraju, from Mississauga, Ont., earned his PGA TOUR card for next season by finishing 19th in the Korn Ferry Tour season standings after Sunday’s final round of the KFT Championship in French Lick, Ind. The top 20 in the season standings go to the PGA TOUR.

Yellamaraju entered the week ranked 20th. He moved up to 19th by shooting his third consecutive round of 1-under 71 on Sunday to finish 2 under for the tournament, good for a tie for 24th.

The Canadian had to sweat it out, though. He was off to a great start before bogeying three consecutive holes from Nos. 14-16. Yellamaraju got pars on the final two holes to hang on to a top-20 spot after all the golfers finished their rounds.

Yellamaraju was in his second season on the Korn Ferry Tour. He won the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January to vault himself into PGA TOUR contention.

Yellamaraju has taken a unique path to the PGA TOUR. He was born in India, and his family immigrated to Winnipeg when he was four. He moved to the Greater Toronto Area when he was 11. Yellamaraju won the Ontario Amateur at 16 but did not go to college in the United States, saying earlier this year he didn’t get enough money via scholarships to make it work. He instead turned pro immediately after finishing high school. 

Yellamaraju played on the PGA TOUR Americas in 2022 and 2023 before earning Korn Ferry Tour status in 2024. He finished 99th in the season-long points list last year. 

Meanwhile, Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver tied for sixth at the KFT Championship at 8 under. Three back of the lead entering the final round, Macdonald needed to win to get into the top 20 for the season.

Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., also fell short of the top 20 after tying for 43rd at this event.

Both players got entry into the final stage of PGA TOUR Qualifying School later this year for finishing in the top 50 on the Korn Ferry Tour.

American Chandler Blanchet won the season-ending event at 14 under.

Canada’s next wave of golf talent could qualify for the PGA Tour this week.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., and Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., are both within striking distance of earning membership on the top tour in men’s golf in 2026 when they tee it up at this week’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship. The top 20 players on the second-tier tour when play ends on Sunday will be promoted to the PGA Tour.

Yellamaraju is 20th and Creighton is 29th heading into play at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort. 

“I need to have a very good week, but you really don’t want to do anything different to do that,” said Creighton on Wednesday, noting he’ll likely need to be in the top three to reach the PGA Tour. “It’s not like you just play more aggressive and that will lead to you having a better chance at playing better. 

“You think when you need to have a good week that you play very aggressive and go for it but it just doesn’t really work like that.”

They’ll be joined in French Lick, Ind., by Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (50th) and Matthew Anderson (67th), also from Mississauga.

Yellamaraju has hovered around the top of the Korn Ferry Tour’s points list for most of the year since he won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club on Jan. 22. That’s one of his four top 10 finishes this season.

Creighton rocketed 52 points up the standings to 16th after he won the Wichita Open on June 22. That was his only top 10 finish this season, but he has been remarkably consistent, making 16 cuts in 24 events played.

“Most guys hate being on the cut line, but I don’t,” said Creighton. “I kind of enjoy it, weirdly. I enjoy that battle of making a cut. 

“I think that’s what kind of makes a pro a pro, giving yourself a chance to play the weekend. You never know. When I won, I made the cut by one.”

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian competing in the Open de Espana. He’s 119th on the Race to Dubai rankings heading into play at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., are the only Canadians teeing it up at the SAS Championship on Friday. Ames is 41st in the Schwab Cup race and Weir is 71st. The tournament is at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, N.C.

Fall is the last gasp before winter shuts golf down for recreational players, but it’s also when professional players have a chance to move up to the next level of the sport.

Drew Nesbitt was the lone Canadian to make the jump from the third-tier PGA Tour Americas to the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour at last week’s Fortinet Cup Championship. Nesbitt tied for 43rd in the season finale to maintain a top-10 ranking to earn promotion. 

Born in Toronto but playing out of Hockley Valley, Ont., Nesbitt finished the year with three top-five finishes, including a win at the Times Colonist Victoria Open on Sept. 21. 

“The title may say Korn Ferry Tour rookie, but I certainly don’t feel like one in the sense that I have experience at the higher levels,” said Nesbitt on Tuesday. “I have played in PGA Tour events, so I can again draw on those experiences and how to operate my schedule.

“I hold myself to a very high standard in terms of my routines and how I go and operate about my business. I’m proud of that but I can always improve.”

As the leading Canadian in the Fortinet Cup, Nesbitt earned an exemption and will make his fourth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open next year. He will join the Korn Ferry Tour for the first time in 2026, making him one of the older rookies on that tour at the age of 30.

“I’m a little bit older than a few guys, but somebody I’m really fond of is (PGA Tour player) Justin Rose. He’s 45 and he’s playing the best golf of his career,” said Nesbitt. “I think age is just a number. I try not to think of it as how many years I may potentially have left or this and that.

“I just think of it like I’m playing really great quality golf now and I don’t see it slowing down any time soon. I take care of my body, I’m in good shape, I hit it really hard.”

More Canadians might move up to the next tier of golf in the coming weeks.

Vancouver’s Leah John and Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., are both within striking distance of earning an LPGA Tour card this week when they tee it up at the Epson Tour Championship. 

The top 15 players at the end of the second-tier Epson Tour’s season get promoted. John is 20th on the Race for the Card points list and Rivers is 25th.

John said that her goal when she tees it up on Thursday is to be focused on her process and if she earns her way up to the LPGA Tour, that’s just a bonus.

“You know, commitment to shots, commitment to tempo and a positive attitude and taking care of all my controllables as best as I can,” she said on Wednesday after finishing her pro-am rounds. “Those are my big goals. 

“Obviously, winning would change my career but at the end of the day, I just want to enjoy my time out here and see what I can bring out of myself. I’m feeling good, I’m excited. Usually that’s a recipe for some good things.”

John and Rivers will be joined at Indian Wells Golf Resort, Celebrity Course in Indian Wells, Calif., by Monet Chun (61st) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Maddie Szeryk (45th) of London, Ont., Josee Doyon (T101st) of Saint-Georges, Que., Mary Parsons (106th) of Delta, B.C., and Megan Osland (unranked) of Kelowna, B.C.

AROUND THE TOURS

PGA TOUR — Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship. He won the event back in 2022 and is currently ranked 60th in the FedEx Cup’s fall standings. Adam Hadwin (139th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Adam Svensson (162nd) of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman (163rd) of Thornhill, Ont., are also in the field at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Miss.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., is the top Canadian on the Korn Ferry Tour headed into this week’s Compliance Solutions Championship. He’s 18th on the second-tier tour’s points list heading into the penultimate event of the season. He’ll be joined at The Patriot Golf Club in Owasso, Okla., by Myles Creighton (30th) of Digby, N.S., Vancouver’s Stuart MacDonald (46th), Matthew Anderson (66th) of Mississauga, and Etienne Papineau (121st) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., are the only Canadians that will tee it up at Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS on Friday. Ames is 39th on the Schwab Cup points list and Weir is 69th.

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was in one of the featured groups when the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei teed off on Wednesday afternoon. She played with returning champion A Lim Kim of South Korea and 2002 winner Hyo Joo Kim, also of South Korea. Henderson is the only two-time champion in the event’s history, having emerged victorious in 2018 and 2019. Henderson is 28th in the Race to CME Globe standings with seven events left on the LPGA Tour calendar. Savannah Grewal (142nd) of Mississauga, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc (144th) of Sherbrooke, Que., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (151st), are also in the field at Hoakalei Country Club at ‘Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.

Myles Creighton had such a good week he almost forgot about the hole-in-one.

Creighton, from Digby, N.S., had an ace on a par-3 hole in Friday’s second round, followed it up with an 11-under 59 in the third round, and then had a 2-under 68 on Sunday to win the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open. 

His first victory on the Korn Ferry Tour and catapulted him 58 spots up to 16th on the second-tier circuit’s points list.

“Just kind of processing it all still,” said Creighton as he travelled to the Memorial Health Championship in Springfield, Ill. “I think it’ll take a little while to set in but we another tournament and all so it kind of on to the next one, trying to prepare.

“But I am, you know, trying to enjoy this one, and we’ll do that for at least a couple weeks.”

Creighton wasn’t even sure he’d be able to play the weekend at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, but he had two eagles on Friday — the hole-in-one on the par-3 12th and a hole out on the par-4 15th as he shot 30 on the back nine  — to make the cut with a round of a 2-under 68.

That set up Creighton’s Saturday, where he had 12 birdies and one bogey to move to the top of the leaderboard. He then held on to that lead in the final round for the victory. 

Creighton became just the third player in Korn Ferry Tour history to win an event after carding a sub-60 round the same week.

“It was just such a crazy week,” Creighton said with a chuckle. “All the things that happened, just to give myself a chance to play on Saturday and then 59 on Saturday and then win the golf tournament.”

He is the second Canadian to win on the Korn Ferry Tour after Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., was victorious at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on Jan. 22.

Derek Ingram, the head coach of Golf Canada’s men’s team, was at Crestview Country Club last week to support Creighton and the other Canadians in the field at the Wichita Open. He said Creighton’s impressive week was a result of consistent hard work.

“The message with Myles for the last two or three months has been to be patient, keep working the plan, and if you do the right things long enough, we will get rewarded,” said Ingram on Tuesday. “But it’s tough for a guy to be patient when they’re not getting rewarded but we knew good things were going to happen.

“I wasn’t expecting, you know, a hole-in-one, a 30 on the back nine on Friday to make the cut, a 59, and then to win the tournament. We were just expecting great results, whether it’s the top five or some consistent results coming down the pipeline, but that was fantastic and a dream come true for Myles.”

Creighton and Yellamaraju are both in the field at this week’s Memorial Health Championship. Yellamaraju is 18th on the points list.

They’ll be joined at Panther Creek Country Club by Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (34th), Matthew Anderson (55th) of Mississauga, Roger Sloan (130th) of Merritt, B.C., and Etienne Papineau (141st) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Other Canadian Golf News

PGA TOUR — Amateur Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont., will be in the field at this week’s Rocket Classic on a sponsors exemption. He’ll be joining regular PGA Tour players Adam Hadwin (ranked 112th on the FedEx Cup standings) of Abbotsford, B.C., Ben Silverman (166th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Adam Svensson (167th) of Surrey, B.C., in the field at Detroit Golf Club.

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian teeing off at the Italian Open this week. He’s 116th on the European-based tour’s Race to Dubai points list heading into play at Argentario Golf Club in Monte Argentario, Italy.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames, Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., and Dave Bunker of Richmond Hill, Ont., are in this week’s U.S. Senior Open Championship. Ames is 35th on the Schwab Cup points list and Weir is 70th heading into play at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colo. Bunker hasn’t played on the Champions Tour since 2016.

LPGA TOUR — Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s Dow Championship. Grewal is 131st in the Race to CME Globe standings heading into play at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (141st) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (156th) of Sherbrooke, Que., are also in the field.

EPSON TOUR — Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian on the second-tier Epson Tour heading into the Otter Creek Championship on Friday. She’s 40th in the Race for the Card standings heading into play at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind. There are nine Canadians in the field including Brooke Rivers (56th) of Brampton, Ont., Josee Doyon (63rd) of Saint-Georges, Que., Monet Chun (69th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Mary Parsons (104th) of Delta, B.C., Yeji Kwon (126th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Vancouver’s Leah John (138th), Brigitte Thibault (146th) of Rosemere, Que., and Toronto’s Ashley Chow (unranked).