L’Île-Bizard, QC – Montreal’s Caroline Ciot will make history this week at the Mackenzie Investments Open. In the field on a sponsor exemption, Ciot will become the second female to play the PGA TOUR-era Mackenzie Tour, with the first being Jacqueline Bendrick at the 2016 GolfBC Championship.

It’s also important to note that in the pre-PGA TOUR era, Isabelle Beisiegel impressively earned a Tour card in 2011.

Ciot, now 25, started playing golf at age 17 after competing as a high-level gymnast until then. She played at the University of Montreal from 2012-2015 and won eight of the 12 university tournaments she played in Quebec. She was first on the Golf Quebec Order of Merit in 2015 and turned professional in 2017.

Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year Race
The top Canadian on the Mackenzie Tour following the Freedom 55 Financial Championship will claim the Dan Halldorson trophy, along with a $25,000 bonus. Last season, Jared du Toit claimed the trophy as the 23^rd ranked player on the Order of Merit, with Ryan Williams the runner-up at spot 31.

The race is likely to come down to the wire this season, as Michael Gligic holds the lead in the 13^th spot on the Order of Merit with $37,720 with Riley Wheeldon being his closest chaser at $31,408.

Meanwhile, du Toit folds into the 31^st spot at $17,442 with Taylor Pendrith right behind him at 32 with $17,352.

Osprey Valley, a collection of three courses just north of Toronto designed by acclaimed Canadian architect Doug Carrick, will join the PGA TOUR’s TPC Network of premier golf facilities as TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley and become the first TPC property in Canada, it was announced on Tuesday.

Known as one of the Greater Toronto Area’s most popular golf destinations, Osprey Valley has provided golfers with a world-class experience for more than 25 years on its three distinctive courses, each of which are ranked in SCOREGolf’s Top 100 Courses in Canada. Effective immediately, it joins as the 33^rd property in the TPC Network.

“This is an exciting day for the TPC Network, Osprey Valley and Canadian golfers as we welcome this wonderful facility as the 33^rd property in the TPC Network,” said Jim Triola, PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties Chief Operating Officer. “Canada is the home of many passionate golfers, so we see this as a natural fit to add TPC Toronto as the fifth international TPC facility. This represents another major step forward for this outstanding facility, which already has earned the admiration of so many people in the golf community.”

“We’re extremely proud of this new partnership and the bright future that lies ahead for Osprey Valley,” said Osprey Valley President, Chris Humeniuk. “The TPC brand is known around the world for its network of premier facilities and the quality experience that the PGA TOUR brand promises to every player. As we look to the future, we believe that this alignment will help usher in a new and exciting era at Osprey Valley.”

The Toot Course, one of TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s three unique layouts, will also be re-named the North course effective immediately, with the Heathlands and Hoot courses continuing to offer golfers an unparalleled 54-hole experience.

The Osprey Valley Open, an official Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada event that saw its inaugural playing take place at Osprey Valley in July, will also return in 2019 and beyond, with Mackenzie Tour’s only tournament in the Greater Toronto Area staying as part of a long-term agreement.

“We were absolutely thrilled with the inaugural playing of the Osprey Valley Open this year and look forward to returning for many years to come. The players were delighted to compete at such an outstanding facility, and we look forward to working with the Osprey Valley team to grow the tournament’s profile and impact in the Greater Toronto Area in the future,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday.

Opening in 1992 with the Heathlands course, Osprey Valley quickly developed a reputation among golfers in the Greater Toronto Area as one of the region’s hidden gems, adding two additional courses in 2001 to become a truly unique 54-hole facility. Its three layouts – the rolling, links-style Heathlands; the winding, wasteland-style Hoot; and the lush, pastoral parkland-style North – each offer players a variety of experiences and aesthetics, welcoming all kinds of golfers.

WINNIPEG, Man. — For the second time this season, Burlington, Ont., talent Michael Gligic was crowned Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week after shooting a 4-under 68 Sunday to finish in fourth place at 17 under overall. Gligic was also the low Canadian at 2016 The Players Cup when it was held at Niakwa Country Club.

“I three-putted one so it was kind of a sour start. I was in the middle of the fairway downwind, easy shot,” said Gligic. To lead with bogey is pretty disappointing, but made birdie on the second hole, pretty tough par-3 and that got me going again. It was just pretty steady out there.”

Fellow Canadian James Love finished one shot behind him at 16 under overall, good for a tie for fifth. Love is now inside the top 60 on the Order of Merit, rising to No. 46 from No. 83.

Michael Gellerman felt he did everything necessary to win at The Players Cup this week. He carded just one bogey and one double-bogey over 72 holes and finished at 20 under overall. The only problem was Tyler McCumber was also in the field.

“This must have been how those guys felt in 2000 when Tiger was playing or something,” Gellerman said. “ … It’s hard to complain much more, but the guy is obviously playing well and he’s a super good guy. I’m happy for him. But I want to beat him. I’m sick of losing to him.”

McCumber won for the third time in four starts, as the 27-year-old shot a 5-under 67 to finish at 22 under overall, two shots clear of the runner-up Gellerman. The University of Florida product is 90 under par over his last 16 rounds, which has included consecutive wins at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship, as well as a third-place finish at the ATB Financial Classic. He needs one more win over the final two Mackenzie Tour events to match Dan McCarthy’s record of four victories in a season, set in 2016.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it that way,” McCumber said. “That’s really funny he said that. No, maybe in a very, very small way. I do feel confident, I do feel good in my game. I feel good in the process of getting ready for tournaments. And so I don’t know how that’s portrayed or how it’s seen, but it does feel good.”

McCumber began the day one shot ahead of Drew Weaver, but quickly distanced himself from the field with birdies on four of his first six holes. His lead grew to as many as five shots at one point, and he officially put the tournament out of reach with one final birdie on the par-5 No. 16. He did not record a bogey over his final 55 holes.

“I was fortunate to come out of the gates early and get some momentum going my way,” he said. “I had a couple birdies there and then kind of just kept it going.”

McCumber’s win keeps him atop the Order of Merit for a third consecutive week, as he now leads all players with $135,700. He is almost $60,000 ahead of Zach Wright, who sits in second place with $75,880.

But he’s not ready to anoint himself just yet, no matter what his friend Gellerman says.

“It feels like something, I guess the best way to put it, is I feel more professional in my process of what I’m doing,” McCumber said. “And I think that carries into more confidence on the course and off the course. But I wouldn’t say it’s a Tiger run.”

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada—James Love and Michael Gligic enter Sunday in a tie for ninth at 13 under overall to lead all Canadians in the field. Love shot a 2-under 70 Saturday while Gligic carded a 1-under 71.

Tyler McCumber has been in this situation before. Twice, in fact.

For the third time in four weeks, the 27-year-old will take a lead into the final round on the Mackenzie Tour, as a 7-under 65 propelled him to a one-shot advantage over Drew Weaver Saturday at The Players Cup. McCumber won in both previous instances, which came in consecutive starts at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship.

“Today was definitely my best day,” he said following his round at Southwood Golf & Country Club. “I was a little more relaxed, a little more in the flow, in the zone. I was hitting good shots and really, just really not as anxious today. Just went out there and kind of freewheeled it.”

McCumber, who also finished third last week at the ATB Financial Classic, carded consecutive birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 5, then added a fourth birdie on No. 9. He pulled into a tie atop the leaderboard with an eagle on the par-5 No. 16, then took the lead for good with a birdie on the 18th hole. He was bogey-free for the second straight day.

“It was nice to kind of get some momentum and pace,” said McCumber, the top-ranked player on the Order of Merit. “I felt like today it was easier to get good mojo going and keep the momentum. I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Obviously twosomes will play pretty quick.”

The University of Florida graduate will play in Sunday’s final pairing once again with Weaver, who he also paired with in the fourth round at the Osprey Valley Open. Weaver finished tied for third that day and will look to earn his first victory on the Mackenzie Tour since the 2015 Freedom 55 Financial Open.

“I finally converted one on the ninth for eagle, and that’s a big boost, obviously,” said Weaver, who also shot 7-under 65. “But once I got a piece of momentum, I just kind of ran with it. And that’s what I’ve tried to tell myself most of the summer, is that if I could just get a little bit of momentum in any way, shape or form, that I’m going to do my best to build on it.”

WINNIPEG, Man.— Michael Gligic is the top Canadian heading into the weekend at 12 under after a fire round on Friday at the Players Cup saw him register eight birdies and only one bogey

Rounds of 67-65 leave him tied for second with six others, just one shot behind leader Alex Chiarella. The 28-year-old finished T2 at The Players Cup in 2016, when the event was held Niakwa Country Club.

“It was pretty good. The front nine could have been a lot better, too. I just couldn’t get anything going, really,” said the Burlington, Ont., talent. “I had it in there close a few times, missed probably a 3- and 6-footer for birdie and just didn’t have any momentum going. I made the turn, made a putt on 10 and on the back nine I was kind of making them from everywhere.”

Other Canadians to make the cut include James Love (tied for ninth), Aaron Crawford (tied for 33rd) and Jared du Toit (tied for 33rd). Riley Wheeldon, the leading Canadian on the Order of Merit, needed birdie on the final hole to make it on the number before carding a bogey.

Alex Chiarella is still a relative unknown on the Mackenzie Tour. He began the year with conditional status and appeared in only two events prior to this week. Even as he first climbed his way to the top of the field Thursday at The Players Cup, course leaderboards left a blank space where his name should have been.

Tournament officials ensured his name cards would be there Friday. Good thing, too. The 24-year-old continued his surprising start with a 6-under 66, moving to 13 under overall. He will take a one-shot lead over seven players into Saturday’s third round.

“My game has felt good recently,” Chiarella said. “I just haven’t been able to put good scores together. But things clicked the last couple days and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

The University of San Diego product has carded just one bogey over his first 36 holes, which came Friday on the par-4 10th. But he quickly rebounded with a birdie on No. 11, an eagle on No. 13, and two more birdies on Nos. 14 and 18. The eagle, his second of the week, came on the par-5 No. 13. He hit driver down the left side, followed with a 5-iron from 215 yards out, then connected on a putt from 12 feet.

“You can hit a lot of drivers out here, so I’m just trying to bomb driver and give myself the best angle to the pin on each green and it’s worked out,” the third-year pro said. “I’ve hit my driver well this week and hopefully it continues.”

George Cunningham, Daniel Stringfellow, David Pastore, Ian Holt, Zach Wright, Cody Blick and Canadian Michael Gligic are all tied for second at 12 under. Blake Olson and Canadian James Love are two shots back at 11 under.

“Every week has been like this, so I’ve come to expect it,” he said. “Incredible talent out here, it blows my mind. With everyone I play with, we always talk about how we can’t believe how low the scores are.

“It’s just a really solid group of guys and anyone out here can win. Hopefully I (can) be that anyone.”

Calgary, Alta, Canada— Canadian Jared du Toit, who held a brief lead as he made the turn to the back nine, is in good position on the leaderboard after a second-round 65 at the ATB Financial Classic. Spending much of the last seven years of his life in Calgary, the hometown player is in good position to bring home the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award.

“I’ve been hitting it well the past month and been waiting for the putter to go and it never came, so after the missed cut in Edmonton I put some really hard work in putting and I think it’s starting to pay off. I made a few today and yesterday, and that really started to get things going,”said du Toit.

The Country Hills Golf Club course record belongs to Lee Hodges, who made nine birdies, including three consecutive to close out his day, to card a 62 and holds a share of the lead with Chris Killmer after the second round.

After a lackluster performance last week in Edmonton at the Oil Country Championship, where he missed the first cut of his Mackenzie Tour career, Hodges’ 62 gives him the best scoring average on the Mackenzie Tour at 67.7.

“It was a good round. I was in control of my game the whole time and struck it really nicely,” said Hodges. “I hit every green and wasn’t often outside 15 feet, so it was a good ball striking day, and then I made some good putts on the last three, so overall, it was a good day.”

Hodges spread his birdies sporadically on the front nine, carding circles on hole Nos. 2, 5, 8 and 9. Turning to the back, The Huntsville, AL native made birdie on Nos. 10 and 13 before closing with three in a row for his second 62 of the season.

“It was really yesterday that this started, I played the same way, but just didn’t make as many putts,” said Hodges, who opened with a 66 on day one. “These greens are tricky to read sometimes, but today I was just underneath the hole all day and had straight putts, which was nice.”

This isn’t the first time Hodges has been in a position like this on the Mackenzie Tour. At the Osprey Valley Open, the 23-year-old held an 18-hole lead after, déjà vu, a course-record 62.

Following back-to-back 69s in rounds two and three, Hodges closed with a disappointing 77 to finish T28. However, the recent Alabama Tar Heel grad chalks it up as a necessary learning experience.

“I’m glad I had that experience at Osprey (Valley) because I didn’t handle it very well,” said Hodges. “I was like, ‘where do I go from here’, but now I know to keep my foot on the gas pedal, keep making putts and good shots and good things will happen.”

Trailing the leaders by one is first round leader Tyler McCumber, who made two eagles on the day to fire a second-round 66. In his last 11 rounds on the Mackenzie Tour, McCumber has a scoring average of 65.36.

CALGARY, Alta.— Ryan Williams of Surrey, B.C.,, Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., are all within striking distance after the first round of the ATB Financial Classic on Thursday.

Williams is currently the top Canadian at the tournament, tied for fifth and sitting only two strokes behind the three leaders. The 37-year-old made only a single bogey on his way to a 65, leading Taylor Pendrith and Jared du Toit by one in chase of the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award – though none of the players would complain if the award was accompanied by a tournament victory.

A partial home game for Jared du Toit, who spent his later teen years in Calgary, shot his best number since the Staal Foundation Open, making seven birdies to card a 66.  Du Toit sits comfortably in a tie for 12^th  alongside fellow Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Taylor Pendrith, sitting three shots behind the lead heading into the third round.

If somebody called for a heat check on Thursday at Country Hills Golf Club, it was probably for Tyler McCumber, who finished the first round of the ATB Financial Classic tied for the lead after a course-record matching 63.

Though it’s doubtful that the feeling gets old, the number marked McCumber’s sixth round played in 65 strokes or better in his last nine Mackenzie Tour rounds.

Coming off back-to-back victories at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, it would be difficult to find a course better suited for the Ponte Vedra, FL native to contend for the natural hat-trick. The past two seasons, McCumber has walked away from the tournament with T2 and T6 finishes.

“I always like coming here,” said the 25-year-old. “I played here two years prior and had two pretty solid finishes, so it fits my eye.”

Easy to say after carding nine birdies.

The number-one ranked player on the Order of Merit didn’t appear phased by the early-morning smoke that filled the Calgary air due to the recent British Columbia fires, nor the record-breaking heat wave, as McCumber carded three consecutives circles to begin his day.

Adding two more on the front side to make the turn in 31 strokes, the five-time winner of PGA TOUR sanctioned events made four more on the back, and, offset by a single bogey, carded a back-nine 32.

“It was nice to keep the momentum going,” said McCumber. “I think I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s finally clicking; the pieces are coming together at the same time, which is what I’ve been working on.”

On top of the game itself, McCumber notes another positive has been his health. After battling injuries for the better part of a year and a half, McCumber has been healthy since October, which has allowed him to focus on improving the weaknesses in his game that kept him from the winner’s circle in 2017.

So far, so good. Becoming the first player in the PGA TOUR era of the Mackenzie Tour to win back-to-back events last week in Edmonton, McCumber knows that it’s imperative to take advantage of the weeks where everything clicks.

“You can have a great week and not win. The amount of times you win in your career is a handful; if you’re one of the greats, you might win twenty times, and that’s a hall of fame career,” said McCumber. “It’s unlike other sports, so you have to judge yourself based on your own personal criteria.

“If you executed and did all the things leading up to the execution to the best of your ability, that’s how you judge your performance.”

While McCumber has threatened a spot in The Five all season long, he’s joined atop the leaderboard by a pair of golfers who appear to have found their A-game after grinding through the first half of the season.

Jonathan Garrick, who had two top-10 finishes in 2017, including a T2 in Montreal at the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval, matched McCumber’s 63 and even threatened a 59 after making birdie on 13 to move to 9-under on the day.

While Garrick sits at 72^nd on the Order of Merit, the 99^th ranked player, Chris Killmer, also fired a 63, including a stretch of five birdies in a row from holes 11-15 en-route to his lowest career Mackenzie Tour round.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Riley Wheeldon is the top Canadian at the Staal Foundation Open after three rounds, vying for his second Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award after finishing his round with five consecutive birdies, and six in his final seven holes, to shoot 30 on the back side. The Richmond, B.C., native heads into the final round T6 after his Sunday 67.

Fellow Canadian Jake Duvall continued his solid golf into the weekend. With just a single blemish on his card, the Victoria, B.C. native shot 69 and heads into Sunday T8, the first time he’s held a top-10 position heading into a Sunday in his Mackenzie Tour career.

Jared Du Toit of Calgary, Alta., and Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., also head into the final round in the top-20 at 11 under.

For the second consecutive day, Blake Olson is at the top of the leaderboard at the Staal Foundation Open due to a Saturday 69 at Whitewater Golf Club. Olson’s 17-under total gives him a one-shot lead heading into the final round.

Despite giving a shot back on three out of four par-3s, Olson made six birdies on the day to shoot his third round in the 60s in a row.

“I wasn’t in any panic mode because it was playing tough this afternoon,” said Olson. “If you look at anybody in the last five groups, it was a grind, it wasn’t anywhere as easy as the morning. I know some guys shot some good early-day scores, but they’ll be playing more in the heat tomorrow, so we’ll see.”

The Pensacola, FL product has played each event on the Mackenzie Tour schedule this season and is currently the 32^nd ranked player on The Five leaderboard, with his best finish coming as a T10 at the Freedom 55 Financial Open in June.

Since he missed the cut at the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist, Olson has played 15 consecutive rounds at even-par or better on Tour.

The 27-year-old noted four important points he will think about as he draws into a final pairing for the first time in a PGA TOUR sanctioned event.

“Playing solid, staying present, realizing it’s just golf and having fun,” said Olson. “My name was on the top yesterday, it’s on top today, I’m just going to look to have some fun tomorrow and see if we can keep it there.”

Meanwhile, drawing into the final pairing with Olson is Australian Brett Coletta after rounds of 66-64-69. Coletta has two top-25 finishes this year.

Windsor, Ontario, Canada — Placing in a tie for second is Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week Michael Gligic with rounds of 64, 68, 64 and 66.

The Kitchener, Ontario native took sole possession of the lead after a birdie on the 13th, but bogeys on both of the par 3s on the back nine, including a 3 putt on the 16th, opened the door for Anguiano to be named champion on Sunday at the Windsor Championship.

“I got off to a rough start this year, missing the cut three events in a row, but I kept working hard and the past few weeks I’ve seen some good signs, so just keep going and next week is a course I really like so hopefully I can get myself in contention again.” said Gligic.

With a 65 on Sunday at Ambassador Golf Club, Mark Anguiano picked up his first career Mackenzie Tour victory.

While five birdies in his first seven holes put Anguiano in a good place, it was the birdies he made on 15 and 17 that sealed the deal for the 25-year-old to lift his first trophy on Tour.

“When I bogeyed 14 I knew I had to man up,” said Anguiano. “I birdied 15, made a clutch par on 16 and made another clutch putt on 17. After hitting it on the green on 18 I had a good feeling that I was going to pull it off.”

It came down to the last half-hour of play until it became clear who the winner was going to be. Throughout the day, Anguiano exchanged the lead with both Canadians near the top of the leaderboard; Anguiano’s playing partner, Taylor Pendrith, and Michael Gligic, playing in the group ahead.

“All the guys in front put a lot of pressure on us, but I was very at ease,” said Anguiano. “I didn’t put a lot of pressure on myself throughout the week, even today, I knew Michael and Taylor had a little more pressure being at the top and being Canadian.”

After making birdie on 17, Anguiano walked up the 18th green with a two-stroke lead after Gligic narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie chance.

“I wasn’t sure until I got up to the green where I was really on the leaderboard, I didn’t want to know,” said the Bellflower, California native. “My caddie knew, which was good, but it wasn’t until I got to my ball on the green that I knew, and it’s a great feeling.”

The large Windsor crowd surrounding the 18th green gave Anguiano a king’s welcoming as he approached his ball, 15-feet away from the hole.

“The fans were very respectful of me and the other players that were also contending,” said Anguiano. “I felt good out there all week, there’s some stretches where you won’t hit it great or feel good on the greens, but I stayed very patient during those times and that’s important to be on top.”

This time around, Anguiano followed up his first round 63 with two 66s and a 65 to claim the victory.

One bad swing may have been all that kept Pendrith from his first Mackenzie Tour victory. Beginning the day with an eagle on his third hole, the Richmond Hill, Ontario native shot 33 on the front to make the turn right on Anguiano’s heels. However, on the 14th hole Pendrith snap hooked his shot on the par 3 into the water hazard and made a double-bogey 5. While Pendrith followed the score up with a birdie on 15, he would have to settle for a T4 finish, his strongest of the year.