Carrie Scarfino

BRAINERD, Minnesota – Despite the doubts that tried to creep into his brain after three consecutive missed cuts and notwithstanding the persistent neck pain that bothered him all week, Yi Cao is finally a PGA TOUR Canada champion.

Cao began the final round of the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens with a five-shot lead and never faltered. He turned in a 5-under 65 and finished at 22-under 258 at Cragun’s Dutch Legacy Championship Course, giving him an eight-stroke win, the largest margin of victory on PGA TOUR Canada this season.

“I can finally call myself the best player of the week,” Cao said. “I might not be the lowest of the day, but I’m the lowest of the whole week. I’m really proud of myself. Even though I wasn’t feeling great, I just kept hanging in there and making some putts and making sure I put myself in the right position.”

Cao, of Delta, British Columbia, did nothing to put his lead in danger. After making three birdies on the front nine, Cao played a steady round and never allowed the lead to get closer than four shots. He birdied two of the final three holes to finish strong and claim his first PGA TOUR Canada victory in 48 starts.

“There’s a lot of things going in my head the last couple weeks, so many doubts,” Cao said. “I just love golf. I don’t want to do anything else except play golf. I know I can play. I know I can compete.”

Cao finished eight shots ahead of Jeffrey Kang, who closed with a 4-under 66 and finished alone in second place at 14-under. Taking solo third was Sam Jean, who shot 69 and finished at 13-under. Tied for fourth at 12-under were Gavin Hall (66) and Blake Tomlinson (68). Bunched in a tie for sixth at 11-under were Taylor Funk, George Markham, Genki Okada, Davis Shore, Hayden Springer, Brendan MacDougall and Julián Etulain.

Cao got an encouraging text message before the round from his friend Haotong Li, who currently plays on the DP World Tour.  The two competed against each other while growing up in China and remain close. The words came at the right time.

“He was like, ‘Go get it, bro,’” Cao said. “At that point, I felt that’s right. The way I played in the last three days, there’s nothing wrong with it. I just had to fully trust myself. I have the capability to do whatever I want on the golf course, just aim at the target and be fully committed to it.”

The win moves Cao up to ninth in the Fortinet Cup standings. At age 32, it allows him to keep his dream alive of one day playing on the PGA TOUR, an aspiration that many of his contemporaries have abandoned.

“I love to play. I love to practice. I love the grind. I love to travel. I love everything,” Cao said. “I love to see all the boys every single week. I just don’t want to give up my dream to be honest. I want to keep pushing and see how good I can be in the future. If I give everything I could possibly give, there is no regret for the rest of my life.”

Kang, of Anaheim, California, put together three-straight birdies from No. 12-14, but bogeyed the par-5 16^th hole and settled for a 66. He moved up to No. 11 on the Fortinet Cup list after securing his third career runner-up finish in 48 PGA TOUR Canada events.

Jean, of Greenwood, Indiana, made an eagle on the 16^th hole to steady himself. He had four bogeys on his card and posted his best finish of the season. Jean moved up from No. 52 to No. 20 on the points list.

The round of the day, however, belonged to Funk, who shot a 10-under 60 and set the tournament course record. It was the second 60 on PGA TOUR Canada this year, joining Stuart Macdonald, who shot an 11-under 60 in the first round of the Windsor Championship.

Funk, of Ponte Vedra, Florida, made 11 birdies and one bogey. He shot 28 on the back nine and birdied the final three holes. Funk shot 28 on the same nine holes a year ago. The 60 was Funk’s career low score in a tournament and moved him up 43 spots on the leaderboard and into No. 43 on the Fortinet Cup Standings.

“It was an awesome experience just to have a chance at 59,” Funk said. “I started thinking about it way too early, even before it was really feasible, but to keep putting good swings on it and keeping hitting good putts was nice.”

The top-60 players in the season-long point race advanced to next week’s season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary, Alberta. The top-five players after that event will earn status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour and be exempt into the final stage of PGA TOUR Q-School. The top-25 finishers will be exempt into the second stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

Key Information

Yi Cao managed to take a five-stroke lead in round two and never looked back. He is the first player this season to hold the outright lead (without ties) for three-straight rounds and his eight-stroke win ties the largest margin of victory in PGA TOUR Canada history.

PGA TOUR Canada Top Margins of Victory

Julián Etulain, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, made a hole-in-one on No. 17, the 126-yard par-3, with a 52-degree wedge. His last hole-in-one was during a practice round for the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The ace turned out to be huge for Etulain, who shot 65 in the final round to move into a tie for sixth. As this was only his second event on PGA TOUR Canada, it moved him up to 64^th in the points standings, but he still missed qualifying for next week’s Fortinet Cup Championship.  Etulain finished 19^th on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, though, and is already exempt into second state of Q-School and PGA TOUR Americas.

John Pak fell out of the top five in the Fortinet Cup standings since his victory at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open, the second event of the season. Pak closed with 68-68 on the weekend to tie for 44^th, which dropped him from fifth to sixth in the points race.

Sam Choi and Davis Lamb remained one-two in the Fortinet Cup standings after they were among those tied for 34^th this week.  Etienne Papineau stayed in third place, despite missing the cut. Hayden Springer, who won last week in Manitoba, jumped into fourth place after he tied for sixth in Minnesota. Stuart Macdonald, who missed the cut, dropped from fourth to fifth place.

Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through CRMC Championship presented by Gertens)

George Markham closed with a 7-under 63 and moved up 24 spots into a tie for sixth place in the final round of the CRMC Championship. He sits comfortably at 33^rd in the Fortinet Cup Points list.

J.T. Griffin tied for 13^th this week and moved from 75^th to 55th in the points list, while Ryan Davis shot a 3-under today to finish tied for 15^th. His finish this week moved him from 78^th to just inside the magic number at No. 59. Cooper Dossey shot even-par 70 today to hang on to the 60^th spot. Brian Carlson missed the cut and dropped to No. 61 and Johnny Travale slipped from No. 58 to 62 after shooting two rounds of 70 this weekend.

Cao dominates, secures first PGA TOUR Canada win at the CRMC Championship presented by GertensRead More

BRAINERD, Minnesota – Yi Cao didn’t take a glance at the scoreboard on Saturday. Not even a peek. And at the end of the day, when his final putt had fallen, he looked and learned that things hadn’t changed. His five-shot lead was still intact, and he was one round closer to his first victory on PGA TOUR Canada.

Cao shot a 5-under 65 on the Cragun’s Dutch Legacy Course and moved to 17-under after three rounds of the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens. A win would move the Canadian resident all the way from No. 55 to No. 9 on the Fortinet Cup standings and give him momentum heading into next week’s Fortinet Cup Championship in Calgary, Alberta.

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all today, because you think I’d care and actually I don’t care,” Cao said. “It’s not like I don’t care whether I win the tournament or not, but I don’t really care whether the other players make a birdie or not. I just want to play my own golf game and I’ll see what happens.”

The strategy worked. Cao picked up birdies at No. 3 and 4, the added birdies at No. 16, 17 and 18. He did not have a bogey.

“I played really steady, really solid, just a couple of putts that wouldn’t drop, just turn at the edge or burn the edge a few times,” Cao said, “The (30-foot) birdie putt at 15, I wasn’t expecting. I thought I hit it a little too firm and when it was 3-4 feet to the hole I started worrying it was going to be 3-4 feet past the hole. Then all of a sudden it dropped. I’m like, I’ll take that.”

Cao, of Delta, British Columbia, continues to experience neck pain, but he played through the discomfort, just as he has done the first two days.

“Grateful to finish another 18 today, which is awesome,” he said. “It’s always there. It was there when I woke up this morning. But, it’s better when I’m focused on the course, especially after I take some medicine before a tee time. We’ll see what happens.”

Cao’s closest pursuer is Sam Jean, of Greenwood, Indiana, who shot 6-under 64, is five-strokes behind and sits alone in second place at 12-under. Jean had two eagles during his round. He holed out for eagle on the second hole and finished birdie-birdie-eagle on 16, 17 and 18.

“That was pretty exciting. I hadn’t holed out since my freshman year in my first tournament in college, so it’s been a long time,” Jean said. “I had like 75 yards and hit it a little hard honestly, hit it like in the back fringe and just watched it pull back and it’s one of those where you’re hoping it goes in, but normally runs past the hole and this time it just dropped.”

The eagle on 18 wasn’t as dramatic, but still elicited a big fist pump from Jean after the big breaker putt rolled in. A good final round could move Jean near the top 10 on the points list and give him an opportunity to grab one of the exemptions into the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour that goes to the top-five.

“Golf is such a brutal game,” Jean said. “One week you feel like you’re on top of the world, the next week it’s like you can’t find it. So, it’s always nice to enjoy the good times while it’s here. Hopefully, I can keep it going. Just trying to enjoy it and play free.”

Last week’s tournament winner, Hayden Springer, set a tournament record with his 9-under 61 today and moved up 22 spots into third place at 11-under.

Springer, of Trophy Club Texas, shot 31 on the front nine and followed with a 30 on the back, including birdies on five of the last six holes. He finished birdie-birdie-birdie and moved up 22 spots into third place.

“I did everything pretty solid,” Springer said. “I didn’t putt all that great the first few days and I finally had some go in in today. I drove it pretty nicely today. It was a solid, pretty simple round and I was making the putts I needed to make.”

Tied for fourth place at 10-under are Jeffrey Kang, who shot a third-round 63 to move up 12 spots, and Blake Tomlinson, who shot 66 to move up three.  Kang eagled two of the par-5s and birdied two of the par-3s. He finished his round birdie-birdie-eagle to shoot 31 on the final nine.

Five players were tied for sixth at 8-under: Travis Trace, Gavin Hall, Davis Shore, J.T. Griffin and Brendan MacDougall.

Key Information

Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open)

Fortinet Cup points leader Sam Choi recorded his second-straight 67 and moved into a tie for 15^th. Davis Lamb, No. 2 on the list, shot his second-straight 68 and moved into a tie for 41^st. John Pak, No. 5 on the points list, shot 68 and moved into a tie for 44^th.

Yi Cao’s five-stroke lead heading into the final round is once again the largest lead that any player has held after 54 holes this season. Davis Lamb and Eric Lilleboe were close when they held a four-stroke third-round lead at the ATB Classic in early July.  Lamb went on to win that event by three strokes and Lilleboe went on to finish tied for ninth.

A third-round leader has went on to win six of the eight PGA TOUR Canada events this season. The two events that saw different winners emerge from the pack were the Commissionaires Ottawa Open, in which there was a three-way playoff for the title between third-round leader Devon Bling, eventual winner Stuart Macdonald and Luke Schnierderjans, and the Windsor Championship, in which Sam Choi matched the low score of the day, a 7-under 64, to claim a three-shot victory.

Jeffrey Kang’s third round of 63 included a pair of eagles today. It was the second time he’s had two eagles in one round this season, the other coming in the third round of the Windsor Championship.

Reid Davenport began the third round tied for second place but started the day with a double-bogey and bogey to fall out of contention. He didn’t make a birdie until the 16th hole and wound up shooting a 1-over 72 and dropped into a tie for 21st.

Players need to finish among the top 60 on the Fortinet Cup points list to earn a spot in next week’s Fortinet Cup Championship. That will be the area of interest for most players near the cut-off. The players projected to move into the top 60: J.T. Griffin (75th to 50^th), Brendan MacDougall (81^st to 51^st), Chris Crisologo (73^rd to 55^th), Luis Gagne (66^th to 56^th), and Ryan Davis (78^th to 59^th). Projected to move out of the top 60: Brian Carlson (54^th to 61^st), Taylor Funk (57^th to 62^nd), Johnny Travale (58^th to 64th), and Luis Gerardo Garza (59^th to 68^th).

Cao retains lead heading into final round of CRMC Championship presented by GertensRead More

BRAINERD, Minnesota – Yi Cao almost decided not to play this week because of a sore back. Now he finds himself in position to win his first PGA TOUR Canada event.

Cao shot an 8-under 62 on Friday, the low round of the tournament, thus far, at Cragun’s Dutch Legacy Course, and sits at 12-under-par 128 with a five-shot lead at the midway point of the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens.

Cao began the week in 55^th place in the Fortinet Point standings and needed to make the cut to qualify for next week’s Fortinet Championship. Now that he’s checked that box, the Delta, British Columbia, resident could move into contention to climb near the top-five and earn the much-coveted status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour.

“I came this close to not playing this week,” Cao said. “I was barely able to swing my club Thursday morning. I feel terrible. I’ve never had this feeling before.”

The five-way tie for second place at 7-under includes Reid Davenport, Drew Nesbitt, Davis Shore, Mason Glinski and Dylan Healey. Tied for seventh at 6-under are J.T. Griffin, Blake Tomlinson, Sam Jean, Corey Shaun. Brendan MacDougall, Gavin Hall and first-round leader Ryan Orr are tied for 11th at 5-under.

With the help of some Advil, Cao was able to get through the first round to shoot 66. And he began play on Friday with low expectations.

“My caddie asked me how I was feeling and I said, ‘I don’t know. I’ve never taken Advil before a round,” Cao said. “I had no expectations. I knew if I wasn’t playing well this week, I wouldn’t be able to play next week, too. At this point there was really nothing for me to lose.”

Cao, 32, started on the back nine and finished his first-nine holes by going birdie-birdie-eagle and turned in 30. He added three more birdies on his final nine.

This is his 48^th career start on PGA TOUR Canada. He won the 2020 Canada Life Series at Bear Mountain Valley Course.

Healey, of Tucson, Arizona, had eight birdies and one bogey on his card. He finished with birdies on the final three holes to shoot a 7-under 63.

“I’m just trying to trust myself,” Healey said. “I’ve been pretty consistent this year. I know I have it in me and my putter warmed up today and that was the difference.”

He birdied three of the four par-3 holes and said, “It always feels like you’re stealing when you make a two.”

Davenport, of Austin, Texas, a rookie who qualified via PGA TOUR University, shot a 66, despite a double-bogey on the par-3 15^th. Undeterred, he finished with three-consecutive birdies.

“It was a lot like the first round,” Davenport said. “It’s just stay patient. It’s an angles game really, so just taking the widest angles, let the wind kind of take it and hitting some shots into the wind, curving it, and then just telling yourself good things. It’s pretty hard to do that out here, but that’s what I’ve done.”

Nesbitt, of Toronto, Ontario, had seven birdies and one bogey in shooting his six-under 64. He started on the back nine and finished his round by making birdies on three of the last four holes.

“I tried to stay patient all day. That was the key, just understanding that it’s not easy out there,” Nesbitt said. “It was a little less breezy than yesterday, which is nice. I knew good shots were coming and I just stayed within myself and really trusted what I was doing and committed to all my golf shots.”

Glinski, of Oxnard, Calif., started on the back nine as well. He birdied No. 16-18 and shot 31.

“This week I’ve taken a step back and said I just have to play golf,” Glinski said. “There’s no sense in getting all worked up.”

Key Information

The cut came at even-par, the highest score of the season. There are 67 players who qualified for the weekend.

Fortinet Cup leader Sam Choi shot 67 and easily made the cut at 3-under. The others currently in the top five, which guarantees at least some status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, had mixed results No. 2 Davis Lamb rallied to shoot 2-under in the second round, finishing 1-under through 36 holes and is tied for 37^th, and No. 5 John Pak shot even par for the second day in a row to make the cut on the number. No. 3 Etienne Papineau and No. 4 Stuart Macdonald both missed the cut at 5-over.

Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open)

Hayden Springer, winner of last week’s Manitoba Open, shot even par and stands at 2-under, tied for 25^th.

Yi Cao’s five-stroke lead in the second round is the largest lead that any player has held after 36 holes this year.  The last time a player was ahead by that margin mid-tournament was last year at the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open when Parker Coody led the competition by five strokes with a 17-under 127 at Southwood Golf & Country Club. Here is a list of the largest 36-hole leads in PGA TOUR Canada history.

Dylan Healey, one of the players tied for second, almost quit the game during the winter. He was working as an assistant at Dove Mountain in Tucson, Arizona, and coaching kids. He was mostly playing with co-workers and friends, who encouraged him to return to professional golf. With a current standing of 32, he is already a shoo-in for next week’s Fortinet Championship and has a goal to finish in the top 25 of the points list.

Matt Boldy, a left winger for the NHL Minnesota Wild, shot 79-80 and finished last.

Quotables

“It’s been a bit of a process. It seems like every time you feel like you make progress mentally, then something brings you back down and you’re going through a bit of a spiral. That’s what I would call the last few weeks. I was able to talk with a sports psychologist and was able to put a plan together, so we’re still in the very early stages of seeing where it all goes, but so far, so good.” – Brendan MacDougall

“I just needed to make a cut. I haven’t been in good rhythm this year. I’ve been on and off and didn’t really play a completely full schedule. I’ve just had a hard time on the first couple of days, so it’s good to play good in the wind yesterday and it was nice to just play a round of golf today instead of having to really fight back for it.” – J.T. Griffin

“Going into this week, it was more or less having nothing to lose, really. I had been hitting the ball nicely the last two or three weeks and I knew that in the back of my mind. So I knew if I just kept my head down and did that, I’d be somewhere up toward the lead. I’m proud of myself going into the weekend, for sure.” – Reid Davenport

“Every event you’re always trying to do the best you can. I missed the cut the last two weeks but I felt my game was alright. There are little things that every golfer has to clean up and so far it’s been good. It’s a challenging course, which I like, and I’m glad I’ve done a good job so far.” – Corey Shaun

“I hit a horrible tee shot left of left and ended up in a bunker on the other golf course They deemed it wasn’t maintained properly. It had footprints and rake stuff everywhere, so I got relief and was able to hit it back into play on the actual hole and get up-and-down for birdie from 100 yards. I was very fortunate. It could easily have been a seven.”— Brendan MacDougall on his birdie at No. 16.

Second-Round Weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 88°F (31°C.) Winds out of the SSW 9-12 mph (14-19 kph) and gusts reaching 23 mph (37 kph.)

Cao goes low, leads by 5-strokes at CRMC Championship presented by GertensRead More

Partial First-Round Leaderboard

CRMC Championship presented by Gertens

Cragun’s Dutch Legacy Championship Course

August 31, 2023

Full Leaderboard

PGA TOUR Canada Media Center

Contact: Sara Wright, PGA TOUR Canada Communications, 719-310-2606, sarawright@pgatourhq.com

Orr battles through the breeze at the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens

BRAINERD, Minnesota — Ryan Orr knew he needed a big week to keep his hopes of advancing to the season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship alive and was able to take advantage of docile early conditions to shoot a 5-under 65 and take the first-round lead at the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens.

Orr began the day ranked No. 148 on the Fortinet Cup Standings points list and needs to climb inside the top 60 to qualify for next week’s final tournament. Orr, who has missed the cut in the last six events, understood his situation, took a nothing-to-lose approach and responded by matching his best score of the season.

“That’s pretty much what I’ve been telling myself all week, well really the last couple weeks, is I have nothing to lose,” said Orr, of Tampa, Florida. “I just need to trust my stuff and be confident. I don’t know exactly what I need, maybe a top-five, maybe a win, but just have fun, trust my stuff and try to win the golf tournament.”

Orr was in the first group of the day and began on the back nine at the Cragun’s Resort Legacy Course.  He rolled in a 30-footer for birdie on the first hole. He was able to keep his approach shots below the hole for most of the round and went on to have seven birdies and two bogeys on his card.

“After I missed the cut last week, I was able to come down here early, got a lot of work in, got to play,” Orr said. “I kept working on what I’m doing on the range and it started to click a little bit in the practice rounds. I played well Monday and Tuesday. I just had to go out and really trust my stuff and it worked out nicely.”

It didn’t take long for the wind to pick up and prevent anyone from going lower. The average score was 71.832 on Thursday, compared to 68.487 in the first round of last year’s CRMC Championship.  Thursday’s average score at Cragun’s Dutch Legacy Course also marks the highest of any first round played this season.

Although play was suspended due to darkness with two groups still on the course, five players found themselves tied in second place at 4-under 66 – Davis Shore, Sam Jean, Cole Bradley, Yi Cao and Jason Hong, while seven players were tied for seventh at 3-under.

Davis Shore, who won the Ospey Valley Open last month, had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys. The eagle came on the 16^th hole after he missed long with his approach and knocked in a 30-foot chip.

“I was hitting the ball well all day, so that helps in these breezy conditions,” Shore said. “I sort of hung in there pretty well on the front nine – the front nine is a much harder test than the back in terms of how it’s going to be playing, but especially today with this wind.”

Shore, who entered the week No. 9 on the points list, would move into the top five with a victory.  That would ensure conditional status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour.

“I try to kind of not think about it,” Shore said. “Just got to go out and shoot low scores, that’s what you’re focused on. I need a couple good finishes, so I think I got myself off to a good start today. I haven’t felt any more pressure than you’d normally feel just trying to compete in a tournament. You’ve just to be confident with what you’ve got in front of you and try to shoot a low score.”

Bradley, who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, had five birdies and one bogey on his card.

“I’m proud of myself,” Bradley said. “I had a lot of good saves, a lot of good chip shots and made a couple nice putts. It was just a good grind out there.”

For the six players remaining who need to complete their first round, play will resume in place on Friday at 8:15 a.m. The tee times for the second round will not change.

Key Information

Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open)

The top five players in the Fortinet Cup standings didn’t exactly blaze a trail on Thursday. Fortinet Cup points leader Sam Choi is tied for 41^st after opening with a 70. No. 2 Davis Lamb opened with a 1-over 71 and is tied for 57^th. No. 3 Etienne Papineau had four bogeys, shot 72 and is tied for 78^th. No. 4 Stuart Macdonald, who took last week off due to the birth of his child, struggled during his afternoon round, shooting a 75 and is tied for 117^th. No. 5 John Pak shot 70 and is tied for 41^st.

Ryan Orr’s 5-under 65 is the highest score posted by a first-round leader on PGA TOUR Canada this season. The leaders at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open and the Commissionaires Ottawa Open were at 7-under after the first round. Alexander Hermann shot 9-under to lead the first round of the CRMC Championship in 2022.

Ryan Orr’s parents, Bruce and Lori Orr, flew in for the week and his father is acting as caddie. They haven’t seen him play competitive golf since he was at the University of Florida

Kyle Vance withdrew after completing six holes on Thursday because of injury. The decision means Vance will not qualify for the season-ending Fortinet Championship.

Minnesota Wild left winger Matt Boldy shot a 9-over 79 that included a pair of double-bogeys. He finished on a bright note by making birdie on his final hole, the ninth. “It was pretty cool to be out there and see what it’s like,” Wild said. “It’s definitely a lot different when you’re out there with every shot that matters. You’re not scooping any of them off. It’s a little bit more nerve-wracking for sure.”

Quotable

“The golf course is awesome. It’s in such good shape, probably the best shape we’ve had all year. The fairways are just so good, the greens roll so perfect. You can make a lot of putts.” – Ryan Orr

“It was playing really difficult today, especially the second nine. The wind wasn’t really blowing at the start of the day, but it was really blowing when we finished up.” – Davis Shore

“It was a great test. The into-the-wind holes can be very challenging. It’s a good course for some wind because you’ve got a lot of tee shots that can be uncomfortable, and you’ve just got to step up and make a committed golf swing.” – Cole Bradley

First-Round Weather: Hazy sun and windy with a high of 81°F (27°C.) Winds out of the SSE at 14-19 mph (22-30 kph) and gusts reaching 42 mph (67 kph.)

Orr battles through the breeze at the CRMC Championship presented by GertensRead More

Shafranski is in!Read More

Article from Minnesota PGA
By Nick Hunter

HOPKINS, Minn. – Rattled by two bogeys over the first three holes Monday at Oak Ridge Country Club, Valparaiso University golfer Caleb VanArragon quickly began to doubt his chances during the opening round of the 106th Minnesota State Open presented by Yamaha Golf and Utility.

“I felt so completely lost with my game and hit a few really terrible shots,” VanArragon said. “I didn’t think it was going to be a very good tournament at all, but then I made two 30-footers in a row on the first day and that was the big turning point.”

He went on to finish his opening round with a 2-under 68 before getting a boost from a pair of eagles during his second round Tuesday, carding a 5-under 65 to share the 36-hole lead with former University of Minnesota golfer Jon DuToit.

VanArragon turned in a dominant performance on the final day Wednesday by shooting a 6-under 64 to claim a nine-stroke victory over professionals Andrew McCain, Trey Fessler and Ross Miller—the third largest margin in tournament history.

“Today was probably the best round of my life,” he said. “This means a lot to get a win since I finished second at the [Minnesota Golf Association Amateur Championship] two years ago and second at this event last year, and especially considering the quality of the players in the field.

“Winning is really hard—I’ve seen that plenty over the past few years. I think I’ve finished second or lost by one shot about 12 times since my last individual win at a college event last February.”

VanArragon carded three birdies during his front nine Wednesday, including back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes to turn in 10-under for the tournament, holding a four-shot advantage over Miller with nine holes to play.

As other players began to falter during their final nine, VanArragon executed flawlessly by sinking four consecutive birdies beginning at the par-4 12th to separate himself from the field.

He rolled in a 6-footer at the 13th before tapping in a pair of 3-footers at the 14th and 15th, but would card his fourth bogey of the week at the par-4 17th after missing the green short.

Dropping his par putt from three feet at the 18th gave VanArragon his fifth state victory, and second win of the 2023 season.

“I wanted to do what I could to put myself in the best position instead of trying to win the tournament,” he said. “The two state tournaments I won as a junior were both really close, so I’ve never had a big lead like that. It was a completely different experience for me, and I definitely didn’t feel comfortable knowing who was behind me.”

During his first four seasons at Valparaiso, VanArragon has collected three collegiate wins, more than 15 top-5 finishes and nearly 30 top-10s.

As a freshman he shattered the single-season scoring record and has since beaten it twice. The former Blaine High School standout will return for a fifth season this fall.

VanArragon’s first state victory came at the 2017 Minnesota Boys’ Junior PGA Championship at Chaska Town Course, and he would win the Minnesota State Junior Boys’ Championship the following season at The Bridges.

A two-time MGA Player of the Year, VanArragon won the 2021 Twin Cities Championship by seven strokes at Hastings Golf Club, and teamed with younger sister, Kathryn, to win the MGA Mixed Amateur Team Championship at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club in late June for his most recent victory.

As a result, VanArragon will earn an exemption into the 2023 PGA Tour Canada’s CRMC Championship at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 31-Sept. 3, as well as a spot in Monday qualifying for the 3M Open.

Wally Ulrich’s win by 15 strokes over Joe Coria and Bill Waryan in 1951 at Interlachen Country Club remains the tournament’s largest margin of victory, while George Smith claimed a 10-stroke victory over Jack Burke in 1924 at Minneapolis Golf Club, when the championship played 72 holes.

More recently, Ben Greve claimed his second straight win at the championship in 2017, five shots better than DuToit at StoneRidge Golf Club.

McCain, who became the fourth player in tournament history to win as an amateur and then as a professional, fired his best round of the week Wednesday, a 4-under 66 to earn a share of low-professional honors with Miller and Fessler.

“I finally got under the hole and had some simple birdie putts for the first time in the tournament, really,” said McCain, who bounced back from a bogey on his front nine by carding five birdies over a six-hole stretch during the back. “It’s a difficult task even making par after hitting a good shot on some of these holes.

“A good finish—I haven’t played a ton of golf this year, but it’s nice to get back and play and see familiar faces. I enjoy playing competitive golf and it’s nice to get into the swing of things and have some fun.”

Fessler entered the final round two shots off the lead in a share of third with Miller, and holed out from 116 yards for eagle at the first to earn a share of the lead with DuToit and VanArragon at 7-under.

But three double-bogeys on his final-round scorecard, including the final hole, kept Fessler from catching VanArragon, posting a final-round 71 to finish at 4-under 206.

Miller carded one birdie during his opening nine Wednesday to reach 6-under, but stumbled mid-round with two bogeys and a double at the 12th. He rallied with back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th to split a paycheck of over $7,900.

Professional and former Winona State University golfer Michael Schmitz opened the championship with a 1-under 69, and closed out the tournament with a 69 Wednesday to place fifth at 2-under 208.

NOTABLES

Don Berry (Edinburgh USA), a winner in 1992 and 1999, made his 42nd start at the championship this week and, more impressively, has made the cut in all 42 appearances.

Christopher Meyer (Southview CC), fired a final-round 72 Wednesday to place tied for eighth at even par 210, while 2021 Twin Cities Open champion Jack Hiemenz finished tied for 10^th at 211.

Jeff Sorenson (The Minikahda Club), a seven-time Minnesota PGA Rolex Player of the Year, notched a top-15 finish thanks to a second-round 68 followed by a 69 Wednesday.

Tyler Leach (Minakwa GC), University of Minnesota assistant coach Robert Bell, Lucas Johnson (Suite Shots) and 2019 champion Brady Madsen (Eagle Creek GC) also finished tied for 15 at 2-over 212.

THE 106TH MINNESOTA STATE OPEN
OAK RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB
HOPKINS, MINN.
6,781 YARDS, PAR 70

WEDNESDAY’S FINAL RESULTS
1. Caleb VanArragon, Bunker Hills GC, 68-65-64—197
T2. Andrew McCain (p), Dellwood CC, 69-71-66—206
T2. Ross Miller (p), Le Sueur CC, 69-66-71—206
T2. Trey Fessler (p), Fox Hollow GC, 67-68-71—206
5. Michael Schmitz (p), 2nd Swing, 69-70-69—208
T6. Conor Schubring, Bent Creek GC, 68-69-72—209
T6. Josh Galvin, Rush Creek GC, 69-68-72—209
T8. Brady Arnett, White Bear YC, 69-71-70—210
T8. Christopher Meyer (p), Southview CC, 72-66-72—210
T10. Jack Hiemenz (p), Victory Links GC, 70-71-70—211
T10. Muzzy Donohue, North Oaks GC, 75-63-73—211
T10. Brock Winter, Indian Hills GC, 69-69-73—211
T10. Ian Simonich, Moorhead CC, 66-70-75—211
T10. Jon DuToit, Chaska TC, 65-68-78—211

For complete tournament results go to:   https://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga23/event/mnpga239/contest/9/leaderboard.htm

VanArragon Accepts Earns Exemption to CRMC ChampionshipRead More

BRAINERD, Minnesota—Minnesota Wild star Matt Boldy has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to play in PGA TOUR Canada’s CRMC Championship presented by Gertens at Cragun’s Legacy Courses on August 31-September 3.

Boldy was selected by the Wild with the 12^th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and recently signed a multi-year contract extension with the franchise. A native of Millis, Massachusetts, the 22-year-old played his collegiate hockey at Boston College. An accomplished amateur golfer since childhood, Boldy will be navigating the Dutch Course’s Championship, par-70 layout, which will stretch to more than 7,000 yards for the event. The 156-player field will compete to win a share of the $225,000 purse in the official Fortinet Cup tournament.

This CRMC Championship presented by Gertens is the last full-field stop before players compete in the limited-field final tournament of the season, the Fortinet Cup Championship, in Calgary. The top Fortinet Cup points-earner gains membership to the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, a $25,000 bonus and an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s 2023 Fortinet Championship in California. The second-through-fifth finishers earn conditional 2024 Korn Ferry Tour membership, while all top-five finishers are also exempt into the final stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, and those finishing sixth through 25th are exempt into the second stage.

“We are thrilled to have PGA TOUR Canada returning to Brainerd for the second year in a row,” said Jack Wawro, Director of Golf, at Cragun’s Legacy Courses. “And we believe having Matt will add just that much more excitement to this year’s event. Matt is a very accomplished golfer and is very excited to see how his game will hold up against some of the best golfers in the world.”

Boldy has played 128 career NHL games, scoring 46 goals and assisting on 56 others. It is anticipated Boldy’s participation in the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens will heighten awareness and support for the tournament’s charity, the CRMC Foundation, and its support of three key initiatives: the Courage Cabinet, which offers financial assistance to cancer patients; Because of Brandon, which provides support to diabetes patients; and Hospice, which supports end-of-life care.

Cragun’s Resort is located on Gull Lake and offers a wide array of outdoor activities for individuals, families and groups, including a mile-long sandy beach, biking, hiking trails, and watersports. Cragun’s Legacy Courses present golfers the ultimate challenges and options at any skill level. As of June 30, 2023, 36 holes of golf are available on two championship courses:  the Lehman 18 and Dutch 18.

For additional information on the Resort, click here. For more information on the CRMC Championship  presented by Gertens, please click here.

About PGA TOUR Canada

PGA TOUR Canada is a series of tournaments played primarily in Canada each summer, where tomorrow’s stars begin the path to the PGA TOUR. The leading points-earners at the end of each season earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the following season. PGA TOUR Canada’s mission is to deliver a PGA TOUR experience for our members, fans, volunteers and its partners in order to develop the future stars of professional golf and enrich the communities the Tour visits. To learn more or to view the full 2023 PGA TOUR Canada schedule, please visit www.pgatour.com/canada.

Minnesota Wild Matt Boldy to play CRMC ChampionshipRead More

Northern Pacific Center official Pro-AM and Event Ticket SponsorRead More

PGA TOUR Canada just announced the 2023 PGA TOUR Canada Fortinet Cup Schedule. The CRMC Championship presented by Gertens is the last stop before players compete in the final tournament, the Fortinet Cup Championship. Only the top 5 players of the 2023 PGA TOUR Canada Fortinet Cup season long points race will receive Korn Ferry Membership in 2024.

The path to the PGA TOUR starts here. Ryan Gerard, Parker Coody, Noah Goodwin and others, who played at the 2022 CRMC Championship, earned a spot on the Korn Ferry tour and have played in PGA TOUR events in 2023.

Cragun’s Legacy Courses will be a critical stop and the crowd should be in store for a dramatic finish this Labor Day Weekend.

We hope to see all of you there for this FREE ENTRY event sponsored by Northern Pacific Center.   We are also looking for volunteers and caddies.  Sign up today at https://crmcchampionship.com/get-involved/.

JUST ANNOUNCED: 2023 PGA TOUR Canada ScheduleRead More