A solid Saturday performance has a Calgary-based amateur golfer within striking distance entering the final round of the Canadian Open.
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Brandt Snedeker of the USA tees off the 11th hole during the third round of the RBC Canadian Open Golf Tournament at Glen Abbey Golf Club at Oakville, Ontario, Saturday.
Du Toit’s round places the 21-year-old amateur in a second place tie with Dustin Johnson, and one stroke behind the current leader Brandt Snedeker.
Snedeker sank a seven-footer eagle at the par-five 18th, while du Toit wowed the home crowd with a 40-foot eagle putt of his own for 70. For the week, he totaled two eagles and 18 birdies, overshadowing eight bogeys, one double and one triple. du Toit’s 71 matched Snedeker’s 71 out of the final game of the day so he certainly held his own under enormous pressure.
“Unbelievable”, du Toit said of the fans, per the AP (via the CBC). “I’m just trying to have some fun and be a 21-year-old playing that’s playing in his first PGA Tour event”. “It hasn’t set in so far, but loving every minute of it”.
A Canadian hasn’t won the national golf championship since 1954, when Pat Fletcher accomplished the feat at Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf Club.
Rahm, who roomed with du Toit on the road at college tournaments, says the sports world is just recognizing what he already knows: that Du Toit is smart, works really hard and is a quick learner. “Obviously I want to play well tomorrow, but it’s kind of my first go at it”.
“Very disappointing”, said Snedeker, the 2013 victor at Glen Abbey. “There are a lot of guys right there and I will need to play another great round to win”. “I’m looking forward to meeting him”.
“I think I was still asleep the first four holes but I finally woke up and played pretty well the rest of the day”, the world number two added. “I didn’t make many putts”, Kraft said. He was two strokes back on 209 and tied with Germany’s Alex Cejka, whose 69 included an 84-foot birdie putt at the final hole. “Greens were a lot more receptive”, Day said.
“I played terrible today, I really did”, Durant said. Two birdies, on 17 and 18, got him to 7-under, tying him with Johnson, and the disbelievers started to change their tune.
– Mike Weir, only a season removed from winning the Masters, took a two-stroke lead over Vijay Singh into the back nine on Sunday in 2004 only to stumble and eventually lose on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Johnson (against Steve Wheatcroft), Kuchar (Cameron Tringale) and Rahm (Derek Fathauer) are the recommendations for final-round twoball punters.
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Miguel Angel Jimenez opened a four-stroke lead in the Senior British Open, missing matching the Carnoustie course record by a stroke Saturday with a 7-under 65.
Top-ranked defending champion Jason Day was 1 over, following his opening 69 with a 76.
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Spain’s Jon Rahm, who was teammates with du Toit at Arizona State University, had stayed to watch his long-time friend finish his round and started jumping up and down and shouting. The trio are all tied in third on six-under par after they all finished with 71’s on Friday.
