Playoff time in Canada usually results in thoughts of battles on the ice for Lord Stanley’s drinking implement.
But as September rolls around, it also is playoff time in the world of professional golf, providing an opportunity to take a closer look at how the country’s top names have fared on the PGA Tour during the strange days of the pandemic, as well as those making the leap from the Korn Ferry Tour to golf’s biggest stage.
Canada’s top golfer for most of the past few years, Conners (above) is among the best ballstrikers on tour and his place in the top 50 in the world gives him access to the biggest tournaments, making it easier to keep his lofty ranking.
Birdies: Conners remains one of the best in the game when it comes to driving the ball and finding greens. He recorded a top-10 at the Players and contended in the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. He’s elevating his game when it matters.
Bogeys: Like many great Canadian golfers not named Mike Weir, Conners’ short game is a bit of a struggle. He isn’t ham-fisted like Graham DeLaet, but the numbers don’t lie – he’s 164th in strokes gained around the greens, and 109th in putting. His success is a testament to how well he hits the ball. Now imagine just how good he’d be if his short game improved even marginally?
Hughes’ continued success doesn’t show up on the stat sheets. If you went by the numbers, you’d find a golfer who isn’t among the best off the tee or around the greens. However, he’s wielded a hot putter for much of the year (he’s ranked 27th in strokes gained putting), which offsets his challenges from the tee (where he ranks 175th).
Birdies: Hughes has put himself in great spots to win. After a boatload of missed cuts in the spring, he had a shot at winning both the U.S. Open and the British Open in the summer. Like Conners, he seems to be more comfortable playing in the biggest events.
Bogeys: Or at least Hughes is comfortable until the final day of majors. He stumbled significantly at the U.S. Open when paired in the final group, shooting 77 and plummeting down the leaderboard. He contended at the Open at Royal St. George’s, carding a final-round 69, which was good, but simply not good enough for him to hoist the Claret Jug.
Former Vancouver PGA Tour pro Chris Baryla once told me you need to be great two weeks a year to get a chance to play the following season. That’s exactly what Sloan did this year, losing in a playoff in the final event of the regular PGA Tour season to jump to No. 92 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Birdies: Sloan, who doesn’t have as high a profile as other Canadian tour pros, is better than average off the tee and hits a lot of greens.
Bogeys: Like Conners, Sloan isn’t great with the flatstick, something that’s holding him back from showing up at the top of leaderboards more regularly.
Svensson finished 11th on the Korn Ferry points list, propelling him back to the PGA Tour, where he last played in 2019.
Birdies: There’s nothing Svensson does poorly; he never really had much luck during his previous stint on the PGA Tour, but perhaps the experience of performing well on the Korn Ferry Tour will change that.
Bogeys: He’s still young (27), but one has to wonder why his seemingly strong ballstriking didn’t lead to much success before on the PGA Tour. Is he an in-between player who is too good for the Korn Ferry Tour, but can’t achieve the same success at the next level?
If injuries don’t come back to haunt him, Pendrith, who has a powerful game, could be Canada’s next big golf star.
Birdies: With eight top-10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour and five cuts made on the PGA Tour, Pendrith is poised for a breakthrough. He finished fifth on the Korn Ferry points list, which should give him plenty of starts on the PGA Tour. Don’t be surprised if he wins.
Bogeys: Victories are really the only thing that’s eluded Pendrith on the top tier of the developmental circuit. He’s won on the Mackenzie Tour, but with his impressive skills, why didn’t he win on the Korn Ferry Tour? Four second-place finishes perhaps raise a few red flags.
One of the best Canadians on tour in recent years, Hadwin’s year didn’t measure up to his typical lofty standards.
Bogeys: Struggles off the tee and with his irons have held Hadwin back; his birdie average tumbled this year compared to past seasons.
Birdies: Hadwin played better in the past month, recording two top-10 finishes. He isn’t happy with the way he’s played – expect better in 2021-22.
Taylor, who won at Pebble Beach just before the pandemic hit, has struggled to find his form ever since.
Bogeys: It isn’t that Taylor misses cuts – he plays a lot and made the weekend 18 times heading into the Northern Trust. But when you finish 42nd, you simply don’t put much money in your pocket relative to those higher up the leaderboard.
Hearn should be applauded. Never long off the tee, he’s been a regular on the PGA Tour for a decade, a remarkable achievement for a player who has never won at golf’s highest levels.
Birdies: He still hits the ball very straight (eighth in driving accuracy), if not very far (205th in distance).
Bogeys: Hearn played in 24 tournaments, making the cut in 10. At 42 and heading back to the Korn Ferry playoffs for the fourth season in a row, one has to wonder whether he can be competitive in a game where distance has increasingly become a key factor.
Gligic has been on the PGA Tour for two seasons and has shown glimpses of his potential.
Birdies: Gligic, who works with Canadian short-game coach Gareth Raflewski, has become strong on the greens (37th in strokes gained putting).
Bogeys: His ballstriking, usually a strength, has let him down. He’s had one top-10 tournament, and it came in an alternate-field event. He’ll have to tidy up his ballstriking if he hopes to find success on the PGA Tour.
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