| Pos. | Name | Scores |
| T1 | Matthew Shubley (Canada) | 66 – (-5) |
| T1 | Evan Holmes (Canada) | 66 – (-5) |
| T1 | Cole Wilson (Canada) | 66 – (-5) |
| T1 | Troy Bulmer (Canada) | 66 – (-5) |
| T1 | Noah Steele (a) (Canada) | 66 – (-5) |
| 6 | Blair Bursey (Canada) | 67 – (-4) |
| T7 | Brandon Lacasse (Canada) | 68 – (-3) |
| T7 | a-Etienne Papineau (Canada) | 68 – (-3) |
| T7 | Jesse Smith (Canada) | 68 – (-3) |
| T7 | Carter Lewis (Canada) | 68 – (-3) |
| T7 | Riley Goss (Canada) | 68 – (-3) |
CALEDON, Ontario — It’s a logjam atop the leaderboard, with five players shooting rounds of 66 on the opening day of the Osprey Valley Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s Heathlands Course.
Whitby’s Matt Shubley was the first player into the clubhouse at 5-under, with four players following him.
“My game’s definitely in a pretty good spot right now,” said Shubley, who made six birdies on Thursday, including five in a seven-hole stretch. “I would say my iron play is where it needs to be. I could probably tighten up a few other things, but I feel pretty good right now.”
Troy Bulmer of Vernon, British Columbia, also recorded a round of 5-under. His came courtesy of a 32 on the front nine. He credited his play off the tee for his early success.
“I drove the ball well today,” said Bulmer. “If you can put the ball in the fairway consistently out here, usually you can start making some birdies because you’re controlling your spin coming into the greens. And where they were tucking a lot of the pins today, you needed to be able to do that.”
It was also a solid start for Noah Steele. The amateur from Kingston, Ontario, played a bogey-free round and is also tied for the lead heading into Friday.
“Any time you can play in a professional event at any level it’s just the experience and a feather in your cap,” said the member of Golf Canada’s amateur team. “That’s the purpose and the focus but it’s nice to come out and get off to a good start.”
Joining the trio in the tie for first place are a couple of golfers from British Columbia – Cole Wilson of Kelowna and Vancouver’s Evan Holmes. Alone in sixth, a stroke back is Blair Bursey.
Key Information
- Blair Bursey is one shot off the lead after shooting a 4-under round of 67. The Gander, Newfoundland, native led after the first three rounds of the season-opening event in Blainville, Quebec.
- Amateur Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur Richilieu, Quebec, recorded six birdies Thursday and is three shots off the lead after shooting an opening-round 68.
- Thirty-eight golfers shot under-par in the first round, with 26 players recording scores in the 60s.
- The top-five players on the final Points List will earn 2022 PGA TOUR Canada membership. First place on the Points List will receive fully exempt status for the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season, while those in the second-through-fifth positions will earn exempt status up until the first reshuffle based on player performance.
- Fourteen players shot 69 Thursday and are tied for 12th. They are three shots behind the leaders.
The Players Comment
“It’s awesome out here. The course is great; there are no hokey holes, It’s all right in front of you, and it’s a great golf course.” –Matt Shubley on the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto
“If the wind is going to stay down, then you definitely have to keep your foot on the pedal and keep posting low rounds.” –Matt Shubley
“When it’s blue skies and the wind’s low, you know you gotta go out and make a mitt-full of birdies.” –Troy Bulmer
“It’s pure out here. There isn’t a blade of grass out of place, and everything is manicured perfectly.” –Troy Bulmer on the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto
“It was a good day. I’ve been trending nicely the last couple of weeks, and I learned a lot from a busy summer so it was nice to come out and just play really solid.” –Noah Steele
First-Round Weather:
Sunny with light breeze. High of 28. Wind N at 10 kph. Gusts in the afternoon reached 14 kph.
