PGA TOUR Canada – Coody overpowers the field for Manitoba title

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – SPORTS – Parker Coody’s first win as a professional came at the end of a very long day at the Southwood Golf and Country Club. A postponement of the first round led to a 36-hole finale for the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open on Sunday.

No problem. Coody maintained a sizable lead throughout the long morning and afternoon. The 22-year-old rookie finished at 27-under and prevailed by eight strokes at the seventh PGA TOUR Canada tournament of the 2022 season. His performance tied the record for the largest margin of victory on PGA TOUR Canada, equaling Taylor Pendrith (2019 Quebec Open), Lee McCoy (2017 Freedom 55 Financial Open) and Hank Lebioda (2017 Quebec Open).

“I know it sounds crazy, but I just had to keep going because there are low scores out there,” said Coody, who had hoped to reach 30-under. “I got to 27(-under). I’ll take it. It’s good enough. But I had to keep the pedal to the metal and keep going.”

Coody capped the tournament with a round of 67 that included five birdies over the final seven holes. He sealed the deal with a lengthy putt on No. 18. The victory came on the heels of three consecutive missed cuts.

“I just wasn’t playing very well. I had a great week at home with my coach,” said Coody, who is from Plano, Texas. “It was one of my better weeks at home. A couple of days were very positive.”

The former University of Texas standout, who is the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, opened the marathon day with a five-stroke lead, at 17-under. He was even par on 11 of his first 12 holes in the third round. The lone exception was a birdie on No. 5.

With Jeffrey Kang and others mounting a charge, Coody responded with a barrage of birdies to maintain a comfortable advantage. He birdied the 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes to finish the round with a 67 and move to 22-under.

Kang fired a 65 to vault into second, at 14-under, entering the final eighteen holes. His surge included five birdies and two eagles. Trent Phillips also climbed into contention with a 64 in the third round. He was 14-under after birdieing seven holes and getting an eagle along the way.

After a short break, the final round began with Coody comfortably ahead.

David Kim had a strong showing over the final 18 holes with four birdies and two eagles en route to a best-of-the-day-tying 64. He tied for third with Gavin Hall, at 18-under. They were one stroke behind Ian Holt, who was all alone in second place. Holt (19-under) had four rounds in the 60s.

Coody earned 500 Fortinet Cup points for the victory and $36,000. Coody improved to No. 7 in the standings with two full-field events left on the schedule before the season-ending, limited field Fortinet Cup Championship in September.

PGA TOUR Canada crosses the border for an official event for the first time next week when it contests the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens. The tournament is at the Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Did you know Parker Coody’s 27-under total is the second-lowest winning score in relation to par in PGA TOUR Canada history? Taylor Pendrith finished at 28-under at the 2019 Quebec Open at Elm Ridge Country Club’s North Course.  

Key Information

How the Canadians fared

Sudarshan Yellamaraju (Mississauga, Ontario) topped the Canadians in the field. He was 17-under and tied for fifth. Noah Steele (Kingston, Ontario) finished at 16-under and in a tie for eighth. 

Fortinet Cup Standings

(Through CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open)

There’s a new player atop the standings. Wil Bateman of Canada now leads the season-long points race after he tied for 14th this week. Previous leader Danny Walker slipped to No. 2 after missing the cut.

PGA TOUR Canada Top Margins of Victory

Parker Coody joins his identical twin, Pierceson Coody in winning PGA TOUR-affiliated Tour events this season. Pierceson won the Maine Open on the Korn Ferry Tour in June. The pair are anxious to be reunited on the golf course. Pierceson is still chasing potential PGA TOUR membership, playing in the Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs that began this week at the Albertsons Boise Open. Parker significantly improved his chances of moving on to the Korn Ferry Tour by winning in Winnipeg. He’s No. 7 in the Fortinet Cup standings, with the top-five players at season’s end earning Korn Ferry Tour membership. “We want to be out there together and as fast as possible,” Parker said.

After carrying his own bag throughout the tournament, Parker Coody got a little help over the final 18 holes. Cooper Dossey, who missed the cut, served as Coody’s caddie Sunday afternoon. “We’ve become really good friends the past couple of months traveling together and stuff,” Coody said of his fellow Texan. “For him to come out and caddie, he didn’t have to do it because he’s teeing up next week like everyone else. It was an awesome experience.”

Three champions in 2022—Wil Bateman (ATB Classic presented by Volvo Edmonton), Ryan Gerard (Quebec Open) and Scott Stevens (Royal Beach Victoria Open)— made the cut this week, with Stevens solidifying his standing in the Fortinet Cup chase. Stevens tied for eighth, at 16-under. Bateman finished at 14-under and took over the Fortinet Cup lead. Gerard, who won the Quebec Open two weeks ago in wire-to-wire fashion, finished at 10-under.

University of Kansas product Daniel Hudson led the Monday qualifiers at 11-under, good for a tie for 27th. It was Hudson’s first made cut of the season. Sarosh Adi and Roman Timmerman, the two other Monday qualifiers to make the cut, both finished 8-under

The top climber Sunday was Sudarshan Yellamaraju. He moved up 32 positions with a 64 to tie for fifth, at 17-under. Isaiah Salinda (14-under) fired a 67 and improved 23 spots, moving into a tie for 14th.

His tie for fifth was Sudarshan Yellamaraju’s second consecutive top-10. Two weeks ago, at the Quebec Open, he finished sixth. He is currently 33rd in the Fortinet Cup standings. Prior to Quebec, Yellamaraju checked in at No. 124.

In his 15th career start, Gavin Hall posted his best finish PGA TOUR Canada performance with his tie-for-third finish Sunday. The former University of Texas Longhorn’s previous-best PGA TOUR Canada showing came four weeks ago, at the Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates. He tied for eighth that week.

David Kim’s career-best finish this week, a tie for third, is also the first-year pro’s inaugural top-10 on PGA TOUR Canada. Kim’s previous-best was a tie for 28th at the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open.

Ian Holt continues to play solid golf, keeping his streak alive of making every cut this season. His solo-second finish at Southwood Golf and Country Club is his third top-10 of the campaign, to go with his tie for 10th in the season-opening Royal Beach Victoria Open and his tie for fifth at the Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open. Holt also has a scoring oddity this season. In his 28 rounds, he’s only been over par five times, with each of those over-par scores a 73. In Holt’s last 11 rounds, he’s been under-par in 10 of them—including his 67-69-67-66 outing this week.

With 620 points, Ian Holt moved into the No. 5 slot in the Fortinet Cup standings. He’s the only player in the top five without the benefit of a victory this season.

From the 18th Green the Winner says…

“It’s an awesome step. A good step in the right direction. The feeling is awesome right now. Hopefully it carries into next week.” — Parker Coody on his victory

“I hit some really good shots coming down the stretch. I’ve been struggling with my driver, and I drove it great this week.” — Parker Coody 

“That was really poor golf and really frustrating. But then that week at home, things really changed.” — Parker Coody on missing the cut in three consecutive tournaments

Final-Day Weather: Sunny and warm, with a high of 29. Wind variable at 2-4 kph.