Now that the Covid-extended 2019-21 season is behind us, it is time to look at the Canadian male players that made it to the PGA Tour for the current season, and those that were left behind.
Yes, fall is upon us, and hockey season is around the corner. That’s exactly the point when the PGA Tour launches into its next season. This season will see some new players jump onto the tour—hello Adam Svensson and Taylor Pendrith—while others, like veteran David Hearn extends his career.
Newcomers
Adam Svensson—World ranking: 172
Svensson finished in the Top 25 on the Korn Ferry points list, propelling him back to the PGA Tour, where he last played in 2019. His game is solid—even though he didn’t have much success on his first stint on the PGA Tour. He’s young —27—and there’s plenty of opportunity for him to demonstrate he can play with the best on the PGA Tour.
Taylor Pendrith—World ranking: 227
If injuries don’t come back to haunt him, Pendrith, who has a powerful game, could be Canada’s next big golf star. With eight Top 10 finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour, and five cuts made on the PGA Tour last season, Pendrith is poised for a breakthrough. He finished in 5th on the Korn Ferry points list, which should give him plenty of starts on the PGA Tour. Don’t be surprised to see him near the top of leaderboards this year.
Top of the leaderboard
Corey Conners—World ranking: 33
Canada’s top golfer for most of the last few years, Conners 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. 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 and the PGA Championship. He’s elevating his game when it matters.
Mackenzie Hughes—World ranking: 54
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).
Best of all, 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. Is a big win around the corner?
Roger Sloan—World ranking: 225
On the PGA Tour, you need to be great once or twice a year to hold onto your playing privileges. 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 92 on the FedExCup standings. Sloan, from British Columbia, doesn’t have as high a profile as other Canadian tour pros, but is better than average off the tee and hits a lot of greens.
Adam Hadwin—World ranking: 133
One of the best Canadians on tour in recent years, Hadwin’s year didn’t measure up to his typical lofty standards. He’s slipped down the world ranking list, and has struggled off the tee and with his irons; that’s unlike the Abbotsford, BC native. Despite a top-10 finish at the Wyndham Championship in the FedExCup, Hadwin has missed an unusual number of cuts, something he’ll have to address.
Nick Taylor—World ranking: 183
Taylor, who won at Pebble Beach just before the pandemic hit, has struggled to find his form ever since. It isn’t that Taylor misses cuts—he plays a lot and made the weekend 18 times a lot last year. But when a PGA Tour golfer finishes low on the leaderboard they simply don’t put much money or accumulate FedExCup points. He’s in the second year of an exemption for winning, and will have to find the magic again.
Mike Gligic—World ranking: 395
Gligic has been on the PGA Tour for two seasons and has shown glimpses of his potential, but hasn’t found the form to be a regular on the PGA Tour. Still, he managed to get through the Korn Ferry playoffs and gain a spot on the PGA Tour for this season, so he has some time to become comfortable playing on golf’s grandest stage.
Veterans
David Hearn—World Ranking 661
Not a long hitter, Hearn is having his challenges hanging on to his playing status. A veteran who has been on tour for more than a decade now, Hearn will have to make the most of the starts he gets if he hopes to continue on the PGA Tour. Expect him to play some Korn Ferry events this season as well.
Graham DeLaet — World Ranking 1845
Still battling back injuries, DeLaet didn’t play at all in 2021 and hasn’t made a cut since 2019. Whether he can return to the form that made him one of the best in the world remains to be seen. It is unclear when he’ll return, but he does have starts available from his injury exemption.
Best of luck.ignore the IDIOTS.