By Cal Aboud, SDA Media Relations Student Assistant
Ontario, Canada – An amateur making his PGA Tour debut, competing amongst a plethora of golf's preemptive talent, Jared du Toit entered play Thursday at the RBC Canadian Open not widely considered a contender. Evidently a daunting task afforded to the Sun Devil senior-to-be, making Friday's 80-player cut was an accomplishment in of itself.
Garnering a second-round, one-under 71 du Toit sat in a third-place tie with former Arizona State standout Jon Rahm entering the day. Despite collecting consecutive quality outings, the question still remained: would the amateur get caught in the moment?
The result?
As last month's U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson, strode off the 18th green at Glenn Abbey Golf Club marking the conclusion of the tournaments third round, Saturday afternoon, a buzz radiated through the on-looking gallery, not in enamor of the 11-time PGA Tour winner, but in reverence of the 21-year old, Canadian-born du Toit.
Minutes prior the amateur brought nearby surveyors at the 18th green to their feet, as he buried a 40-foot eagle putt to cap a third-round two-under 70. Amid the cheers of an electric crowd celebrating in the exceptional outing of their fellow countryman, du Toit brazenly pumped his fist, proving no moment and no stage was too big for the Sun Devil swinger.
Currently in a tie for second at eight-under with Johnson, du Toit will play as member of tomorrow's final pairing alongside Brandt Snedeker, who at nine-under holds a one stroke lead.
Pending Sunday's outcome, du Toit has the opportunity to make history in a number of facets. If at the conclusion of play du Toit were to hoist the RBC trophy, he would become 1. The first amateur since Sun Devil Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour Event, 2. The first Canuck to win Canada's equivalent of the U.S Open and Open Championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954, and 3. The first player to win their PGA debut since Russell Henley in 2013.
It is certainly shaking up to be a memorable week for du Toit. Aside from jumping on the golf world's radar, the Sun Devil, who truly embodies what it means to be a student-athlete was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
Sun Devil Alumni Jon Rahm and Chez Reavie, the event's champion in 2008 RBC Canadian Champion, respectively find themselves in the hunt. Rahm a former World Amateur No. 1 and the second winningest player in Arizona State program history, carded a steady even-par 72 to remain at six-under par and in tie for sixth. Reavie sits just three shots back of Rahm at -3, after signing off on a third-round one-over 73.
Final round coverage of the 107th rendering of Canada's National Men's Open Golf Championship, kicks off Sunday afternoon on NBC's Golf Channel (1-3 p.m./EDT) before moving to CBS (3-6 p.m./EDT).
JARED DU'TOIT 2015-16 ROUND-BY-ROUND
OLYMPIA FIELDS 73-73-72=218/+8/T-27
JACKRABBIT 76-69-73=218/+2/T-14
ALISTER MACKENZIE 67-68-68=203/-10/T-8
TAVISTOCK 74-77-72=223/+7/T-28
AMER ARI 71-67-72=210/T-10
PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST 68-68-73=209/7
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS 75-71-75=221/T-19
LAMKIN GRIPS SD 71-72-72=215/8
ASU THUNDERBIRD 74-67-72=213/E/T17
WESTERN INTERCOL. 67-69-74=210/E/T12
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS 69-70-72-77=288/+4/T19
NCAA ALBUQUERQUE REG. 72-73-75=220/+4/T5
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 72-73-71-74=290/+10/T45
Ontario, Canada – An amateur making his PGA Tour debut, competing amongst a plethora of golf's preemptive talent, Jared du Toit entered play Thursday at the RBC Canadian Open not widely considered a contender. Evidently a daunting task afforded to the Sun Devil senior-to-be, making Friday's 80-player cut was an accomplishment in of itself.
Garnering a second-round, one-under 71 du Toit sat in a third-place tie with former Arizona State standout Jon Rahm entering the day. Despite collecting consecutive quality outings, the question still remained: would the amateur get caught in the moment?
The result?
As last month's U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson, strode off the 18th green at Glenn Abbey Golf Club marking the conclusion of the tournaments third round, Saturday afternoon, a buzz radiated through the on-looking gallery, not in enamor of the 11-time PGA Tour winner, but in reverence of the 21-year old, Canadian-born du Toit.
Minutes prior the amateur brought nearby surveyors at the 18th green to their feet, as he buried a 40-foot eagle putt to cap a third-round two-under 70. Amid the cheers of an electric crowd celebrating in the exceptional outing of their fellow countryman, du Toit brazenly pumped his fist, proving no moment and no stage was too big for the Sun Devil swinger.
Currently in a tie for second at eight-under with Johnson, du Toit will play as member of tomorrow's final pairing alongside Brandt Snedeker, who at nine-under holds a one stroke lead.
Pending Sunday's outcome, du Toit has the opportunity to make history in a number of facets. If at the conclusion of play du Toit were to hoist the RBC trophy, he would become 1. The first amateur since Sun Devil Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour Event, 2. The first Canuck to win Canada's equivalent of the U.S Open and Open Championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954, and 3. The first player to win their PGA debut since Russell Henley in 2013.
It is certainly shaking up to be a memorable week for du Toit. Aside from jumping on the golf world's radar, the Sun Devil, who truly embodies what it means to be a student-athlete was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
Sun Devil Alumni Jon Rahm and Chez Reavie, the event's champion in 2008 RBC Canadian Champion, respectively find themselves in the hunt. Rahm a former World Amateur No. 1 and the second winningest player in Arizona State program history, carded a steady even-par 72 to remain at six-under par and in tie for sixth. Reavie sits just three shots back of Rahm at -3, after signing off on a third-round one-over 73.
Final round coverage of the 107th rendering of Canada's National Men's Open Golf Championship, kicks off Sunday afternoon on NBC's Golf Channel (1-3 p.m./EDT) before moving to CBS (3-6 p.m./EDT).
JARED DU'TOIT 2015-16 ROUND-BY-ROUND
OLYMPIA FIELDS 73-73-72=218/+8/T-27
JACKRABBIT 76-69-73=218/+2/T-14
ALISTER MACKENZIE 67-68-68=203/-10/T-8
TAVISTOCK 74-77-72=223/+7/T-28
AMER ARI 71-67-72=210/T-10
PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST 68-68-73=209/7
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS 75-71-75=221/T-19
LAMKIN GRIPS SD 71-72-72=215/8
ASU THUNDERBIRD 74-67-72=213/E/T17
WESTERN INTERCOL. 67-69-74=210/E/T12
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS 69-70-72-77=288/+4/T19
NCAA ALBUQUERQUE REG. 72-73-75=220/+4/T5
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 72-73-71-74=290/+10/T45