Posted On: Monday, June 3, 2019
Drew Nesbitt after winning PGA Tour Latinoamerica event in Tijuana, Mexico.
Drew Nesbitt from Shanty Bay Golf Club near Barrie will be among the Canadians teeing it up this week at the Canadian Open.
The 24-year-old, who recently won for the first time on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, has received an exemption to play in the Canadian Open.
This will be his second time playing in the country’s national championship. His first came in 2017 when he gained entry by shooting 66 at a Monday qualifier.
Playing at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, he shot rounds of 72-69 and missed the cut by just one stroke.
This year the Open will be held at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, a course Drew had walked previously but played for the first time this week during a practice round.
The tournament begins Thursday (June 6) and runs until Sunday.
“He’s pretty excited and being able to win in Mexico last week (on PGA Tour Latinoamerica) has given him a lot of confidence,” said his father Dave, who is one of the owners of Shanty Bay Golf Club.
The breakthrough win at the Abierto Mexicano de Golf event came after Drew had returned home and worked with his father on his chipping and putting.
“He hits a lot of greens (in regulation) but has struggled with his putting,” Dave said. “We worked on a few things and now his putting is getting better.”
The Nesbitt family has lived in the Horseshoe Valley for about 20 years and Drew learned to play at both the Highlands course at Horseshoe Resort as well as at the Shanty Bay course, which is northeast of Barrie in Oro-Medonte.
Two other players in the field with connections to the BruceGreySimcoe region are David Hearn, who played junior golf at Pike Lake Golf Centre near Mount Forest, and Listowel native Corey Conners, who played some of his junior golf at BlackHorse Golf course near Kincardine.