What a year for Canadian golf! On a professional level, Canada excels everywhere. Without exaggerating too much, we can even call 2023 the best golfing year in Canadian history.

I’ve easily counted a dozen wins by Canadian golfers in 2024 at major golf courses around the world.

Four Canadian golfers became the first to win a tournament on the world’s premier golf circuit, the PGA Tour, in 2022-2023. Not only is the number of wins impressive, but the fact that four different players managed this feat is even more impressive.

Last October, Ontario’s Mackenzie Hughes set the tone for the season by winning his second PGA Tour title (the Sandersons Farms tournament in Mississippi). In overtime, Hughes prevailed over Sepp Straka to take the win.

Then, just over a month later, it was Tour of British Columbian Adam Svensson who won a Tour tournament. Svensson’s win at the RSM Classic (in Georgia) is his first on the track.

Then, in early April, the world’s highest-ranked Canadian player, Corey Conners, won the Valero Open in Texas for the second time in his career. Known for the quality of his iron shots, Conners was solid all week to win his second PGA Tour title.

However, the highlight of this extraordinary year for Canadian golf came in June at the RBC Classic. For the first time in 69 years, a Canadian player wins the Canadian Open. And with a 72-foot putt, Nick Taylor made history not just in golf, but in Canadian sports as well. On the 4th overtime hole, Taylor bested Tommy Fleetwood to capture his third PGA Tour title. And you surely remember the fierce tackle Adam Hadwin suffered after his compatriot’s spectacular shot!

In January 2023, Brooke Henderson won her 13th LPGA Tour title. The best Canadian player in history has secured her 20th professional title! And she’s only 25!

The most successful player in Canadian golf is a regular winner. She has won at least one title every year since 2015 except for 2020 (the year of the pandemic). Henderson is a prominent figure in the LPGA and continues to perform at this circuit.

Then there’s veteran Stephen Ames, now 59, enjoying his best season on the senior tour, the Champions Tour. He just clinched his fourth win of the season at the Boeing Classic in Washington state. In fact, the Seniors Circle is in Calgary this week for the Shaw Charity Classic.

And we may well add Étienne Papineau’s win earlier in the season on the PGA Tour Canada track.

Therefore, Canada is currently successful in both men and women.

Another defining season in Canadian golf history has to be 2003, when Mike Weir won the Tournament of the Masters. In overtime, he defeated Len Mattiace. Donning the green jacket is very prestigious and at the time the Canadian, who was also left-handed, was at the forefront of the golfing world.

Additionally, several analysts see this victory as a trigger or crucial element for what we are currently witnessing, 20 years later.

I totally agree that Weir’s win at the Masters served as a motivation for many players in Canada. That’s the effect of winning at elite level.

Weir’s victory gave young Canadian golfers a chance to believe in their chance to succeed on the pro stage. And that feeling is great. Golf is such a mental sport.

It’s not just individuals who have started believing in them. Institutions and those responsible have decided to invest a little more in this wonderful sport. And we are in 2024 with a development program that is working well and allowing the elite to progress.

All these successes are no coincidence. And the beauty of it is that all of these golfers still have very good years ahead of them.

I invite you to respond to this blog here or at raycloutier999@hotmail.ca

You can also follow me on Twitter @cloutierray and on my Facebook page.

Good week!