By Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Sports
Austin James had the chance to live out every Canadian golfer’s dream over the weekend, teeing off among PGA Tour superstars at Oakville’s historic Glen Abbey in the RBC Canadian Open.
The Bath native, who was playing as an amateur with a sponsor’s exemption, finished his second round at -1, failing to make the cut which was set at -4. Venezuelan Johnatthan Vegas won the event with a -21, defeating the U.S’s Charley Hoffman in a playoff to capture the event for a second straight year.
“It was super cool being around those guys and in the locker room, practicing on the same range and putting greens with such big names,” said James. “Then just going out there and realizing it’s just you and the golf course, it doesn’t matter really who you’re playing against. You’re just trying to play the best you can. It was definitely a neat experience.”
James shot 71 in both rounds and had just one bogey, which came on his second attempt on the 14th. He also picked up two birdies in his second round, on the 13th and 16th.
“My main goal at the start of the week was to make the cut,” said James. “Being my first crack at it and how nervous I was, I played fairly decent. I played steady all week. I was proud of how I kept it under control and I really did play pretty good, just a few things here and there and it would have been a bit of a different week. But overall I’m happy with how I played.”
Growing up and honing his skills on his home course at the Loyalist Golf and Country Club, James says he set the goal of one day playing in the Canadian Open.
“Every junior golfer growing up in the back of their mind they’re wanting to be a PGA Tour player,” said James. “Getting to experience that first hand was a dream come true and something that just makes you want to get out there and actually be playing out there for real.”
Looking back on his season overall, James says while the results haven’t always been there, he feels like his game continues to improve. He’ll look to carry his lessons learned from the Canadian Open into the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, which will be held at the Toronto Golf Club Aug. 7-10.
He’s hoping to play a couple more PGA Tour Canada events as his season winds down.