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NORTH YORK, Ontario – Wil Bateman was stuck in traffic heading from the driving range to the putting green on Friday morning at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
He arrived at the green with just seven minutes before his tee time, and despite the fact that he’s playing in his second PGA Tour event and first national open, the 29-year-old made a bold move and changed putters from a blade to a mallet.
“Honestly, I felt like I hit it great yesterday and just, I didn’t make anything at all. Last night I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to put the blade in the bag and go warm-up with it this morning and see what happens,’” explained Bateman. “I made like the first six putts from like 20 feet or so, and I was like, ‘Okay, this is in the bag today.’”
And it’s going to stay in the bag after Bateman signed for the low round of the tournament thus far, a 6-under 66 at Oakdale Golf and Country Club that moved him inside the top 20. As Bateman said, “When they bring out the cameras and the little fuzzy little mic, you know you’re doing something right.”
The only thing crazier than making a last-minute putter change is the fact that he has never used that putter in competition before. Talk about high risk, high reward.
After attending San Diego State, Bateman’s journey through professional golf has been a bumpy one. The Edmonton native, who now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, has spent the majority of his career bouncing around between PGA Tour Canada and Latinoamerica. His only previous PGA Tour start came at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open (missed cut), but after finishing No. 1 last season on PGA Tour Canada, Bateman has made 11 starts this year on the Korn Ferry Tour, with two top-five finishes.
No. 1 @PGATOURCanada ➡️ T15 @RBCCanadianOpen @Wil_Bateman with an impressive 6-under round in his home country. pic.twitter.com/6iWLkvH5Zm
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 9, 2023
“Coming here this week, I just try to treat it as another tournament. Coming here, I knew I was a little bit nervous, but then when I got out there and played some practice rounds it really does feel like another tournament,” he said. “Obviously it’s a bigger stage and players are better. But everybody’s trying to do the same thing. Still trying to get the ball in the hole. So obviously this weekend’s going to be electric. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Electric indeed.
Bateman’s entire family is on hand to witness his Tour debut in his home country – brother, mom, dad and step parents, the whole lot – and the Canadian contingent of fans have rallied around him, as well.
A Canadian hasn’t won his national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954, a drought that fan-favorite Mike Weir nearly ended in 2004 before his playoff loss to Vijay Singh. Canadian golf is trending in the right direction this year, with Mackenzie Hughes (Sanderson Farms Championship), Adam Svensson (RSM Classic) and Corey Conners (Valero Texas Open) all earning wins.
What a story it would be if Bateman added his name to the list.
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