CARDIGAN, Prince Edward Island—On Canada Day, non-Canadians had to work like Canadians. Luckily, they worked hard over National Day at a beautiful location, the Dundarave Golf Course, which hosts the Prince Edward Island Open presented by IMP Solutions as the inaugural Fortinet Cup season of the PGA TOUR Canada continues.
Two players who were in a slightly different environment last week are Canadian Myles Creighton and American Austin Hitt. The duo wrapped up their PGA TOUR Latinoamerica seasons five days ago in Tulum, Mexico in the oppressive summer heat common to that part of Mexico as they played in the season-ending Bupa Tour Championship. Both players also have PGA TOUR Canada status, so as soon as the tournament ended, the duo headed north and found the temperatures in this maritime province a bit more—how shall I put it?—temperate.
It’s good. I like the weather. My first week here in Canada, and I’m playing a great course,” said Hitt after his second-round score of 67, one shot better than his first-round score. He’s tied for first place at the halfway point. “You have to get good shots. There are easy holes and difficult holes and great views, and I think all players really appreciate that.
In just his second career round in Canada, Hitt had a pair of bogeys to go along with his five birdies. The highlight was his eagle hole on the par-4 16th.
Creighton is happy to be back in the Maritimes for the only time this season as he too makes his season debut. Many on the ground may not have understood the importance of Canada Day, but it was not lost on Creighton, who grew up in Digby, Nova Scotia.
“I played in Mexico last week, and when I was [packing], I don’t usually bring the red shirt, but it’s Canada Day, so I pulled out the red shirt,” Creighton said with a smile. “It’s as close as I get to home. The family is there. It’s six o’clock, but we’re not playing in Nova Scotia, so that’s really cool for me. Being in the Maritimes is cool.
Creighton went 70-67 over 36 holes and is tied for sixth after finishing the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica season No. 30 in the Totalplay Cup standings, the equivalent of the Fortinet Cup on the Tour. “I just played in Latin America; I just finished, and it worked perfectly that I could come straight from Latin America here for a home game for me. That’s cool,” Creighton added. “It’s the golf of the northeast. I like curved grass. There is no cereal. This place is in as good condition as you would expect from a golf course. We had a little rain, but it firmed up. It actually got quite firm. [Thursday] the afternoon was quite hard. These greens have a lot of tilt and some of the hairpins are quite tricky. That’s all you can ask for, really.
Georgia native and former Georgia Tech golfer Luke Schniederjans is playing in Canada for the first time in his career after struggling on the US-based Forme Tour last year. Korn Ferry Tour member Ollie Schniederjans’ younger brother is tied with Hitt at under 9. Luke’s performance at under 7 and bogey-free on Friday showed he has made himself at home in Dundarave.
“I love it. It’s great. It’s got great views, it’s in good condition and the greens are solid,” said Schniederjans, No. 11 on the Forme Tour points list a year ago. year, narrowly missing the status of the Korn Ferry Tour which went to the top 10. “It’s a good course from tee to green. It’s a good track. I love it. People are really nice and great My encounters with everyone have been good.
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