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Canadian player Chris Wilson finishes in Second, 1-shot back
On a long weekend punctuated by Canada Day on Friday and the American Independence Day on Monday, it was only fitting that a Canadian and American player battled it out for the win Sunday at the Prince Edward Island Open presented by IMP Solutions.
A couple of late birdies lifted Brian Carlson to the top of the leaderboard Sunday at the Prince Edward Island Open presented by IMP Solutions. The former Purdue star shot a 65 in the final round en route to his first PGA TOUR Canada victory. He finished at 19-under, just ahead of Chris R. Wilson (18-under) and Austin Hitt (17-under).
“It feels incredible. It hasn’t sunk in yet. They always say that when you win, but it hasn’t fully yet,” said Carlson, while praising the other players on the Tour. “The level of competition is so freaking good. So, for a long time, I thought I was never going to win.”
Carlson, though, came through when it mattered most, recording eight birdies on the day, including pivotal ones on the 16th and 17th holes to take the lead.
Overnight leader, Chris Wilson meanwhile, entered Sunday with a 3-shot lead, finishing the day with a score of 69 (-3 under). Despite making five birdies, it wasn’t enough for Wilson to prevail. He had five birdies but also two bogeys, including an untimely one on No. 17 which would prove to be pivotal.
“Losing by just a shot over four days, it’s such a small margin,” said Wilson. “You just go over your rounds and think about every shot here and there that could have been better.
“But at the end of the day I still played a solid round myself today, and I got beat,” he continued. “It’s not like I beat myself on the course. So, I think I’ll be able to sleep tonight knowing that.”
Canadian Myles Creighton and Americans Joe Highsmith and Trent Phillips tied for fourth, at 15-under. Americans Parker Gillam and Joey Vrzich were 14-under – tied for seventh.
Six golfers from the United States shared ninth-place with scores of 13-under. The group included Cooper Dossey, Parker Gilliam, Charles Huntzinger, Harrison Ott, Brad Reeves and Benjamin Shipp.
The win came in Carlson’s 24th career PGA TOUR Canada start. His previous-best came at the 2019 Canada Life Open in Vancouver when he tied for second. Last summer on the Forme Tour, in the United States, Carlson tied for third in a tournament on his college course, the Birck Boilermaker Golf Club. He played in all eight LOCALiQ Series events in 2020. It provided places to play during the global pandemic and essentially kept his game sharp.
“It has definitely given me my confidence back knowing that I can win, finally,” said Carlson. “This is my first event that’s more than one day as a pro getting a victory. It just gives you the belief that you’re good enough essentially to play professional golf.”
As the PEI Open champion, Carlson won $36,000 (Canadian) and picked up 500 Fortinet Cup points to take the overall lead in the season-long points chase, 12 points ahead of Wil Bateman. The three champions this season—Carlson, Bateman and Scott Stevens—are 1, 2, 3 in the standings, respectively.
The Tour takes a scheduled three-week break, with action resuming July 21-24 in Caledon, Ontario, for the Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos CBM Aggregates. TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley is hosting the tournament, which will be played on its Heathlands course.
STANDINGS as of July 3, 2022
Rank | Player | PTS |
|---|---|---|
1 | Brian Carlson (U.S.) | 549 |
2 | Wil Bateman (Canada) | 537 |
3 | Scott Stevens (U.S.) | 500 |
4 | Jake Knapp (U.S.) | 364 |
5 | Joe Highsmith (U.S.) | 360 |
6 | Chris R. Wilson (Canada) | 329 |
7 | Cooper Dossey (U.S.) | 296 |
8 | Jorge Villar (Mexico) | 245 |
9 | Trent Phillips (U.S.) | 238 |
10 | Austin Hitt (U.S.) | 190 |
For More Information: PGA TOUR CANADA
Did you know that in 2020, Brian Carlson played in all eight LOCALiQ Series tournaments designed for the PGA Tour's International Tour players who didn't have places to play because of the pandemic? Carlson's best finish came at the Classic at the Club at Weston Hills in South Floriday in October, where he tied for third. Earlier in the season, he tied for seventh at the Championship at Echelon Golf Club in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.
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