Future stars of PGA Tour in Calgary to showcase world-class golf skills

Golf fans have a chance to watch the future stars of the game this week in Calgary.

Country Hills is set to host the ATB Financial Classic on the MacKenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada from Thursday to Sunday.

PGA Tour winners Tony Finau, Adam Hadwin and MacKenzie Hughes are among this tour’s graduates.

The next star to come from this tour could be Tyler McCumber, the son of 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber.

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Tyler has won back-to-back events on the MacKenzie Tour, including Sunday in Edmonton on a course his father designed.

“It was fun and definitely an honour to win on one of his tracks,” Tyler said. “He’s here this week so we’re getting a chance to talk about it and go over the round shot-for-shot.”

Mark was busy broadcasting Justin Thomas’s WGC win at Firestone on Sunday but arrived in Calgary on Tuesday to congratulate his son. He is looking forward to watching him play this week.

“You get to the three-peat by taking one shot at a time,” Mark said. “You have to have a lot of things go your way to win any golf tournament anywhere you’re playing.”

“He likes this course, this is the one where I followed him last year. He finished second here two years ago and fifth or sixth last year, so obviously there’s something about the course that fits his eye.”

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This week will be a home game for a number of Calgary-area golfers, including Wes Heffernan.

Last year, the veteran golfer thrilled crowds with an impressive second place finish, despite teaching golf full time and not playing many tournaments.

Jared Du Toit grew up in Calgary until he was 8-years-old and then honed his craft in Kimberley, B.C. during his teen years. Now 23, Du Toit is back living in Calgary and feels the time is right to get a win in a home game.

“Playing on the tour you don’t really get any home games. A lot of these guys are hotel to hotel every week,” Du Toit said.

“It’s awesome for me to be able to stay in my own bed this week and I feel like good things could happen. I would love to get a win. I think everybody here would love to get a win.”