Oakville On – Canada has a new golf hero coming out of this week’s RBC Canadian Open. While there would not have been many casual golf fans who knew the name Jared du Toit heading into the week, there are a multitude who know it now. Du Toit finished with a final round of 71, to finish the Open at 9-under par 279. It was enough for a tie for low amateur and a tie for ninth overall.
Jared Du Toit is Low Amateur, Top 10 Overall at Canadian Open
Du Toit persevered all weekend, whether it was bouncing back from a bad shot, a boogey, or even a visit to hospital on Saturday night due to bronchitis. “I slept well after the hospital. I got a solid five hours, woke up, and then crushed another nap. It was nice playing later. I can get two chances to get a good sleep,” du Toit joked after the round.
On keeping his nerves calm, playing in the final group on Sunday, “I think a part of it was knowing that win or lose, shoot 100 or 60, the Canadian fans were going to root me on. It took the pressure off that way. I just went out there, and had fun.” Du Toit also indicated that he felt like he was playing with “home-ice advantage.”
He indicates that he is going to celebrate with a “couple of diet sodas” while he takes care of the bronchitis and put the main celebration off for a while.
Calm Under Pressure
After this tournament, du Toit indicated that he’s better prepared for future clutch situations; “Pressure tolerance comes with experience. Putting myself in the final group this week, I learned a lot from that, and its going to pay dividends down the road.”
Du Toit also had high praise for his Sunday playing partner Brandt Snedeker, “He gave me a lot of advice. Not cheating advice, as you are not allowed to do that, but he was a great guy. When I made my first birdie on eight, he was like ‘Okay, Keep it Going’. He was really good for me, and really good for my nerves as well.”
Where he sees Himself in Five Years
“The ultimate goal is playing a steady game on the PGA Tour. But just like golf, you can only play one shot at a time, you can only take one day at a time and just keep doing the right things… I like my chances of getting up there.”
“I guess I learned that I can compete out here. Good golf for me is good golf on the PGA Tour I guess.”
On Getting Out of Trouble
“Grinding is a really good word. The last two days I didn’t really hit it great, but my wedge was magic and I made a lot of putts. Thats a good formula to get a lot out of my rounds.”
Main Photo via Kevin Gamble, Last Word on Sports Inc., All Rights Reserved.
