Coody overpowers the field for Manitoba title
Published
WINNIPEG, Manitoba—Parker Coody’s first win as a professional came at the end of a very long day at the Southwood Golf and Country Club. A postponement of the first round led to a 36-hole finale for the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open on Sunday.
No problem. Coody maintained a sizable lead throughout the long morning and afternoon. The 22-year-old rookie finished at 27-under and prevailed by eight strokes at the seventh PGA TOUR Canada tournament of the 2022 season. His performance tied the record for the largest margin of victory on PGA TOUR Canada, equaling Taylor Pendrith (2019 Quebec Open), Lee McCoy (2017 Freedom 55 Financial Open) and Hank Lebioda (2017 Quebec Open).
“I know it sounds crazy, but I just had to keep going because there are low scores out there,” said Coody, who had hoped to reach 30-under. “I got to 27(-under). I’ll take it. It’s good enough. But I had to keep the pedal to the metal and keep going.”
Coody capped the tournament with a round of 67 that included five birdies over the final seven holes. He sealed the deal with a lengthy putt on No. 18. The victory came on the heels of three consecutive missed cuts.
“I just wasn’t playing very well. I had a great week at home with my coach,” said Coody, who is from Plano, Texas. “It was one of my better weeks at home. A couple of days were very positive.”
The former University of Texas standout, who is the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, opened the marathon day with a five-stroke lead, at 17-under. He was even par on 11 of his first 12 holes in the third round. The lone exception was a birdie on No. 5.
With Jeffrey Kang and others mounting a charge, Coody responded with a barrage of birdies to maintain a comfortable advantage. He birdied the 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes to finish the round with a 67 and move to 22-under.
Kang fired a 65 to vault into second, at 14-under, entering the final eighteen holes. His surge included five birdies and two eagles. Trent Phillips also climbed into contention with a 64 in the third round. He was 14-under after birdieing seven holes and getting an eagle along the way.
After a short break, the final round began with Coody comfortably ahead.
David Kim had a strong showing over the final 18 holes with four birdies and two eagles en route to a best-of-the-day-tying 64. He tied for third with Gavin Hall, at 18-under. They were one stroke behind Ian Holt, who was all alone in second place. Holt (19-under) had four rounds in the 60s.
Coody earned 500 Fortinet Cup points for the victory and $36,000. Coody improved to No. 7 in the standings with two full-field events left on the schedule before the season-ending, limited field Fortinet Cup Championship in September.
PGA TOUR Canada crosses the border for an official event for the first time next week when it contests the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens. The tournament is at the Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd, Minnesota.