SAN DIEGO — When you think of Canadian golfers on the PGA Tour, the first name that pops up is 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir. Older diehards might come up with George Knudson, another eight-time winner from the 1960s and early '70s.
The next? Good luck.
Canada is known for chasing hockey pucks and pumping out fish the size of Mini Coopers. The weather, ranging from finicky to ferocious for months at a time, hardly cooperates with golf the way it does in Florida, Arizona and Southern California.
So, what in the name of Molson and maple syrup is happening at the Farmers Insurance Open?
When Jared du Toit and Maxwell Sear joined the field this week at the Monday qualifier, it pushed the number of Canadians to nine — the most for a tour event outside of that country since 1970.
Oh, Canada.
"It's pretty special and fun to be part of the Canadian crop making their way up to the PGA Tour," said Corey Conners, the 30-year-old who won the Valero Texas Open in 2019. "I think the development programs in place in Canada are really good at trying to get players out here and we're seeing the results of that.
"I think that number is going to continue to grow. I think that record is going to be broken a few more times in the next few years."
You couldn't swing a flagstick around Torrey Pines this week without hitting a northern neighbor with tales of swinging through stinging rain or sideways snow. The calendar and conditions can tempt even the most golf addicted.
Those who made it to San Diego this lap rewrote history that has stood for more than a half century. That made the swing sacrifices worth the chill.
"I've played when you can't even put the tee in the ground," said Adam Svensson, ranked No. 168 in the world. "I remember playing in rain pants, hoodie, toque on, just grinding it out in the freezing cold."
Toque, for those not versed in the "Great White North" utterances of fictional Canadian brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie, is a beanie around these parts.
Whatever it takes to keep chasing birdies, no matter the parlance.
"When I was younger, I played hockey through the winter to stay in shape," said Sear, who made his Tour debut. "I got on some development teams for golf and I started to travel and get to the warmer climates a little bit.
"We played junior tournaments in the early spring when it was 30, 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Basically, you hit balls inside if you have to. If you get a chance for a trip down south, you take it."
A pipeline within the pipeline leads back to Kent State, where Canadian Herb Page spent 41 years as golf coach. Conners played for the program at the same time as Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith, who also made the 2022 field.
The Golden Flashes helped Canadians make professional splashes.
"When I started there, there were five Canadians and five Americans, so it was a little home away from home for the Canadians," Conners said. "It's sweet that a few of us have been able to make it out here."
More players means more chances to bolster the country's resume.
Not all things Canadian came seasoned with smiles, though, at Torrey Pines. Hughes watched a solid opening round unravel because of brutal mix-up on his final hole Wednesday.
A ball that landed in the left, greenside rough was marked with a small flag by a volunteer. After Hughes hit his next shot, he figured out that the flag marked the wrong ball.
Instead of potentially finishing with a 5-under 67 and a spot in the top 10, Hughes was slapped with a penalty and limped to double-bogey.
"I went to where it was marked with a flag and hit my chip to 6 feet," Hughes explained on Twitter. "When I marked it, I realized it wasn't my ball. Turns out it was about 8 feet from where the flag was. Went from maybe 4 to 7 pretty quick."
A GolfDigest.com headline left little room for alternate interpretation: "Tour pro gets absolutely screwed, accidentally plays wrong ball … on final hole."
Tournament fates proved unkind to more of the Canadian contingent, as Conners, Sear, du Toit and Adam Hadwin joined Hughes in missing the cut. Svensson and Michael Gligic landed on the right side of the line at 3-under, while Pendrith and Nick Taylor stand tied for 23rd at 6-under.
They carved out a bit of history, nonetheless.
No toques necessary.
