Wednesday, July 31, 2013
RBC Canadian Open-2013
For more than a
hundred years, golfers from around the world have chased little white balls up
and down the fairways in quest of the championship of Canadian golf. From tee
to green, they have left their marks, and their divots, hoping to raise the
trophy, and pocket a few Canadian dollars in the process. Incidentally, this
year’s prize for winning the championship was a little more than one million
dollars.
After all was said
and done, an American, Brandt Snedeker rose to the top and became the champion.
He was most grateful to another American golfer, Hunter Mahan. Mahan led the
tournament after two rounds. With two more to play, he opted to pull out of the
tournament to attend the birth of his daughter. Snedeker was most grateful, and
promised to send a nice gift to the baby. He also acknowledged that Mahan was
playing really well, and it was unlikely that he would have been overtaken had
he not chosen to leave.
Andrew Georgiou
The road to the
championship is a rocky one for all competitors. There are literally millions
of golfers, worldwide, and every one of them would like to be in position to
win a title or two on the world stage. Many of the game’s best golfers played
at Glen Abbey in Toronto
Andrew Georgiou is
one of those golfers who is making his way in the golf world. He is still
paying his dues, at 27 years of age. He is from South Africa
Georgiou spent a
couple of hours on a practice round with another PGA player, Tag Riding. There
is no clock on players in the practice rounds, and they have the opportunity to
learn as much as they can about the course. They check the wind, and the
distances to the hole, and the undulations of the greens. Knowledge of the
course, and its nuances, are critical to the outcome. Club selection is also
very important, especially on shorter par three holes. “Have you got a five
iron?” Georgiou asked Riding as they waited to tee off on the 4th
hole. There was a stiff breeze blowing from left to right which could affect
club selection.
Both players tested
the greens by dropping four or five balls in various locations to test the
rolls. They threw head covers on the green, then chipped at them from the sand
traps to check the hold of the greens. They hit a couple of tee shots
occasionally. Mike Weir readjusted his driver with a key to try to find the
perfect setting. Practice is practice, and nobody was keeping score.
Mike Weir, checking the distance
Many players stop and
chat with the gallery, sign autographs, spend a fairly relaxed day. Some are
not as accommodating as others. One particular player refused to sign golf
balls, a common request on practice rounds.
Georgiou spent his
youth on the links in South Africa, then headed to the United States to play at Columbus
State University
in Georgia Africa in 2009 on the Sunshine Tour. One of the
highlights of his career came in 2012, when he qualified in Johannesburg
This year, he has
opted to play on the PGA Canada circuit. He has seen the country. With stops in
British Columbia , and Saskatchewan ,
Fort McMurray and Calgary
in Alberta , and Winnipeg , Manitoba Nova Scotia , then heads back to London Peterborough
He qualified for the
Canadian Open by shooting a sparkling 64 at Heron Point. My friend Al Stitt
knows a thing or two about golf courses, and he raised an eyebrow when I told
him about Georgiou’s score at that course. “It’s a difficult course,” Stitt
added. “That’s an excellent round.”
Georgiou told me that
his grandparents on his Dad’s side were from Cyprus South Africa Cyprus
I plan to catch up
with Andrew in Peterborough
# posted by James Hurst @ 6:37 AM 
