Gord Burns Shoots 64, leads PGA Championship of Canada Presented by Tapinn by One
Throughout the day at St. Eugene Golf Resort in Cranbrook, B.C., birdies were flying, but late round charges from Gord Burns and Dillon Batsel catapulted the Ontario and Alberta pros up the leaderboard. Burns fired a bogey-free 8-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Batsel after the opening round of the PGA Championship of Canada presented by Tapinn.
Burns wasted little time getting into red numbers, opening with back-to-back birdies on No. 2 and 3 and continued taking advantage of the scoring opportunities throughout the day. He added birdies on No. 7, 8 and 12 before a strong finish that included an eagle on No. 16 and birdie on the tough par-3 17th.
"Looking at the leaderboard before I teed off, I could see that if you're not making birdies, you're behind," said Burns. "The wind was down and there were going to be a lot of low numbers. I just had that mindset all day and was able to make a lot of birdies and I didn't make any bogeys."
Burns enters Wednesday with a one-shot advantage over Batsel, who birdied his final three holes, while defending champion Craig Stefureak sits another shot back after opening with a bogey-free 6-under 66. Stefureak is attempting to become the first player to successfully defend the P.D. Ross Trophy since Canadian golf legend George Knudson accomplished the feat in 1976 and 1977.
With two rounds remaining in the 54-hole championship, Burns knows there is still plenty of golf left to play despite his fast start. Along with the P.D. Ross Trophy and the national championship, the winner of this week's event will earn an exemption into the 2027 RBC Canadian Open.
"There's lots of golf to play, so I'm not even thinking about that," Burns said. "I'm just thinking about making good shots and seeing what happens. There are a lot of great players in the field, and I certainly can make mistakes too, so I'm just going to play and see what happens."
A long-time PGA of Canada professional and respected coach, Burns said the same message he shares with his students is the one he'll rely on over the final two rounds.
"I'm definitely preaching don't get ahead of yourself, just try to play one shot at a time," said Burns, who has a few national championships under his belt, winning both the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada and the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada in his career. "I'm doing the best I can to do that myself. It's easier said than done in this game where your mind can go into the future or the past, but I try to do it the best I can, and that's all we can do."
After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties. For a full purse breakdown, click here.
Batsel’s performance also launched him to the top of the Birdie Juice Birdie Race. The Desert Blume professional carded nine circles on Tuesday.
Players also enjoyed support from several tournament partners throughout the opening round. TEED UP beverages were available on course to help competitors stay energized, while every player received a StrackaLine yardage book to assist with course management and green reading.
PGA of Canada professionals can also track their performance throughout the championship using the Condor app, available free to all PGA of Canada members. Download Condor for iPhone here.
Golfers looking to improve their own game can connect with a PGA of Canada professional from anywhere through the PGA of Canada On-Demand Lesson app powered by Tapinn. The platform gives amateurs access to personalized virtual instruction from PGA of Canada professionals at the click of a button. Download the app here.
The second round will begin at 7 AM MT on Wednesday, August 5.