Aaron Goldberg - Record Setting Canadian Tour Champion

By Bram R. A. Cotton
Manager of Marketing & Communications, Canandian Tour

By claiming his third triumph in his last four starts at the $325,000 crown jewel of the tour season, the 25-year-old Californian left little doubt of his place in the Canadian Tour history books. A final-day 5-under 65 at scenic St. Catharines G&CC gave Goldberg a 15-under 265 total for four days work, six shots clear of Mitch Gillis of Williams Lake, BC, Clayton Rask, Josh Habig, Brian Unk and overnight co-leader Kane Hanson.

In a week highlighted by a Canadian Tour-record purse, it seemed only fitting that Goldberg, who is having his way on the circuit in his sophomore season, would pull away from the pack late in the day to collect his third championship payday of 2010.

In just seven starts this year, Goldberg has built a sterling resume that includes three wins, a second and three other showings inside the top nine.
Can you say simply dominating?

"I could get used to this," laughed Goldberg before yet another media interview. "This really seals off the year for me. It's been quite an unbelievable season."

Goldberg upped his 2010 bankroll to over $151,000, wiping out the all-time Canadian Tour record for money earned in one season set when Trevor Dodds took home $129,158 in 1996.

Now Goldberg has another Dodds record in his sights. Should he prevail at the season-ending Desert Dunes Classic, a first-year event to be staged in his home state in November, Goldberg would match Dodds' record for most wins in a season with four, set during that same 1996 campaign.

Not only did Goldberg officially clinch the Canadian Tour money crown with one event remaining in the season, but he also earned a well-deserved exemption into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School this fall. Thanks to a back-nine 30, American Brock Mackenzie held off Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, BC by less than $400 to earn the second exemption.

"Getting through that first stage is just a huge bonus," Goldberg reasoned. "Obviously, you want to get through every year, but it's never a given. Not having to worry about that takes some pressure off. That's the time of year you want to be playing your best."

Paired with the Canadian Tour's hottest player of the year, Hanson didn't waste any time getting down to work with birdies on his first two holes to open a two-shot lead. Goldberg didn't take long to answer with birdies on four and five to pull even again. Both players double-bogeyed the eighth, allowing Andres Gonzales to take a share of the lead. That didn't last long as Gonzales doubled the par-3 12th.

With Hanson leading by one, the turning point came on the par-3 14th when Goldberg jarred a 15-foot birdie before a Hanson bogey, resulting in a two-shot swing. Goldberg added another birdie on 15 to open up a two-shot edge and essentially end any drama for the afternoon.

Closing in style, Goldberg added an eagle on 16 and another birdie on 17 to play his final five holes at 5-under.

"I knew down by one on 14 that I hard to start making a run," said Goldberg. "Someone was going to make some birdies coming in. I figured it might as well be me."

In 32 Canadian Tour tournaments rounds in 2010, Goldberg had just five rounds over par and shot in the 60s 21 times, including eight straight rounds through Sunday.

"I knew if a played how I was capable of, I could do something like this," he said. "It's been an awesome year, and I've seen the guys that have come off this tour and gone on to great careers on the PGA Tour. That's why I came up here.

"I feel it might be my time now."

$325,000 Canadian Tour Championship
St. Catharines G & C.C. - - 6,787, par-70
(a-denotes amateur)
CANADIANS IN BOLD

xAaron Goldberg $52,000 67 - 67 - 66 - 65 ----- 265
Josh Habig $18,200 69 - 68 - 69 - 65 ----- 271
Clayton Rask $18,200 71 - 68 - 67 - 65 ----- 271
Brian Unk $18,200 66 - 70 - 69 - 66 ----- 271
Mitch Gillis $18,200 68 - 68 - 67 - 68 ----- 271
Kane Hanson $18,200 66 - 64 - 70 - 71 ----- 271
John Ellis $10,074 69 - 66 - 70 - 67 ----- 272
Andres Gonzales $10,074 71 - 67 - 63 - 71 ----- 272
Devin Carrey $10,074 68 - 63 - 71 - 70 ----- 272
Garrett Sapp $7,799 67 - 72 - 68 - 66 ----- 273
Ryan Thornberry $7,799 67 - 68 - 70 - 68 ----- 273
Adam Hadwin $7,799 65 - 70 - 68 - 70 ----- 273
Brad Fritsch $7,799 72 - 65 - 67 - 69 ----- 273
Richard Scott $5,687.50 68 - 69 - 70 - 67 ----- 274
Tom Glissmeyer $5,687.50 68 - 69 - 70 - 67 ----- 274
Kent Eger $5,687.50 70 - 68 - 69 - 67 ----- 274
Jeff Cuzzort $5,687.50 71 - 65 - 68 - 70 ----- 274
José Trauwitz $4,224 69 - 70 - 70 - 66 ----- 275
Eugene Smith $4,224 71 - 67 - 70 - 67 ----- 275
Jon McLean $4224 69 - 70 - 69 - 67 ----- 275
Brent Schwarzrock $4,224 69 - 67 - 71 - 68 ----- 275
Matt McQuillan $4,224 69 - 67 - 70 - 69 ----- 275
Jae Woo Im $4,224 69 - 68 - 69 - 69 ----- 275
Brock Mackenzie $3,091.56 67 - 72 - 73 - 64 ----- 276
Kris Wasylowich $3,091.56 62 - 70 - 79 - 65 ----- 276
John Cassidy $3,091.56 71 - 69 - 70 - 66 ----- 276
Mark Baldwin $3,091.56 68 - 71 - 70 - 67 ----- 276
Sebastian Saavedra $3,091.56 71 - 68 - 69 - 68 ----- 276
Mike Grob $3,091.56 64 - 72 - 71 - 69 ----- 276
Wes Heffernan $3,091.56 70 - 68 - 69 - 69 ----- 276
Stuart Anderson $3,091.56 71 - 63 - 70 - 72 ----- 276
Jae An $2,356.25 68 - 71 - 71 - 67 ----- 277
Hugo Leon $2,356.25 69 - 69 - 71 - 68 ----- 277
Nico Geyger $2,356.25 71 - 69 - 69 - 68 ----- 277
Lucas Lee $2,356.25 68 - 70 - 70 - 69 ----- 277
Stephen Gangluff $2,356.25 71 - 68 - 69 - 69 ----- 277
Jose de Jesus Rodriguez $2,356.25 69 - 65 - 72 - 71 ----- 277
Alex Coe $2,356.25 71 - 67 - 67 - 72 ----- 277
Michael Jensen $1,909.38 71 - 68 - 69 - 70 ----- 278
Ryan Yip $1,909.38 63 - 72 - 72 - 71 ----- 278
Greg Machtaler $1,909.38 67 - 70 - 70 - 71 ----- 278
Trey Denton $1,909.38 66 - 73 - 64 - 75 ----- 278
Scott Hawley $1,630.42 69 - 71 - 71 - 68 ----- 279
Mike Mezei $1,630.42 68 - 70 - 71 - 70 ----- 279
James Allenby $1,630.42 66 - 72 - 67 - 74 ----- 279
Andrew Parr $1,416 71 - 67 - 73 - 69 ----- 280
Ryan Williams $1416 69 - 70 - 72 - 69 ----- 280
Yohann Benson $,1416 69 - 67 - 74 - 70 ----- 280
Matt Daniel $1,416 67 - 69 - 74 - 70 ----- 280
JC Deacon $1,416 67 - 71 - 72 - 70 ----- 280
Adam Stephens $1,267.50 71 - 69 - 73 - 68 ----- 281
Will Strickler $1,267.50 68 - 71 - 72 - 70 ----- 281
Cole Nondorf $1,267.50 68 - 72 - 68 - 73 ----- 281
Matt Richardson $1,172.17 70 - 70 - 74 - 68 ----- 282
David Dragoo $1,172.17 72 - 67 - 72 - 71 ----- 282
Clint Rice $1,172.17 71 - 67 - 72 - 72 ----- 282
Benjamin Alvarado $1,079 69 - 70 - 74 - 70 ----- 283
Vince Covello $1,079 68 - 70 - 74 - 71 ----- 283
Brian Prouty $1,079 67 - 72 - 70 - 74 ----- 283
Scott Harrington $1,079 69 - 67 - 72 - 75 ----- 283
Steve Saunders $650 69 - 70 - 75 - 70 ----- 284
Zack Shriver $650 69 - 71 - 74 - 70 ----- 284
Peter Laws $650 74 - 66 - 73 - 72 ----- 285
Andrew Johnson $650 69 - 69 - 74 - 73 ----- 285
Mike McRae $650 68 - 71 - 71 - 75 ----- 285
Daniel McCarthy $650 70 - 70 - 75 - 71 ----- 286