Victoria, British Columbia – Team Canada member A.J. Ewart fired a blistering 11-under 59 to set a new course record at Uplands Golf Club, grabbing a three-shot lead halfway through the Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited. The 26-year-old British Columbia native carded 12 birdies against a lone bogey on a picture-perfect afternoon. Adding to his opening 67, he moved to 14-under 126 for the week. Fortinet Cup No. 1 Michael Brennan, the winner of three of the last four PGA TOUR Americas events, sits in solo second at 11-under.
“I’m very comfortable here,” said Ewart, who grew up in Coquitlam, just 130 kilometers away. “I was talking to my coach, Louis Melanson, this morning, and he told me, ‘This is what you grew up on, this is the type of grass you’re used to, just be comfortable.’ I kind of just let it happen, and here we are.”
Ewart started going birdie-bogey off No. 10, but momentum quickly built as he rattled off five straight birdies. A birdie on 18 closed out a 29 on his first nine, while three more birdies on Nos. 2-4 kept him rolling. After a crucial par save at No. 5, he added back-to-back birdies on 6 and 7 to reach 11-under, closing with two pars to finish his impressive round.
“I honestly didn’t really think about it until I got to the eighth tee,” Ewart said. “I knew I was around 10 or 11 under, and it was in the back of my head, but I tried not to count. I just focused on making birdies and hitting the least amount of shots possible. I did a good job of staying in the moment.”
His father, Brad, was among the spectators following closely as the round unfolded.
Ewart became the third player to shoot 59 this season and the fourth in PGA TOUR Americas history. He joins Harry Hillier, the first to accomplish the feat at the 2024 Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship in Colombia, and Philip Barbaree Jr. and Brett White, who did it on consecutive days a couple of months ago at the 2025 Commissionaires Ottawa Open presented by Lepine Apartments.
The leader already knows what it is like to win on PGA TOUR Americas, which he did 13 months ago at the 2024 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-op. Another win this week would vault him into the Fortinet Cup Points List Top 10, with just one tournament remaining before Korn Ferry Tour cards are awarded to the top 10 finishers.
With 36 holes still to play on a course yielding plenty of birdies, Ewart knows the job is far from finished. “When I tee it up tomorrow, the 59 won’t really matter,” he said. “It’s the same mindset—go shoot the lowest score I can. I’m happy to be in this position, but it’s far from over. I know that.”
All players finished second-round play on Friday, with 66 players making the cut at 4-under. Third-round tee times begin Saturday at 7:50 a.m. PDT, running through 1:20 p.m. in twosomes off No. 1. Ewart and Brennan will go off last.
