Trying for trifecta, Lamb ready for Commissionaires Ottawa Open

DUNROBIN, Ontario— Exactly a year ago, Davis Lamb was playing in PGA TOUR Canada’s Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos CBM Aggregates. Lamb did nothing special that week during an up-and-down performance, where he shot both a 65 and a 75 in his four days of work. He eventually tied for 32nd, yet it was progress for the first-year pro. After missing the first two cuts of the season, and tying for 40th in his third start, the tie for 32nd marked his best performance at the time and ultimately his second-best of the year, bettered only by a tie for 29th at the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens. Lamb, a Notre Dame University graduate, went on to play in nine tournaments and finished 73rd in the Fortinet Cup.

Fast forward 365 days and it’s clear Lamb has written an entirely different story for himself in 2023. As a conditionally exempt player at the beginning of the season, he had to Monday qualify to get into the ATB Classic, then he went on to make history, becoming the first open qualifier to win on PGA TOUR Canada. In the next tournament, last week’s Quebec Open powered by Videotronic Business, Lamb proved his victory was no fluke, winning again to become the Tour’s first back-to-back winner since 2018, when Tyler McCumber turned the trick.

In Lamb’s two victories and eight official rounds, he’s shot under-par in all eight, including a closing 63 last Sunday to secure the title that vaulted him to the top of the Fortinet Cup standings through four tournaments.

Lamb will go for three wins in a row this week at the Commissionaires Ottawa Open, PGA TOUR Canada’s return to National Capital Region, when action gets underway at Eagle Creek Golf Club on Thursday.

Lamb is well aware that a third victory will result in his automatic promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour, which he said was his main objective prior to the start of the season.

“The goal was always to get to the Korn Ferry (Tour),” said Lamb. “Now I think it’s much more in sight. So, I think to win one of the next six—maybe this week—would be great. I’m still just focusing on the task at hand this week, playing good golf and hitting good shots and letting the chips fall where the chips fall.”

While there have been plenty of good shots by Lamb already this season, this week marks the first time Tour players will visit Eagle Creek. PGA TOUR Canada has previously held four tournaments near Ottawa, between 2014 and 2017. Past PGA TOUR Canada winners of those events were Greg Machtaler (2014), current PGA TOUR member Sam Ryder (2015), Brock Mackenzie (2016) and Mark Blakefield (2017). All four tournaments took place at Hylands Golf Club. The move to Eagle Creek gives players the opportunity to play the only course in Canada that World Golf Hall of Fame member Ken Venturi designed. 

“It’s fantastic,” Lamb said of his first assessment of the 32-year-old Eagle Creek. “It’s definitely a demanding golf course. I think the greens will speed up, firm up, over the course of the week. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a great test over four days.”

Lamb currently leads nine Tour statistical categories, including scoring average (66.0), par-3 scoring average (2.72) and par-4 scoring average (3.80). Assessing the difference between his so-so performance from a year ago and where he is today, his answer came quickly.

“For me, it’s really come down to the putter,” he explained, admitting he feels he was better off the tee in 2022. “But I’m just taking advantage and making birdies when I can. You really have to.

“The scores are so low out here. You’ve seen the last two weeks,” he continued. “I think I’ve learned a little more to keep my foot on the gas. I made seven cuts last year but never finished inside the top 28. I’m trying to get in the right positions early and go from there. That’s the biggest change.”

The Tour hits the season’s halfway mark at the conclusion of the Commissionaires Ottawa Open, with Lamb currently holding a commanding 407-point advantage over Étienne Papineau in the Fortinet Cup chase. Lamb hopes to build on that lead this week as players continue to duel for a piece of the $100,000 player bonus pool, with $25,000 going to the overall Fortinet Cup champion.

Lamb recognizes that he’s still in prime position to move on to the Korn Ferry Tour, even if he doesn’t win again, as the Fortinet Cup winner receives full 2024 membership. A season ago, Lamb never rose to any higher than 71st in the standings. He’s thought a lot about where he’s come from over the past year.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a radically different player than I was a year ago. I think I’m a little more well-refined,” he observed. “Really, over the last year, I’ve had some solid finishes that have given me a bit more confidence, which I’m just continuing to build upon now.”