Étienne Papineau achieved what few Quebec golfers have done before him: obtain his place on the Korn Ferry circuit.
He did so by finishing the PGA Tour Canada season ranked fourth overall in the Fortinet Cup. Only the five highest-ranked players could advance to the second-largest circuit in North America.
The Korn Ferry circuit is in a way the school club of the PGA Tour. This is the last step to take before joining Rory McIlroy and company. Several players have passed through the Korn Ferry circuit in recent years. Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im and Adam Hadwin are among them.
The day after his 24th position at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary assured him a place among the select group of five players, Papineau was relieved. The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu native will celebrate his 27th birthday on September 13. So he couldn’t have wished for a better gift.
From his hotel room in Stampede City, Papineau reflected on the journey since leaving the university ranks less than two years ago.
The West Virginia University alum has undergone two knee surgeries in recent years. This season again he was forced to deal with “small injuries”.
“I doubted a lot, I asked myself a lot of questions,” he says.
Now holding a conditional card for the Korn Ferry circuit, he says he wants even more. “It’s definitely not mission complete. It’s just another step. My goal is to get as high as possible on the PGA Tour. But it’s a good start. I haven’t even been a professional for two years! »
In December, he will play a first tournament to try to improve his status. And maybe even get playing rights on the PGA Tour.
In February 2022, Étienne Papineau hit his first balls on the PGA Tour circuit during the Waste Management Open in Phoenix. A year and a half later, in Calgary, he sat next to four rivals for the surrender of their playing rights on the Korn Ferry circuit.
The ceremony had the feel of a graduation ceremony. Despite a card of 74 and a cumulative score of 3, he ended his day, at sunset, with a smile, because he was taking another step in the pursuit of his dream.
“I didn’t want to think about that. My goal was to play good golf and win the tournament. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my day,” Papineau explains.
Based on his performance throughout the season, “it would have taken a disaster scenario” for the Quebecer to be excluded from the final top 5.
At the start of the season, he triumphed in Victoria. He also took second place in Manitoba. Only twice on the Canadian circuit did he not resist the cut.
In his opinion, his victory in British Columbia gave him the momentum he needed to start his momentum. “I was missing a big victory to move to the next level. »
If there are no Quebec golfers on the PGA Tour circuit, it is because time, money, talent and good weather are necessary. On the other hand, Papineau put all his eggs in one basket to achieve his objectives. And this breakthrough could become historic.
“It’s every golfer’s dream, but I don’t put pressure on myself with that. I’m going to go play the best golf I can on Korn Ferry,” he vows.
He will have all fall to prepare to play on an extremely tough circuit, where all the players are finally starting to see the end of the tunnel. This is what makes “graduating” so hard.
At least he is proud to have fully experienced last Sunday’s consecration. His family, his younger brother and sponsors had traveled to the West to experience this moment with him.
“I spent a lot of time with my family on the road when I was younger traveling here and there. I have a great team around me that has allowed me to get to where I am today. They made sacrifices for me. So, sharing this moment with them was pretty incredible. »
Beyond wanting to evolve in the aisles of the PGA Tour, Papineau is driven by the wish to “share other beautiful moments in the future with the family”.