Wes Heffernan Eyes Third PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf Title After Stunning 66
It was a picture-perfect way to begin the PGA of Canada’s national championship season on National Golf Day.
Two-time champion Wes Heffernan stole the show Tuesday at Bayview Golf & Country Club, carding a bogey-free 5-under 66 to take a three-shot lead after the opening round of the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf.
Brian Williams is the closest chaser, at 2-under par, while 2025 PGA Champion of Canada Craig Stefureak, Khan Lee, and Ryan Curran are four back.
For Heffernan, who captured the championship in both 2019 and 2024, the opening-round performance came as somewhat of a surprise.
“Pretty unexpected actually for the first tournament of the year,” said Heffernan. “It was a very, very good round. I played quite well, kind of scrambled a lot. I made a ton of putts, so I kind of got everything I could out of that round today.”
The veteran professional’s round got off to an eventful start after a wayward tee shot on the opening hole forced him to grind out an early par before immediately bouncing back with an eagle on the par-5 second.
“To go par, eagle after snapping it about 130 yards into the trees on the first hole was a pretty good start for sure,” Heffernan said with a laugh.
After finding trouble early, Heffernan responded with a strong drive and a perfectly struck 4-hybrid into the green to set up the eagle opportunity and quickly build momentum.
That momentum continued throughout the day as Heffernan leaned heavily on his short game and putting to keep the card clean around Bayview’s demanding layout.
One of the turning points came on the par-5 11th hole, where Heffernan faced roughly 236 yards into the wind from a difficult position. After expecting only to advance the ball near the green, he instead pulled off one of the shots of the day.
“The lie was really good, so I could just hit it up in the air and let the wind take it on,” he explained. “I didn’t think I could get it on the green. I was just trying to get it somewhere in front, and it ended up getting on the green, which was a bonus.”
Heffernan’s ability to escape trouble continued later in the round on the 15th hole after another errant approach narrowly avoided going out of bounds before settling in a bunker. Moments later, he chipped in for birdie.
“I would say I kind of stole a couple out there today,” said Heffernan. “It’s always nice to do that.
His final key save came on the difficult 17th hole, where a lengthy up-and-down preserved the bogey-free round entering the closing hole.
“To get that up-and-down was another bonus,” he said.
Heffernan capped the day in style by rolling in another birdie putt on the 18th green to reach 5-under and create separation atop the leaderboard.
“I made a lot of putts today,” he said. “If I’m playing well at the start of the season, that’s always a good sign.”
Remarkably, Tuesday marked Heffernan’s first look at Bayview Golf & Country Club after travel delays prevented him from arriving until Monday afternoon.
“I had two cancelled flights on Sunday and didn’t get here until yesterday afternoon, so I didn’t get a chance to see the course,” said Heffernan. “Sometimes playing blind is kind of nice, not seeing any of the trouble and just hitting the shots.”
The InterZone portion of the event will wrap up tomorrow, with Alberta clinging to a one-stroke lead over Ontario and a two-stroke lead over Quebec.
The Birdie Juice Birdie race debuted on Tuesday – whoever makes the most birdies this week will walk away with a $250 bonus. Four players made five birdies: Brian Williams, Ethan Danish, Khan Lee and Luke McLean.
The second round begins Wednesday at 7:30 AM ET.