July 18, 2010
WINNIPEG, Canada - Former San Diego State All-American men's golfer Aaron Goldberg (Encinitas, Calif.) claimed first place at the Canadian Tour's The Players Cup event Sunday in Winnipeg, Manitoba, firing a 72-hole score of 11-under 273 to win by a single stroke over Jim Rutledge at Pine Ridge Golf Club. The victory is Goldberg's first on the Canadian Tour, as he took home the winner's check of $48,000 and also will be granted an exemption to the PGA Tour event, The RBC Canadian Open, in Toronto, July 22-25.
Goldberg led by one stroke after day one action on Thursday with a 6-under 65, including six birdies, 12 pars and no bogeys. He slipped to second place and three strokes behind after a second-round 70, and then fired a 1-over 72 in a weather delayed 18 holes on Saturday. Goldberg matched the low round in the field on Sunday with a 5-under 66, bolstered by six birdies and 11 pars to claim the title.
The Players Cup is one of the flagship events on the Canadian Tour and awards its second-highest purse at $300,000. Over 150 players from 17 countries comprised the field at this year's tournament.
In 2010, Goldberg has finished in the top 10 at three Canadian Tour stops, including a second-place performance at the Times Colonist Open at the end of May. With The Players Cup win, Goldberg is now the tour's current money ($75,912) and Bursary (points) leader. A year ago, he placed in the top 25 three times during his rookie campaign, earning just over $11,700 in nine tournaments with his best performance being 11th at the City of Surrey Invitational and Saskatchewan Open.
The four-time SDSU letterwinner made his PGA Tour debut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and more recently, tied for 36th place at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic on the Nationwide Tour in Ontario, Canada, July 8-11. The RBC Canadian Open will be Goldberg's second career PGA event.