OAKVILLE, Ont. — Canadian amateur golfer Jared du Toit will be counting on a new friend as he takes a run at history on Sunday afternoon.
Du Toit has relied heavily on the guidance of caddy Sean Burke as he has been near the top of the leaderboard through the first three rounds of the RBC Canadian Open. Du Toit enters the final round tied for second with world No. 2 Dustin Johnson, just a shot back of leader Brandt Snedeker.
No Canadian has won the tournament since 1954 and no amateur has won it since 1956.
"I’m just there to give him some confidence and slow him down when I need to," said Burke shortly after du Toit’s third round finished. "It’s his first time on a big stage like this, and you just naturally speed up and you don’t even realize it."
Burke and du Toit had never met until Tuesday when a mutual friend had put them in touch. They played a round of golf together at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., before Burke returned to his day job as a teacher and coach at nearby Piper’s Heath Golf Club.
"We kinda just gelled almost right off the start on Tuesday," said Burke, who has played professionally. "We both have, I’d say, a similar personality."
As du Toit has kept pace with a largely professional field that includes Johnson and world No. 1 Jason Day, Burke has tried to keep the 21-year-old Arizona State University player on an even keel.
"He’s just got to slow down when he gets wayward, a bit," said Burke.
Du Toit and Snedeker will tee off as the tournament’s top pairing on Sunday afternoon.
