CALGARY — Stephen Ames called Calgary home for a good part of his adult life, even becoming a Canadian citizen when he was based in the city in 2004. He hasn’t had a run of great results at the Rogers Charity Classic — Calgary’s PGA Tour Champions event — but if there was going to be a year for him to break out, it would be this year.
“Playing golf for a living and having fun doing it,” Ames said. “It's awesome.”
Ames won for the third time this season on PGA Tour Champions Sunday at the Boeing Classic, defending his title from 2023. He’s got two other titles to his credit this year, including at the Chubb Classic (the second event of the season) and the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in April. He also finished runner-up at the Principal Charity Classic and fourth at The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex.
It's easy to see why he’s managed to put together such an impressive run of golf – everything, for the most part, is working well.
He’s fourth on PGA Tour Champions in total driving, fourth in greens in regulation, and fourth in putting average. Ames won four times last year and has kept his winning ways going this year, too. Despite his fabulous on-course output, Ames said the majority of success can be attributed to the mental side of things.
“There is no doubt about that. I am freer about everything on the golf course right now. I think it's only because I'm very free off the golf course,” Ames said. “There is not a lot of negatives in my life right now; only positives.”
Ames has worked with Canadian swing coach Shauheen Nakhjavani, based in Montreal, for the last five years. Nakhjavani tells Sportsnet Ames’ recent success comes from a combination of being in a good headspace mentally and then really “owning” the technique work they’ve done over the last half-decade.
“He’s happy off the course, he accepts what goes on on the course, he’s been taking his eating and physical training more seriously, and he really has a good grasp at this point on what he needs to look out for on his swing,” Nakhjavani said. “So, on the technical side, it’s that he has a lot more awareness now into his pattern — his swing DNA — but also on why certain shots happen, so his ability to self-correct on the golf course is much better now than it was five years ago.”
There are five Canadians in the field this week in Calgary, but no Canadian has won this event in its 10-year history. Ken Duke won the event in 2023 after a dramatic final-hole birdie.
Although there isn’t the historical spectacle tied to this drought like the RBC Canadian Open or CPKC Women’s Open, a win by a Canadian at this event would still be extra special, according to the 2003 Masters champion, Mike Weir.
“It would be great,” the native of Brights Grove, Ont. said. “(Ames) has been playing unbelievable the last couple years and continues his roll. He's up there as one of the favourites for sure.
“Always cheering for the other Canadian guys to play well. Hopefully we can get one here.”
Ames, who is second in the season-long Schwab Cup standings — behind Ernie Els, who has also won three times this season and is making his Rogers Charity Classic debut this week — has two top-10s in nine tries around Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, but only one other top-20. He finished tied for 41st last year.
Canyon Meadows plays as one of the longest courses on the PGA Tour Champions schedule, just north of 7,000 yards. Hitting it long and straight is going to be the key to success this week with plenty of tree-lined fairways forcing golfers to keep it in play.
While driving is set to be important, for Ames, it’s all going to come down to putting.
“At this stage right now the ball striking is very good. I've always struggled with the greens here a little bit,” Ames said. “I think looking at it more and more, I'm seeing more and more grain in them than I normally have not seen in the past. But the conditions of the golf course this year, again, are fabulous.
“I think overall it's just a matter of being a little bit more patient than I have been in the past and go from there.”
Being patient, being happy, and finding plenty of success. That’s how Ames has operated over the last 18 months, and there appears to be no signs of slowing down.
“I'm enjoying golf and I'm enjoying life,” Ames said, “So what else could be better?”
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