Starting on the back nine in the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event, the native of Louisville, Kentucky, recorded four straight birdies on the 16th through first holes during his bogey-free round.
“No bogeys, any time for me, helps,” said the 27-year-old, who is a good friend and shares the same instructor and swing coach of PGA phenom Justin Thomas.
The four straight birdies included three wedges within three feet as he missed just two fairways all day and hit all but one green, a huge change from Thursday’s open 1-over 71.
He credited it all to course management.
“The first two days of the practice rounds I hit driver just for the heck of it, or just for the halibut,” kidded Wolfe who went out fishing on Tuesday morning with fellow players Zack Byrd and Jeff Hamm along with a PGA Tour Canada TV crew, catching halibut and salmon. “I hit I think almost every fairway and had like 20 to 30 yards in on every hole.
“I thought, ‘I’m doing it, I’m doing it well, let’s try it the first day.’ I was lucky to shoot 1-over so [Friday] I said I have to hit fairways. You hit fairways, you get birdie chances. I only had three or four chances [Thursday] and that was the big difference from yesterday and today.”
Wolfe missed the course record — held by Andrew Roque and Roger Sloan — by two strokes.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: There are plenty of family ties in Victoria this week.
Brothers Steve and Samuel Saunders are playing in the tournament. Steve played PGA Tour Canada in 2013 and last year was on the Web.com Tour, while Sam just turned pro. Neither made the cut this week.
Of course, Olin Browne Jr. and Jamie Sindelar are sons of former PGA Tour players (Olin Browne and Joey Sindelar) and Curtis Yonke, who got in via an exemption, is the grandson of Jim Colbert.
Christian DiMarco, the son of Chris DiMarco, also attempted to Monday qualify at Gorge Vale but missed the mark.
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