Witnessing something as rare as a round of 59 in a competitive round of golf is one thing. When it's your son, well, that's another thing altogether. This account of A.J. Ewart recording a 59 on the PGA Tour Americas circuit is related by his father and accomplished golfer himself, Brad Ewart - ed.
I have watched my son A.J. Ewart play hundreds of competitive rounds of golf.
As his father and coach during his amateur years I watched A.J. develop into a tremendous shot maker with nerves of steel. His short game and wedge play is stellar and when his putting is on the ball searches for the hole and finds it.
A.J. often shoots under par. But in the second round of the PGA Tour of America’s tournament at Uplands G.C. in Victoria – one of golf’s great rarities unfolded.
It was a beautiful Vancouver Island end-of-the-summer day with a Korn Ferry tour card on the line. A.J. knew he needed a win at the Times Colonist Victoria Open or a top finish to move up the Fortinet Cup rankings and earn his Korn Ferry Tour status for 2026.
This was the 15th and next-to-last stop of the season that began in Argentina in March and will end at Morgan Creek and the Fortinet Cup final the last week of September. The top 10 players at season’s end will earn exemption to the Korn Ferry Tour for 2026.
As a junior and amateur player A.J. was a good putter and on a good day he was a great putter. And then, like many golfers, he thought his putting was bad. “No good,” he said. ”I’m switching to left-hand low.”
It worked. For five years left-hand-low he won 14 college golf tournaments. He played around the world for Team Canada and was establishing himself as a top, young talent. He turned pro and won his first PGA Tour of America tournament at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open.
You need to be able to putt to win.
It’s not easy to be a professional golfer. It costs money to travel from tournament-to-tournament. Entry fees, air travel, ground transportation, hotel, meals and caddy fees all add up.
It costs money in life to do anything. When your life is on the road it costs even more.
Make the cut and its steak for dinner. Miss the cut and protein for the night is two cans of beans again. Especially if missing the cut becomes a habit and the only thing keeping you going is perseverance and supporting sponsors.
There are many reasons why golfers struggle. A common problem is putting and when doubt sinks in nothing drops. The drought gets drier and it's time for a new putter. Or time for a change.
A.J. returned from the six-tournament South American leg of PGA Tour America in 13th place on the Fortinet Cup order-of-merit. He was in good position to move up into the top 10 players who would earn Korn Ferry status after 16-tournaments.
The forward momentum stalled on the 10-tournament North American swing. Starting in New Brunswick and Quebec A.J. missed both cuts. A tie for 10th place in Ottawa put him back on track but with two more missed cuts he arrived in Victoria in 25th place on the Fortinet Cup standings.
A.J. wasn’t struggling. Far from it as he was cashing a cheque almost every week and when he did miss a cut A.J. was under par and just narrowly missed.
Top 10 players after the season finale at Morgan Creek GC, in Surrey will earn their PGA Korn Ferry status for 2026. A.J. knew he needed a win to secure his top 10 status.
There was doubt in A.J.s game. Ball striking was good, but the putting was off. “It was time for a change,” said Team Canada coach Louis Melanson,
A.J. switched back to the conventional method of gripping his putter — left hand on top and right hand below. Right hand low.
For the first 15 competitive years of A.J.’s golf he putted this conventional method. Every shot in golf for a right-handed golfer has the left hand on top. This is the innate natural swing motion of the hands through impact on every shot.
When he teed off for the first round of this year’s Times Colonist Victoria Open A.J. was ready. He knew what he had to do and opened with-3 under par 67. It was a good start with a solid round but with a few close putts it could have been better.
That was different on Friday afternoon. The best advice I gave A.J. when he was young was to let his scores do the talking. On Friday afternoon at Uplands GC his score spoke loud and clear.
A.J. started on hole No.10 and went birdie-bogey. The bogey was a three-putt after the first putt almost went in. It could have been what kick-started his round as A.J. went on a tear and ran off a string of five birdies-in-a-row. He made his first par on the par-three 17th and a birdie on No.18 for an opening nine of 29.
He started the back nine with a solid par on No.1 then ran off birdies on the next three holes to reach-9 under-par on the round.
Playing with poise and confidence it looked like he couldn’t make a mistake. That was until his 14th hole of the day (hole no.5) when he blocked his tee shot right. It came to rest in deep rough, 40 paces behind a stand of trees.
This required a tour player’s power and skill to hit a low, banana-like curving iron shot that did as A.J. expected and it rolled up onto the green for another birdie putt.
It was the shot-of-the day and he continued on from there carding birdies on the par-four No.6 and a two-putt birdie on the par-five No.7, which put him at 11-under par.
A.J. had birdie chances on both of his last two holes to get further under par. Two good shots on his 17th hole (no.8) and a shot to within 20-feet at the last both resulted in sold pars.
A.J. carded an-11 under-par incredible round of 59. Twenty-two putts with a three-putt and no chip-Ins. The round included 12 birdies, a bogey and five pars.
He made it look so easy and for him it probably was. Most people after a record-setting sub-par score shoot a much higher score and often over-par the next round. He came back with a 65.
He finished off the tournament with a final round 69 and lost the Victoria Open title in a three-hole playoff to Ontario native Drew Nesbitt.
A.J.’s 59 is the lowest score shot by a Canadian in a PGA Tournament in Canada. Three Americans have recorded scores of 59. Vancouver golfer Kelly Murray recorded a 60 in the Manitoba Open with Moe Norman who shot 61.
As a golf parent I learned to lower my expectations and appreciate everything my son can do. It’s a proud moment in time and in my life to watch A.J. accomplish these rare feats.
Step-by-step is the way to progress in life and on the way to the PGA TOUR. Next step is the PGA Korn Ferry Tour and then the PGA TOUR. Step-by-step.
Well done A.J.!