VICTORIA, British Columbia – Drew Nesbitt outlasted A.J. Ewart in a thrilling playoff to capture the 2025 Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited on Sunday. The two Canadians finished regulation in a tie for the lead at 20-under 260, with Nesbitt firing a 5-under 65 in windy conditions to erase the four-shot lead Ewart had at the beginning of the day. Nesbitt completed the comeback on the third extra hole by rolling in a 15-footer for birdie at the 202-yard, par-3 ninth.

“I’ve been out here a little longer than some other guys, but I’ve dug deep internally and really tried to show myself that I can do this, that I’m able to play to my potential,” said the 30-year-old from Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, reflecting on the determination that has kept his career alive.

With the victory, Nesbitt jumped to No. 7 in the Fortinet Cup standings at a crucial point in the season. Only one event remains – the Fortinet Cup Championship, beginning Thursday at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey, British Columbia – before the season-long race for 10 Korn Ferry Tour cards concludes.

“Job’s not done. I look at it like holding a lead in a tournament. When you come to Sunday, you still have to play a good round of golf. Next week’s no different. Just because you’re in a position to earn Korn Ferry Tour membership doesn’t mean anything is guaranteed. This tour is strong, there are good players, and anything can happen. My goal is to go out next week, play the best I can and let the results take care of themselves,” added Nesbitt, who had his father, Dave, as his caddie this week at Uplands Golf Club.

For Ewart, the day ended in disappointment after starting with a four-shot lead. Still, his runner-up finish lifted him to No. 12 in the Fortinet Cup, just 58.25 points shy of the top 10.

Charting the champion

About Drew Nesbitt (first, 20 under)

• Won the Times Colonist Victoria Open presented by Andrew Sheret Limited at the age of 30 years, 5 months, 17 days for his first win in 21 PGA TOUR Americas career starts
• Becomes the first Canadian player to win this season on PGA TOUR Americas. He is also the fourth Canadian winner across two PGA TOUR Americas seasons, joining last year’s winners Matthew Anderson (2024 ECP Brazil Open), Stuart MacDonald (2024 Dinners Club Peru Open) and AJ Ewart (2024 Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-op)
• Moves to No. 7 in the Fortinet Cup Points List in a week he entered as No. 39
• This win improves his season record to one win and three top 10s in nine starts. Earlier in the season, he had finished solo third at the Explore NB Open and T4 at the ECP Brazil Open
• Despite playing as a professional since 2014, he has never made a start on the Korn Ferry Tour
• Had one win in 67 previous PGA TOUR-sanctioned events, winning the 2019 Mexico Open on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, a Tour in which he made 25 career starts
• Carded the first and only 59 ever recorded on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica during the second round of the 2018 Brazil Open at Fazenda Boa Vista in Porto Feliz, Brazil. In that round, he had four eagles, including a hole-in-one, five birdies, a bogey and eight pars
• In 2019, during the second round of the PGA TOUR’s The Honda Classic at PGA National, he made headlines for saving a par from the water with his pants rolled up to his knees and his shirt off. He shot 1-over 71 that day to make the cut on the number at 2-over. That has been his only cut made in his six PGA TOUR starts, including three starts at the RBC Canadian Open (2017, 2019, 2023)
• Turned professional after graduating from Eastview Secondary School in Barrie, Ontario
• Played Barrie Junior Colts AAA hockey until he was 16 years old

Competition notes

Course Setup: Par 70 / 6,420 yards; R4 average: 68.652
Weather: Sunny with a high of 17 (62). Wind from the west and southwest at 32-48 km/h.

• A.J. Ewart missed his chance of becoming the first Canadian to win multiple events on PGA TOUR Americas. As the runner-up, he recorded his best finish of the 2025 season to move to No. 12 in the Fortinet Cup Points List.
• Paul Chaplet, a 26-year-old from San Jose, Costa Rica, finished solo third for his best career finish in 31 PGA TOUR Americas starts. He moved to No. 36 in the Fortinet Cup Points List.
• Brett Roberts of Coral Springs, Florida, finished solo fourth for the second time this season and improved from No. 60 to No. 39 in the Fortinet Cup.
• Fortinet Cup No. 1 Michael Brennan carded a 5-under 65 Sunday to finish T5 at 16-under. This was his 11th top 10 finish in 15 starts this season. As a three-time winner this season, Brennan has already clinched his Korn Ferry Tour card for 2026.
• Harry Lord, a 24-year-old from Rossendale, England, had a 1 at the par-3 14th, hitting an 8-iron from 174 yards for the first ace in his life. He shot 5-under 30 on the back nine for a round of 67 (3 under) to finish T24. Despite the effort, he finished the week 123rd in the Fortinet Cup Points List, just outside the Top 120 eligible to play at next week’s season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship.
• Hole No. 7, the 513-yard par-5, played as the easiest hole at Uplands Golf Club on Sunday (-0.530 strokes under par).