Stuart Macdonald's week got off to just about the worst start a professional athlete could think of, but ended with the Vancouver golfer's best-ever result on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Macdonald was walking down the stairs of his Airbnb in Tulum, Mexico, when workers outside cut off the power, suddenly plunging the entire house into darkness. He missed a step and his heel landed on something sharp, leaving a gash on his foot.
"It definitely looked worse than it was," said Macdonald. "There's not a whole lot of meat on the back of the heel so it doesn't take much to create a bit of a horror scene."
Macdonald had planned to play a full 18-hole practice round the following morning but had to cut that down to nine holes with a Band-Aid and gauze pads on his foot to make standing tolerable. For his time on the driving range, Macdonald took his shoes off, refining his swing while barefoot.
"Honestly, it felt fantastic. I was wondering why I don't do it more," said Macdonald with a laugh in a phone interview from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Wednesday. "It just just feels good and I actually realized how often I wear shoes.
"I couldn't even tell you before that point, when the last time I was just barefoot on the ground."
Fortunately for Macdonald, the slice on his heel mended quickly before play began at the Tulum Championship last Thursday.
He shot an even-par 72 in the first round at PGA Riviera Maya, then a 67 in the second round to see the weekend. A 71 on Saturday had him in contention at the Korn Ferry Tour event and two birdies in his first three holes on Sunday had him closing in on the lead.
"I feel like I've been playing some really good golf, just having gotten a lot out of my rounds," said Macdonald. "We just did a really good job of not shying away from the moment.
"I knew I was playing good, and if I kind of stayed out of my own way I was going to have a great week and maybe have a chance to win."
Although Macdonald had a double bogey on the par-4 12th hole, he recovered with birdies on No. 14 and No. 18 to force a two-hole playoff with Bryson Nimmer of the United States.
Ultimately, Nimmer prevailed after Macdonald bogeyed on their second try at No. 18.
"It was such a hard golf course that you couldn't afford to let your mind slip or miss a shot," said Macdonald. "You just had to be so locked in, and if you weren't, you were going to make a double and I think that kind of helps.
"It being such a difficult course, and so penalizing, it definitely helped me lock in."
It was Macdonald's first runner-up finish on the Korn Ferry Tour and rocketed him 110 spots up the second-tier circuit's points list from 138th to No. 28.
"It gets me back into the hunt for a tour card, which is why we're all out there," said Macdonald, noting that the top 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour at the end of the season will earn promotion to the top-flight PGA Tour. "That's obviously the goal.
"So I've got some work left there, but it's just nice to be in a position where that is kind of a reality."
TRUIST CHAMPIONSHIP -- Corey Conners leads the Canadian contingent into the Truist Championship. He's eighth in the FedEx Cup standings heading into play at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pa. He's joined by No. 20 Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., Taylor Pendrith (45th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Hadwin (110th) of Abbotsford.
MYRTLE BEACH CLASSIC -- Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian playing in the opposite field ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He's 47th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Adam Svensson (156th) of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman (177th) of Thornhill, Ont., will join Hughes at Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
DP WORLD TOUR -- Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian in this week's Turkish Airlines Open at Regnum Carya in Antayla, Turkey. He's moved up six spots in the past week to sit 116th on the European-based tour's points list.
PGA TOUR AMERICAS -- A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., is the highest ranked Canadian on the third-tier Americas Tour, sitting 25th on the Fortinet Cup points list. He's one of eight Canadians in the Bupa Championship field at Club de Golf Mexico in Mexico City.
LPGA TOUR -- Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., will tee it up at the Mizuho Americas Open on Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Henderson moved up four spots the past week to sit 43rd on the Race to CME Globe standings. Grewal rose 15 spots to sit 101st.
EPSON TOUR -- Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian on the Epson Tour, ranked 34th on the Race for the Card standings, three spots ahead of Josee Doyon of Saint-Georges, Que. They're two of the Canadians playing the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic at TPC Scottsdale's Champions Course in Scottsdale, Ariz. Monet Chun (50th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon (105th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Brooke Rivers (125th) of Brampton, Ont., Vancouver's Leah John (128th) and Hamilton's Alena Sharp -- who normally plays on the LPGA Tour -- will also tee it up.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
