Three share lead with first-round 63s at CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – John Keefer, Michael Brennan and Neal Shipley fired rounds of 9-under 63 in the first round of the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open and share the lead through Thursday. Daniel Hudson is fourth after an opening round 8-under 64, and five players are T5 at 7-under.

Keefer earned status for the North America Swing through PGA TOUR University after he finished 25th in the Class of 2024. Keefer jumped into the top 25 after a T11 finish at the NCAA National Championship.

In 141 career rounds at Baylor University, Keefer had a cumulative stroke average of 71.45, the best mark in program history. Keefer was also a two-time All-Big 12 selection in 2022 and 2024 and set the Baylor program record for lowest tournament score at the 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, where he carded a 12-under 198 and finished T2.

Brennan earned status for the North America Swing after finishing 12th in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking. The Wake Forest alum turned in a 6-under 30 on the front nine and made two eagles in the first round.

Brennan became the first player since 2015-16 to earn back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) individual titles after earning co-medalist honors in 2024. The Leesburg, Virginia, native is tied with Curtis Strange for the third most wins in Wake Forest history with eight.

After making five starts on the PGA TOUR, Shipley made his second start on PGA TOUR Americas last week at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op. Shipley birdied his final hole to get to 9-under at Southwood Golf and Country Club.

First-round play was suspended at 8:28 p.m. CDT due to darkness with eight groups yet to finish. First-round play will resume at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, with second-round tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

About John Keefer (T1/9-under)

• Age: 23
• Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
• Residence: San Antonio, Texas
• College: Baylor University
• Fortinet Cup (start of week): Second
• Has a cumulative scoring average of 65.52 through seven starts this summer, which is No. 1 on PGA TOUR Americas
• Has made the cut in all seven starts this summer since earning membership through PGA TOUR University
• Finished his collegiate career with the lowest stroke average in Baylor program history (71.45), besting Jimmy Walker’s mark of 71.55
• Named to the All-Big 12 team twice (2022, 2024)
• Only individual to be named Big 12 Men’s Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year three times (2022, 2023, 2024)
• Set tournament scoring record at 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional with a score of 12-under 198
• Finished T11 at NCAA National Championship, the best individual finish at Nationals in Baylor program history
• Became the fourth player in Baylor history to be named to the Arnold Palmer Cup team (2022)
• Recipient of the 2024 Scout McNealy Award, which is awarded to a member of the Baylor Men’s Golf team that exemplifies excellence in their everyday life

About Michael Brennan (T1/9-under)

• Age: 23
• Birthplace: Leesburg, Virginia
• Residence: Leesburg, Virginia
• College: Wake Forest University
• Fortinet Cup (start of week): 35th
• Finished as the No. 12 player in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2024; earned exempt status for the North America Swing
• Tied with Curtis Strange for third most individual wins in Wake Forest program history; the only players with more in Wake Forest history are Bill Haas (10) and Gary Hallberg (nine)
• Shared individual co-medalist honors with fellow PGA TOUR Americas member Frederik Kjettrup at the 2024 ACC Championship; Brennan became the first back-to-back individual ACC conference champion since 2015-16
• Best finish of the season was at the Explore NB Open (T4)

About Neal Shipley (T1/9-under)

• Age: 23
• Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Residence: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• College: Ohio State University
• Fortinet Cup (start of week): 119th
• Earned low-amateur honors at the 2024 Masters Tournament and U.S. Open; Shipley became the first player to earn the honor at both tournaments since Viktor Hovland in 2019
• Was named a unanimous selection to the 2024 All-Big Ten First Team
• Led Ohio State in scoring average in 2024 (71.35); led the Buckeyes in birdies with 150 in 37 rounds
• Made five starts on the PGA TOUR as a professional in 2024, with his best finish coming at the ISCO Championship where he finished T6

Competition notes

 

• Course setup: Par 72, 7,311 yards; R1 average: 69.130
• Weather: Cloudy with a high of 79; wind from the southwest at 3-9 mph with gusts up to 19 mph
• John Keefer, Michael Brennan and Neal Shipley share the first-round lead at 9-under.
• Three countries are represented in the top five and ties: United States (6), Argentina (2) and England (1).
• Argentina’s Andres Gallegos and Tommy Cocha (T5/-7) are the low Latins after the first round.
• Noah Steele, Max Sekulic and Piercen Hunt are the low Canadians after the first round (T10/-6).
• Hole No. 2 – the 228-yard par 3 – was the most challenging hole at Southwood Golf and Country Club, averaging +.250.
• The field made 731 birdies in the first round.