Brendon Doyle leads by one after opening round of Fortinet Cup Championship

CALEDON, Ontario – Brendon Doyle took sole possession of the 18-hole lead after carding a 6-under 64 in the opening round of the Fortinet Cup Championship at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. Team Canada member Brendan MacDougall is in solo second at 5-under, while two players are tied for third at 4-under heading into Friday’s second round.

After Sunday’s final round, the top 10 players in Fortinet Cup points list will earn membership on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2025 season, while the top 80 players in the points list will retain membership on PGA TOUR Americas through the 2025 Latin America Swing.

Doyle holds the 18-hole lead for the first time in his career. A bogey-free 4-under front-nine put Doyle in prime position on Thursday morning. The 29-year-old carded three birdies against only one bogey on the back-nine, highlighted by back-to-back birdies in his closing two holes on Nos. 17 and 18. Doyle is projected to move to No. 4 in the points list if he were to hold onto the lead for the remainder of the week and claim his first PGA TOUR-sanctioned victory.

The Louisville, Kentucky native posted the best finish of his career in a runner-up showing two weeks ago at the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op. Doyle recorded one additional top-10 finish this season at the Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship, where he finished T8. With this showing, Doyle moved into the No. 60 position of the Fortinet Cup, therein claiming the final spot in the points list of Segment I to retain membership for the North America Swing.

Second-round tee times are scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET and will run until 1:49 p.m. ET on Friday off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees.

About Brendon Doyle (First,-6) 

Age: 29
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
Residence: Louisville, Kentucky
College: Indiana University
Fortinet Cup (start of week): 24th

• Finished No. 60 in the Latin America Swing to retain membership for the North America Swing
• Holds the 18-hole lead for the first time in his career
• Doyle’s grandfather Moe Demling was inducted into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame in 2020.
• His great-uncle, Buddy Demling, made 14 TOUR-sanctioned starts and is also a Kentucky Golf Hall of Famer.
• Brother Drew played collegiate golf at LSU (2020-24)

Competition notes

 

Course Setup: Par 70, 7,445 yards; R1 average: 72.130
Weather: Sunny with a high of 79. Wind from the south at 4-10 mph with gusts up to 18 mph.

• Brendon Doyle holds sole possession of the lead after the first round at 6-under.
• Three countries are represented in the top five and ties: United States (5), Canada (1) and Scotland (1).
• Four players who started the week outside of the top 80 of the Fortinet Cup points list are projected to move inside after the first round: Noah Gillard (T8/projected: 78th), Drew Shepherd (T8/projected: 75th), Jay Card (T14/projected: 76th) and Paul Chaplet (T14/projected: 72nd).
• Costa Rica’s Paul Chaplet (T14/-1) is the low Latin after the first round.
• Brendan MacDougall is the low Canadian after the first round (Second/-5).
• Hole No. 13 – the 536-yard par 4 – was the most challenging hole on the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley; averaging a +.450; 326 birdies were made by the field in the first round.