SHSU's Steele qualifies for PGA Tour Canada
8/15/2017 5:10:00 PM | Men's Golf
OTTAWA, Ontario – One year ago, incoming freshman Noah Steele made the trip from Canada to Texas ready to begin collegiate play at Sam Houston State. His return home this summer has been just as memorable.
After winning the Whig-Standard Championship over the weekend, the number one ranked Canadian golfer in the class of 2016 qualified for the PGA Tour Canada and the fourth-annual National Capital Open to Support Our Troops on Monday.
The 72-hole tournament begins Thursday from the 7,209-yard Hylands Golf Club – North Course in Ontario. The event has become a tradition since the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada returned to the Ottawa area in 2013. Steele is set to tee off at 2:05 p.m. on Thursday and 10:05 a.m. Friday.
“I am very excited,” Steele said. “I think it's great I am getting the opportunity to test the waters. It is something I had thought about trying to get into. I am thankful that this one fell into place. I think I can take a lot from it. I am looking to take a lot from the week and looking to grow as a person.”
The opportunity, which Steele said came about after being encouraged to do so, saw the Bearkat shoot 2-under, 70, on Monday before eventually winning a four-person playoff to qualify. According to Sam Houston head coach Brandt Kieschnick, the opportunity will be huge for development.
“I told him at the end of this week whether he plays well or not, he's going to be a better player,” Kieschnick said. “He's practicing next to guys doing it for a living. He's going to be talking to guys who are going to be on the PGA Tour. He'll be practicing with guys who shoot under-par every day.”
As a freshman at Sam Houston, the Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School graduate played in eight of 11 tournaments, ranking third on the squad with a 74.76 scoring average. Steele capped his season with an 11th place, 15-over, 231, at the Southland Conference Championship.
“Coach Kieschnick, he called on my way home telling me how excited he was for me,” Steele said. “It meant a lot. Him giving me the opportunity to play as much as I did my freshman year really contributed. I think I really grew a lot and learned how to manage everything at once.”
The event is the ninth of 12 on The Mackenzie Tour and will see Steele paired with 26-year-old Wes Gates, a former Bowling Green product, and Michael Dagenais. Following the weekend, Steele will return to Huntsville as Sam Houston readies to open the 2017-18 season.
“He worked hard this summer to learn from his freshman year,” Kieschnick said. “He can be as good as he wants to be. To get a national player like him to our program for recruiting and development is huge. This is going to pay off future dividends for Bearkat golf. He has reached a new level of confidence.”
