A bogey on the final hole could not stop Jeevan Sihota from punching his ticket to Canada’s biggest golf tournament.
The 22-year-old qualified for the 2026 RBC Canadian Open after successfully navigating a two-stage qualifying process, earning the first PGA Tour start of his career.
Sihota guaranteed his place in the 147-player field on June 7 at The Pulpit Club in Ontario, where 84 players competed in a one-day, 18-hole final qualifier.
The top four finishers automatically advanced to Canada’s national championship.
The longtime Gorge Vale Golf Club member delivered a three-under-par 68, finishing in a tie for third, just one shot off the lead. His round featured six birdies, two bogeys and 10 pars, including a back-nine 33 that helped lock up his spot in the tournament.
“I had three birdies in a row on 11, 12, and 13, which was nice. On 11 I hit a nice drive on top of the ridge and had a nice shot in. On 12 I stuck it close and had a tap in and then on 13 I hit it on the green in two and two-putted for birdie,” Sihota said in a release on Golf Canada’s website.
“I felt really good, this is a really good track. It’s tough out here, I putted really well today.”
The final qualifier marked the second and final step in Sihota’s quest to the Canadian Open.
He earned his place in the Ontario event after advancing through regional qualifying at Highland Pacific Golf Course in early May.
One of five regional qualifying events held across Canada, the Highland Pacific stop saw Sihota finish in a tie for fourth with a one-under-par 70, placing him among the 10 golfers who moved on to the final stage.
According to the PGA Tour website, Sihota turned down dozens of Division I college golf offers in the United States after high school in order to turn professional at age 18.
Since then, he has competed in 14 PGA Tour Americas events. His professional debut came in 2022, when he tied for 31st at the Royal Beach Victoria Open at Uplands Golf Club.
He has also enjoyed significant success on the Vancouver Golf Tour, finishing atop the 2025 year-end order of merit after winning eight of the 13 events he entered.
Sihota was not the only Greater Victoria golfer in Sunday’s qualifier.
2017 Royal Bay Secondary School graduate Nolan Thoroughgood finished tied for seventh at one-under-par 70, missing a Canadian Open berth by two strokes.
This year’s championship will also feature a pair of golfers with recent Victoria connections.
A.J. Ewart, from Coquitlam, who set the course record at Uplands Golf Club with a 59 during the 2025 PGA Tour Americas event in Oak Bay, earned another PGA Tour start. Drew Nesbitt, who defeated Ewart in a playoff at that same tournament, is also in the field through a sponsor’s exemption.
Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, both from Abbotsford, along with Adam Svensson of Surrey, round out the B.C. connections.
The 2026 RBC Canadian Open runs June 11-14 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s North Course.
The tournament features a $9.8 million purse and will be played on a par-70 course measuring 7,389 yards. The field includes Matt Fitzpatrick (world no. 4), Justin Rose (world no. 6), Collin Morikawa (world no. 7) and Tommy Fleetwood (world no. 8).
First played in 1904, the tournament’s list of past champions includes Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.
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