It was a milestone birthday and landmark victory for Etienne Papineau as he won the 2026 PGA Tour Americas US$225,000 Digital Commerce Group Open on Sunday at Uplands Golf Club.
The native of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., punched his fist in the air after sinking his last putt to finish the fourth round at 9-under 61 and the tournament at 25-under going away for a four stroke victory to earn the US$40,500 first-prize purse as the gallery serenaded him by singing Happy Birthday followed by an impromptu rendition of O Canada as Papineau became only the second two-time winner of the Victoria Open following his other victory at Uplands in 2023.
“It’s a crazy-special moment for me celebrating the win on my 30th birthday at a place where I have won in the past,” said Papineau, who has played in the RBC Canadian Open.
“I changed my career in Victoria [with his first win in 2023] so it’s always fun to be here. I don’t know what’s going on, but this Uplands course is just something else for me. It just fits my game extremely well,” added Papineau, who played NCAA for the University of West Virginia Mountaineers.
“It was incredible, and the crowd was awesome to sing Happy Birthday to me and it means a lot. I’m proud to be Canadian and having them celebrate with me was awesome. Maybe I’ll come here to retire in Victoria and just play golf.”
There were also touching familial moments as Papineau won his second tournament of the 2026 PGA Tour Americas season and became only the second two-time winner of the Victoria Open following Rick Todd in 1991 and 1997.
“Having both my parents here means a lot,” Papineau said.
“My dad was there for my first win on the tour this year in Toronto, so this was the first time my mom has seen me win and it’s awesome to celebrate and give her the first hug after the final putt on the 18thhole.”
Papineau, with his second win of the season, moved to second overall in the 2026 PGA Tour Americas season standings behind Thomas Ponder out of the NCAA University of Alabama Crimson Tide with two tournaments remaining. The top 10 will earn berths into the 2027 Korn Kerry Tour, which is one rung below the PGA Tour in the pro golf ladder. Papineau has been there before and the goal now is to not only stick there longer but also climb potentially to the PGA Tour.
“I played there [Korn Ferry] for two years and learned a lot from those two years and this is another chance and that’s why I came back here on PGA Tour Americas,” said Papineau.
“Hopefully I don’t make the same mistakes up there and go there to Korn Ferry more prepared this time.”
American Kyle Cottam shot an Uplands course record 12-under 58 on Saturday in the third round to lead at 19-under as he broke the former course record of 59, set in last year’s Victoria Open by AJ Ewart of Coquitlam, who is now on the PGA Tour. Cottam, however, was even-par 70 Sunday and faded into a tie for fifth place. American Charlie Nikitas from Chicago, out of NCAA Miami University, finished second behind Papineau at 21-under over four rounds.
Their beacons are the several players who have vaulted from the PGA Tour Americas, and the precursor PGA Tour Canada before it, to the PGA Tour. The latest are Canadian and B.C.-product Ewart and American Michael Brennan, who both played last year in the Victoria Open. Last year’s PGA Tour Americas season points champion Brennan, who was tied for fifth in the 2025 Victoria tournament, has won two events this year on the 2026 PGA Tour and has played in all four majors. Ewart shot the then course record 11-under 59 in last year’s Victoria Open, before finishing second in a playoff, and is now on the PGA Tour after winning the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School last December. Brennan also skipped the Korn Ferry Tour entirely by winning the Utah Bank Open on the PGA Tour, which he entered on a sponsor exemption, and which in turn gained him a guarantee of a PGA Tour card for two seasons through 2027, and jumped him to 34th in the world ranking.
The Victoria pro tournament began in 1981 and this year was the third-to-last stop in the 15-event 2026 PGA Tour Americas season, before it closes out with the ATB Classic at Blackhawk Golf Club near Edmonton this week and the PGA Oceans 4 Tour Championship in the Dominican Republic from Oct. 15-18.
The PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamérica merged to form PGA Tour Americas in 2023. The former Canadian Tour became PGA Tour Canada in 2013, with 67 PGA Tour Canada alumni having advanced to play on the PGA Tour over the past decade with 29 PGA Tour victories between them. More than 300 PGA Tour Canada alumni have gone on to play on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2013 with more than 50 victories among them.
