Yellamaraju wins – Sudarshan Yellamaraju fired a 2-under 68 in Sunday’s final round to tie for eighth and win the Rivermead Cup as the lowest scoring Canadian at the RBC Canadian Open. The 24-year-old from Mississauga capped a breakthrough week close to home, while Matthew Ander
Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open felt like a homecoming that turned into proof.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju. the Mississauga. Ont. golfer who kept pushing through the pressure of playing in Canada so close to where he grew up. posted a 2-under 68 in the final round. That score was enough to tie for eighth and bring him the Rivermead Cup — awarded to the lowest scoring Canadian at the national men’s championship.
For Yellamaraju, it wasn’t just about the leaderboard. It was about the group around him, too. Matthew Anderson, also from Mississauga, had been briefly atop the leaderboard, but finished tied for 11th. Amateur Justin Matthews of Little Britain, Ont., tied for 19th.
All three are under the age of 26.
“We’re just trying to push ourselves, each other, when we’re playing, when we’re on the team, we’re playing back at home,” Yellamaraju said. “We keep cheering each other on, even when we’re not there in person or watching from afar.”
He added that he noticed his fellow Canadians working their way up the card. “I saw on the leaderboard that Matthew and Justin were really playing some good golf, almost having a chance to win, that was pretty cool to see. I was just trying my best to actually almost keep up with them.”
Yellamaraju’s week comes during his rookie PGA Tour season, and it has already added up to momentum: he has now earned three top-10 finishes. He said he was prepared for the extra scrutiny that comes with the Canadian Open, especially with the tournament being “a short drive from his hometown.”
“Obviously. going into the week it was like you have that little bit of added pressure being at the Canadian Open and for me being pretty close to home and stuff like that. ” Yellamaraju said. “I just kind of tried to keep trying to tell myself to play the best that I could and just fight until the very end. which was pretty much what I did.”.
The results also feed into a longer conversation about Canadian golf. Golf Canada has set an ambitious goal of having 30 players on the LPGA and PGA Tours by 2032, and Yellamaraju, the 26-year-old Anderson and the 23-year-old Matthews will all be in their primes by then.
Matthews, speaking about the 30-by-’32 target, said, “I think we’ll be able to do that. I’m on the (amateur) team, but the young pro team, it all seems like a family and it’s just a tremendous support system.”
Anderson’s path through the week carried its own kind of risk. He has full-time status on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour. but he has only made the cut at five of his 13 events this year. To play the RBC Canadian Open. he accepted a sponsor’s exemption rather than competing on the Korn Ferry Tour and earning points to maintain his card.
It was a gamble, but one he didn’t regret. “I’m never going to turn down an opportunity to play in my national open. That’s something that I grew up watching,” Anderson said. “Missing a week on Korn Ferry Tour. yes. there’s points. but ultimately if I believe in my game and I believe in my direction of where I’m going. I’m going to get to where I want anyway. regardless of whether I choose to play an event one week or not basically.”.
On the scoresheet, Matthews finished at 8-under overall with rounds including a 69, tying with Taylor Pendrith (69) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and A.J. Ewart (66) of Coquitlam, B.C., for 29th.
The rest of the Canadian contingent made their mark as well: Adam Hadwin (71) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 40th; Ben Silverman (71) of Thornhill, Ont., tied for 60th; Nick Taylor (64) of Abbotsford tied for 65th; and Joey Savoie (71) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., tied for 67th.
There were 10 Canadians who made the cut at this year’s national championship — the most since 1969.
In the end, the week’s story wasn’t only about who posted the lowest Canadian score. It was about three young players — all under 26 — stepping onto one of the biggest stages in the country and, through their results, making the future feel immediate.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju Rivermead Cup RBC Canadian Open Matthew Anderson Justin Matthews Golf Canada PGA Tour Korn Ferry Tour LPGA Canadian golf