Matthew Anderson ties course record, leads at Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club

Matthew Anderson carded a bogey-free 9-under 62 to lead the first round of the Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club. Anderson’s career low tied the course record (62), previously set by playing partner José de Jesús Rodríguez in 2010. Anderson holds a four-stroke lead over seven players at 5-under entering the second round at Atlas Country Club.

After making his professional debut on PGA TOUR Canada last summer, Anderson entered the week with four top-25s after recording his best finish at the Bupa Championship at Tulum since the Windsor Championship in August. A tournament-low 4-under 68 in the final round at PGA Riviera Maya pushed him to a T21 finish heading into the second event of the season.

The Mississauga native found success early in his career by winning the 2019 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship. He became a part of Team Canada’s amateur squad in 2021-22 before becoming a member of Team Canada upon turning professional in 2023.

Prior to turning pro, Anderson came off an impressive finish in his graduate season at the University of San Fransisco, earning All-American honors after notching a top-15 finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships. From there, Anderson gained status on PGA TOUR Canada via a fourth-place finish at the PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament. He finished 50th in the 2023 Fortinet Cup standings to gain membership into the inaugural PGA TOUR Americas season.

Second-round tee times begin at 6:55 a.m. local time and will run until 1:35 p.m. off the Nos. 1 and 10 tees on Friday.

About Matthew Anderson (first, 9-under)

• Age: 23
• Birthplace: Mississauga, Ontario
• Residence: Phoenix, Arizona
• College: University of San Francisco

Fortinet Cup (start of week): T21

• Credits his dad for introducing him to golf at a young age, saying that he picked up the game when he was two and started hitting balls in his grandmother’s living room. Played his first round on an official golf course at the age of four and played in his first tournament at eight.
• Finished 11th and earned All-American honors at 2023 NCAA Championships.
• Played hockey for 12 years, shoots the puck left-handed but plays golf right-handed.
• Always carries four tees and his lucky Tito’s ball marker in his pocket when he’s playing.
• Favorite sports team is the Toronto Maple Leafs; favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant.
• Favorite musical artist is Drake; favorite song is “Butterfly Effect” by Travis Scott.

Competition Notes

Course Setup: Par 71 / 7,279 yards; R1 average: 70.930

Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 89. Wind from the SSW at 2-6 mph with gusts up to 14 mph.

• Anderson tied the course record at Atlas Country Club after carding a 9-under 62.
• Three Mexican players are T18 (3-under) after the first round: José de Jesús Rodríguez, Fernando Lopez Butron and Alejandro Madariaga.
• Paul Chaplet (T18, 3-under) carded the first albatross of PGA TOUR Americas on hole No. 10, the 538-yard par 5.
• Eight players carded bogey-free rounds: Anderson (first, 9-under), Luis Fernando Barco (T2, 5-under), Thomas Giroux (T2, 5-under), Joey Vrzich (T2, 5-under), Luke Schniederjans (T2, 5-under), Tommy Cocha (T9, 4-under), Butron (T18, 3-under) and Jonathan De Los Reyes (T28, 2-under).
• Anderson (first, 9-under) leads three Canadians in the top-25: Giroux (T2, 5-under) and Joey Savoie (T18, 3-under).
• Hole 9, playing as a 417-yard par 4, was the most challenging hole at Atlas Country Club; averaging a +.370. Hole 15 – the 515-yard par 5 – carded 67 birdies and seven eagles to make it the lowest scoring average at -.500.
• Madariaga (T18, 3-under) and Alan Wagner (T28, 2-under) were the two Monday Qualifiers to finish under-par.