Meet the rookies: Michael Gligic
2 Min Read
PORTLAND, OREGON - AUGUST 11: Michael Gligic of Canada holds up his PGA Tour card during the "The 25" ceremony after the final round of the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz at Pumpkin Ridge Ridge Golf Club on August 11, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
Brett Coletta being on The 25 bubble for PGA TOUR card at Pinnacle Bank
Each week during the fall, PGATOUR.COM will highlight one of the rookies playing on the PGA TOUR during the 2019-20 season. This week: Michael Gligic, who is in this week’s field at the Bermuda Championship.
Age: 29
Birthplace: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Resides: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
TOUR card gained by: Finishing 17th in the Korn Ferry Tour regular season standings.
TOUR starts/Best finish: Eight starts, including four this season. Best finish is a T28 in his most recent start, the Houston Open, when he opened and closed with a pair of 67s.
Pro highlights: A long-time member on the MacKenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, where he won the 2012 ATB Financial Classic presented by TELUS. Got a decent look at the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017 with nine starts, but his first full season there came in 2019. Broke through with an early win at the Panama Championship and played solid golf thereafter, with seven top-25s, giving him enough points to make the leap up.
Amateur highlights: Turned pro at 18 but had successful junior career in Canada. Was a 13-time winner on the Canadian Junior Golf Association schedule and was ranked No.1 there in 2006 when he won five tournaments in a row.
Interesting tidbits: Started working with Sean Foley as a 13-year-old, well before Foley came to fame as a mentor to Tiger Woods and Justin Rose. … Named the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year on the Mackenzie Tour in 2018. … Wife Natasha owns a burgeoning pet-accessory business called Walk in the Bark. … Gligic grew up playing both hockey and baseball and was a goalie for 12 years. He wanted to be a pro hockey player. ... Gligic’s brother David has autism; therefore Michael puts heavy charitable focus in this area. ... Had status on the 2013 Sunshine Tour in South Africa.
Gligic says (after winning the Panama Championship): “The one thing I get asked a lot is ‘What’s the difference between you and them the guys on the PGA TOUR?’ My answer has always been the same. You can put the top 50 in the world on their own level, but then you put No. 51 in the world on the driving range with a Mackenzie Tour player, and you can’t tell who is No. 51 or who is on the Mackenzie Tour. I think that’s what has kept me going.”
