Canada’s Ben Silverman’s rededication to golf takes him to Pebble Beach

A Thornhill, Ontario native, he won the 2017 Price Cutter Charity Championship which led to two full seasons on the PGA Tour before returning to the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour in 2020-21.

“I realized that one of the reasons I lost my card on the PGA Tour was because when I was out there I was pretty happy to be out there,” Silverman said, “I didn’t worked so hard on my game the same level i had to earn my pga tour card.

“It wasn’t until maybe 2022, looking back at things, that I realized what happened.”

Silverman said he has returned to his game physically and mentally. That meant working with trainer Ken Macdonald on his explosiveness, fast-twitch muscles and power off the tee.

It also meant more time with coach Jeff Leishman to work on sequencing to gain more speed, shot selection strategies and different hole positions for different wind conditions.

“I worked really hard on the mental side of things because my mind just wasn’t where I wanted it to be on the golf course,” Silverman, 35, said. “So I’m working on my routine, and I’ve had a number of different things that have helped, including talking to my wife but listening to some motivating people on their podcasts.”

Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, former All-Star first baseman Sean Casey, and mental performance coach Brian Cain are just a few of the podcasters Silverman now listens to regularly.

Silverman’s hard work paid off last week when he climbed the hill in 18th place at The Abaco Club in Winding Bay and batted sight in the one-hole playoffs. Silverman said the win earlier in the season was “amazing”.

“Even if it wasn’t a win, I just went into this week thinking that even starting so early in the season was incredible,” said Silverman, who had a sponsorship leave for the event. “Because I didn’t get past the second level of Q-School this fall, despite playing well, I didn’t have guaranteed starts at the start of the season.

“It was a huge, huge opportunity because if I make the cut, I have a chance to remix and then have a season. Last year I didn’t get my first Korn Ferry Tour start until April and that was because I qualified for it on Monday.”

He will get another big chance this week.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am CEO and Tournament Director Steve John called Silverman the day after the win in the Bahamas and invited the Canadian to compete in the $9 million event, which begins Thursday.

Silverman joins fellow Canadians Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ontario, Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ontario and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, BC in the field.

GRAIN FERRY TOUR — Edmonton’s Wil Bateman is the top-ranked Canadian at this week’s Panama Championship. He ranks 12th in the second-tier tour points list. Roger Sloan of Merritt, BC and Richard Jung of Toronto also feature at Club de Golf de Panama in Panama City.

AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN AMATEUR – Monet Chun, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, received an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Saturday. The prestigious event on one of the most historic golf courses is scheduled from March 30th to April 1st. Chun won the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and the Big Ten Championship in 2022.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 1, 2023.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press