Stuart's Ken Duke captures first victory on PGA Tour Champions with win in Canada
Ken Duke is normally one of the most low-key personalities on the PGA Tour Champions, but when his birdie putt went in the 18th hole Sunday, he celebrated with a primal scream, "yeahhhhhhhhh!!!!," and a fist-pump that would have made Tiger Woods proud.
Waiting 100 tournaments before your first victory on the PGA Tour Champions can do that to a golfer.
Duke’s wait ended Sunday when he drained his 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta. It was his first win — not counting his two titles in Treasure Coast Senior Tour events in 2021 — since the 2013 Hartford Open.
“I knew I had a shot, and you never know if you’re going to get that shot again,” Duke said Tuesday from his Stuart home. “It’s hard to beat these guys. We put ourselves in these situations, and you have to perform.”
The 54-year-old Duke looked like a seasoned veteran. Taking little time at No. 18, he stepped up and rapped the winning putt into the hole. He was so confident that he started his celebration early and never saw the ball go into the cup.
“People have asked me if that was planned,” Duke said of his reaction. “You don’t think how you’re going to react, you just react. That’s how I felt in the moment.”
There was karma at play. When he got to his ball on the 18th fairway Sunday, the yardage to the pin was 102.
“I had the exact same number at Hartford (when he won in a playoff),” Duke said. “That’s all I was thinking about.”
He produced a similar result, the ball landing about 5 feet above the hole and rolling 6 feet below it. Duke poured in the putt, and the celebration started.
There was more karma at play here. Both of Duke’s wins have come at places also won by his instructor, Boca Raton resident Bob Toski (Harford and Calgary) more than a half-century later. Afterward, Duke thanked Toski for finding his game when they started working together in 2007.
“He’s a special guy,” Duke said of Toski. “He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. He’s touched a lot of lives and obviously, he has touched my life and my family’s.”
The victory moved Duke from 40th to 21st on the Charles Schwab Cup points list and ensures Duke will be in the TimberTech Championship field on Nov. 3-5 at Broken Sound in Boca Raton. The win also keeps Duke on the PGA Tour Champions through the end of 2024, which no doubt played a role in his emotions.
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Duke’s competitive fire is evident by his occasional appearances on the TCST. He even kicked in $2,000 last year to sponsor its Tour Championship.
“I’ve had some health issues, and you never know when a tournament will be your last tournament,” Duke said. “I was told this week this was my 100th tournament; I hope I can get another hundred.”
Bob Toski worked with Duke and Alexa Pano
When Duke first saw Toski, he was struggling. Toski said a major issue was Duke’s health — he was diagnosed with scoliosis in seventh grade and had a 16-inch metal rod attached to his spine.
“I don’t think he could make a big turn because of the rod,” Toski said. “He would aim left and hit it right. You can’t do that. If you aim left, you have to hit it left.”
Toski got to make another congratulatory call Sunday, to 19-year-old Lake Worth Beach phenom Alexa Pano, who won her first LPGA Tour event when she captured the ISPS Handa World Invitational in a three-way playoff. Toski has been a mentor for Pano while she works with Chris O’Connell on her swing and Stuart’s Jerry Tucker on her short game.
“Alexa considers Bob her second grandfather. They are very close,” Alexa’s father, Rick, said. “I hope the guy lives forever.”
Toski will celebrate his 97th birthday on Sept. 18 with a party in Deerfield Beach. Pano and her father will attend.
“Bob has a gift," Duke said, "and it’s an amazing gift."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Ken Duke wins Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary for first PGA Tour Champions title
