It's the Life of Riley for Fleming on the golf course this year

CALGARY -

Riley Fleming is not just  head teaching pro at the Lynx Ridge Golf Club. He's also one of the best golfers in Calgary.

Fleming's job is to teach his students to get better at the game, but over the weekend, the 28-year-old went one step beyond that: he schooled the rest of the field at the PGA Championship of Canada in Bromont, Quebec, winning by three shots.

Fleming said it's the biggest win of his career.

"I mean the names on the trophy are ridiculous.  You've got Moe Norman, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino.  Trevino won in 1979 and Palmer in 1980, I mean that's just crazy," Fleming told CTV.

"It's a big deal.  You kind of dream of stuff like that.  This was the first like as a National Championship. I've never won anything like that in my life before."

UNBELIEVABLE YEAR

This has been an unbelievable year for Fleming. Besides his victory at the PGA of Canada National Championship, he's won three other times this year.  It seems every event he enters he wins. 

Fleming said it's been a year to remember.

"The first one that I won was a two day PGA of Alberta event at Highwood Golf Course. (High River) That's where I really started to play well.  I shot a ridiculously low round in the first round.  I followed that up by winning the PGA of Alberta Assistants for the fourth straight year and then I won the Alberta Open for the third time," Fleming said.

"Golf is so hard to win and every time you do it is special," he said. "This year has been a bit on an exception, I've won a lot but I've played really well and managed everything going on with COVID and the influx of lessons and how busy I've been on that side of things.  I'm really happy with how I've played.

Riley Fleming of Calgary, August 2021

ROCK STAR

And so are the members at Lynx Ridge.  Fleming is somewhat of a rock star at the club.  Everywhere he goes people congratulate him on his outstanding season and big win in Quebec.

Director of Golf Matt Kirlin has known Fleming for a long time and he's amazed at what his good friend has accomplished.

"Unbelievably proud," Kirlin said.

"It was honestly emotional for me on Saturday to watch him win because me and him have been travelling together since we were kids.  We've practiced and pretended to be in that situation for years and years and he came through and did it so it's huge for him and big for me too."

CANADIAN OPEN?

Fleming hasn't given up on his dream of one day playing an event on the PGA tour.  And he says he's getting closer to realizing the dream of playing in his favourite event.

"You do get points for winning these events that end up adding up to an exemption into the Canadian Open which has kind of been a goal of mine since I joined the industry," he said.

"The dust hasn't quite settled yet so I don't know where I stand.  I'm very close and it's something obviously it would be a dream come true.  If my first PGA event was in the Canadian Open that would be just so perfect for me."

Fleming will try to rack up another victory next week at the PGA of Alberta Championship at the Riverbend Course in Red Deer.  That event runs on August 16 and 17.