Shane Pinto isn’t walking into the Commissionaires Ottawa Open with any illusions.
The Senators forward knows the 156-player field that starts Thursday morning at The Marshes Golf Club in Kanata is a different world, and he’s not pretending otherwise. His personal target is a simple one: do better than teammate Claude Giroux, who posted 79-80 (+17) in 2023 and 81-78 (+15) in 2024 when he played the event at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Dunrobin.
“I just don’t want to embarrass myself. I mean, I’ll probably finish dead last, but I just want a respectable score,” Pinto told assembled media at the course’s clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon before he went out for a practice round.
He kept coming back to the same idea - survival, not glory.
“I’ve got to beat [Giroux’s score], [although] it was a different course. But he even told me I’m going to finish dead last, so I just want to not embarrass myself… I have no chance, but it’s going to be fun, and hopefully I just put up respectable scores.”
Giroux, speaking later via Zoom about his new contract extension with Ottawa, returned the compliment.
“Pints is a great golf player, he can crush the ball, he’s fun to watch, for sure. He’s going to do well this weekend, I’m sure,” said Giroux, who made his first-ever hole-in-one at The Marshes back in June - on the par 4 seventh hole, nonetheless.
For Pinto, the bigger adjustment may not be the golf course. It’s the stage.
He’s used to NHL arenas packed with 18,000-20,000 fans, but Thursday and Friday will be the first time he’s played golf in front of any kind of crowd.
“It’s definitely not going to be like playing golf with my buddies on Long Island, so yeah, the first tee jitters will be real. But hopefully, these next two days, I can get prepared and do my best,” said Pinto.
He said he’s been trying to get ready, even if the process doesn’t exactly mirror what a professional golfer would do.
“I've been playing a good amount. I've been trying to practice, but like, I really don't know how to practice like professional.
But I've definitely been practicing, so my game's trending in somewhat the right direction. But this is going to be a totally different atmosphere, so I have no idea what's going to happen.”
Pinto said he’s never played in anything bigger than a club championship back home. For the week, he’s bringing in a family caddy: his father, Frank, will handle the bag, the clubs and the cleaning duties.
The one thing Pinto may keep to himself? The green-reading.
“I’m not going to ask for many reads from him, I think. He’s not too good at reading greens.
But it’ll just be a fun experience for us. I’ll probably get competitive out there, but I won’t be asking him for too many reads.”
He also wasn’t willing to put a number on what he might shoot, especially with The Marshes playing slightly longer this week. Its Gold tees have been stretched from 7,026 yards to 7,092 yards.
Pinto said he has been as low as a plus-one handicap before, meaning he’s usually near par or better, but he still isn’t sure what Thursday and Friday will bring.
“Even if I break 80 both days, that’s good… I should break 80, but I could easily not even break 90, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Pinto.
The parts of his game that feel solid are clear enough. The rest, not so much.
“My driver's feeling good. I don't know what's going on with my irons.
Chipping's alright. Then my putting's been awful, so I'm going to work on a lot of putting today, short game, and hopefully it shows up on Thursday.”
Pinto will have some familiar faces walking with him. His girlfriend Sydney and a few friends from home are set to follow his rounds, and he already knows the mood in that gallery.
“I’m sure they’re going to have a few drinks and enjoy, and I’m going to be stressing out there, so it should be fun.”
He’ll tee off with Strongsville, Ohio’s Jake Scott and Fort Riley, Kansas’s Zach Mandry at 2:27 p.m. on Thursday on the back nine. On Friday, the group goes off the front nine at 8:57 a.m.
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