Theo Humphrey took first place over the weekend at The 2025 Manitoba Open. The 29-year-old has been vocal in the past about his mental health struggles, while facing criticism on the course for them.
His first win at a PGA Tour sanctioned event, Humphrey overcame a tough week to get the trophy. Unfortunately, to start things off, 2.6 inches of rain forced a delay until Saturday. The resulting time constraints cut the event down to 36-holes. From here, Theo struggled to take home the win but found a way to pull through in the end.
Humphrey’s Past Struggles
Throughout his career, Theo Humphrey has been open about the difficulties he faces. The Vanderbilt alum has expressed emotions on the course, sometimes becoming extremely volatile. His anxiety results in the ‘yips,’ and he finds himself hovering or backing away from shots repeatedly. Videos of this have made their way to social media and resulted in backlash. In response, Humphrey told the Winnipeg Free Press,
“We all know golf mentally is really hard. I just got in a bad way for a bunch of years. I have kind of done some deep-diving on how to get past that, how to get over it, really to make golf more fun and obviously help my talent shine through,” Said Humphrey. He then reflected on his past stating,
“I certainly didn’t think it would take this long to win a PGA TOUR‑sanctioned event,” Humphrey said in a post-round interview. “I didn’t think it was going to be this hard, but I also didn’t really think I would be back here at this point a couple years ago.
“So definitely exciting, rewarding to know that I’m doing the right things, I’m on the right path … Golf’s really hard and it’s been really hard for me for a lot of years. To have some successes here this week, it makes a lot of the struggle worth it.”
Theo Humphrey is looking to make a big comeback in the world of golf. The 2018 SEC Player of the Year qualified for the U.S. Open right after graduating from Vanderbilt. Coming out on top of a two-man playoff, the college phenom punched his ticket in competition at the Canoe Brook Country Club Summit back in June of 2018.
Other Obstacles
By the 11th hole on Sunday, Humphrey’s struggles came to light. The golfer was given a one-shot penalty for slow play. He had already been warned, but failed to make pace. What would’ve been a birdie became a par, but impressively Humphrey kept his cool. He went on to make three more birdies and a save for par. He told the Free Press,
“Somehow, I was kind of able to get past it, to have an off-week mentally and still be able to perform,” he said. “It’s exciting, because I know how good it can be when I’m really thinking clearly and doing the things I want to.”
Luckily, Humphrey was able to do what he needed to get that first professional win. What made it even better was that his dad was on the bag, supporting him along the way.
“It’s really special. We’ve had some good successes in the past, and it was fun to have him come out this week and spend the time together, especially off the golf course.”
Theo Humphrey Wins Manitoba Open Despite Mental Health Struggles