Mills, Risdon Take Last Shots At Top 25

All of the fireworks from Canadian touring pros have come from below the major tours this season and there are a couple of homegrown players who would like that trend to continue this week at the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship.

Calgary’s Dustin Risdon sits 43rd on the Nationwide Tour money list, while Jon Mills of Belleville, Ont., is 10 spots behind in 53rd after both missed the cut at the Miccosukee Championship in Miami.

Both still have a shot at making it into the top 25 on the money list who receive their PGA Tour cards for next year and they have a lucrative $1-million purse to work with in Charleston, S.C., this week, although both need a stellar performance at the Tour Championship.

There’s other motivation for both Mills and Risdon to play well. The top 40 in the money list earn a direct ticket to the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school, a nice consolation prize for not getting their tour cards through the money list.

Mills is hoping he hits his highest peak of the year in what has been a season of highs and lows, with four top-10 finishes among 10 top-25s, yet he has missed 11 cuts in 25 tournaments, including last week.

“It’s up and down,” said Mills of his game. “Last week, I putted as good as I’ve putted all year, which is obviously a very good thing but I just didn’t strike the ball very well, so there’s definitely room for improvement.

“At this point of the season, I feel like I haven’t really put a really good tournament together and I’m still near the top 50,” he said.

While the odds may seem stacked against Risdon and Mills to get their tour cards this week, it wouldn’t be the first time that Mills has earned a timely win to get out on tour through the Nationwide money list.

In 2005, he won the Canadian PGA Championship, which was part of the Nationwide Tour that year, and moved on to the PGA Tour the following year. In 2007, Mills won the Albertsons Boise Open to propel him back to the PGA Tour last year.

So Mills knows he’s capable of winning, or at least finishing high enough to earn his card for next year. He also has inspiration through recent events.

“Golf’s one of those sports where it tends to happen a lot,” he said. “You get guys on the tour who struggle all year, then finally win a tournament.

“Even this week, Martin Laird, won the (PGA Tour’s) Vegas event, I played a lot with him and I know him pretty good, so it’s good to see somebody like that win as well,” said Mills, who is also happy for another recently victorious Canadian.

Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., won his first Nationwide Tour event two weeks ago at the Chattanooga Classic in Tennessee in a season that has been plagued by back problems. That victory shot Baryla all the way to 20th on the money list and he currently stands 19th with a PGA Tour card in clear view.

Mills may also take note of the fact that Baryla missed the cut the week before.

“Chris has been playing some very good golf,” said Mills. “He’s finally healthy and it’s starting to show. He’s put in a lot of hard work. I play a lot of practice rounds with him. I think (his talents) showed when he finished top-10 at the Canadian Open.”

Related Posts:

• Papa Jon Goes Back To Work
• Sharp Continues Steady Progress
• DeLaet Pledges To Pace Himself Better
• The Apprenticeship Of Adam Hadwin