DeLaet Recalls Highs/Lows Of Q-School

Qualifying school, which got underway Wednesday for both the PGA and LPGA Tours, is more likely an extended learning process over several years than the instant step into success that the naive might expect, although that is a possibility.

It took Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., four shots before getting it right in 2009.

“I came out of college. I had quite a bit of confidence. I really thought that I was going to get through,” said DeLaet of his first try back in 2006.

“To be honest, the first time is probably the easiest. You don’t really know what to expect. You don’t know what the failure of it is like, so you just kind of go in free-wheeling and it’s probably the easiest, at least mentally, of all that I went into,” he said. Read more

DeLaet Still Plans To Start At Sony Open

It will be exactly a year since surgery was needed to deal with a bulging disc in his back, but Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is expecting a full season in 2012, beginning with the Sony Open in early January.

“I’m feeling really good. I’m playing without any kind of pain or discomfort,” said DeLaet, who began to feel the effects of his back problem as he wound down his rookie year in 2010, when he earned $954,011 to finish 100th on the PGA Tour money list.

The surgery kept him out of competitive golf until June when he made his first start at the Nationwide Tour’s Melwood Prince George’s County Open, where he tied for 36th.

A week after that, he tried the PGA Tour at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, where he tied for 73rd, but he missed the cut at the Travelers Championship two weeks later.

“I just came back a little bit too early. I think, mentally, I thought I was better than I actually was physically. I think I just wanted to be playing so bad that I kind of locked a lot of the pain out subconsciously,” said DeLaet.

“The first couple of weeks wasn’t too bad, but just being on the road constantly and then, sleeping in different beds, it just kind of slowly started to deteriorate physically. I just wasn’t where I needed to be,” he said.

“I just felt like I couldn’t compete. It’s hard enough when I’m 100 per cent, but I just didn’t feel like I was in good enough shape to compete and it just seemed like I was wasting starts and I didn’t want to jeopardize things in the future,” he added.

So, he brought the curtain down on the 2011 season, with the exception of one Nationwide start at the Albertsons Boise Open in September, when he missed the cut.

He’s been receiving physical therapy and personal training at Athletes’ Performance in the Phoenix area and, with a season full of medical exemptions ahead, he will start the 2012 season in a positive frame of mind.

“I’m feeling a million times better than I was back then and I thought I was feeling good then,” he said.

“I can put in the time on the range and the putting green that I wasn’t really able to do before. I was able to play, but I couldn’t really practice to the extent that I feel that I need  to in order to be out there,” he said.

DeLaet Confirms He’ll Miss Open

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., has confirmed speculation that he will not be playing in next week’s RBC Canadian Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.

After suffering from a bulging disc last year, DeLaet underwent surgery in January followed by months of therapy and rehab before returning in June, but realized he hadn’t fully healed.

DeLaet says he will continue rehab and strengthening and has set no timetable for his return. If he is unable to return this season, DeLaet has a major medical extension that allows for 26 more starts.

“I am really disappointed my back is not further along and was truly hoping I would be able to play the RBC Canadian Open,” said DeLaet. “My long-term progress was the main consideration when making this decision.”

All Systems Go For Returning DeLaet

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is confident but cautious as he prepares for his first start of the season this week at the Nationwide Tour’s Melwood Prince George’s Open in Maryland.

DeLaet underwent surgery in early January to fix a herniated disc that was pinching a nerve and causing pain in his legs, but he has five rehab starts on the Nationwide Tour to use in his return to action, although he hopes he really only has to use this one before getting back to the PGA Tour. Read more

DeLaet To Start Comeback On Nationwide Tour

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., will make his comeback from surgery at the Nationwide Tour’s Melwood Prince George’s County Open, June 2-5 in Maryland.

DeLaet underwent surgery for a herniated disc in January and will evaluate his next step following his 2011 debut on the Nationwide Tour.

DeLaet Almost Ready To Go

Graham DeLaet is back hitting balls and expects to make his comeback sometime this month after finishing 100^th on the PGA Tour money list.

The native of Weyburn, Sask., had surgery in early January for a bulging disc in his back that was also causing pain down his legs.

DeLaet Pledges To Pace Himself Better

As you read last week on GNN, Graham DeLaet sees his return to the PGA Tour on the horizon, even if he hasn’t set a specific date just yet.

After a solid rookie year in which he placed 100^th on the money list to maintain his status on tour, DeLaet underwent surgery on Jan. 3 to repair a herniated disk that was pinching a nerve and causing pain down his legs.

DeLaet will likely receive a medical exemption for the time he missed after the surgery, but as he told GNN last week, he’d rather take care of business in 2011 than rely on any exemption he may receive. Read more

No Return Date Set, But DeLaet Feeling Better

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., hasn’t set a date yet, but he reports that his return to the PGA Tour isn’t too far away.

DeLaet, 29, had surgery on Jan. 3 to repair a herniated disk in his back that was pinching a nerve.

“I had terrible pain down my leg,” said DeLaet on Thursday. “It got to the point where I couldn’t sit down for more than 10 seconds without going into spasm or almost crying because of the pain.

“We tried everything throughout November and December to recover without the surgery. We sat down as a family, with my doctor and agent and we thought this was the best way to do it,” he added.

“Now, in hindsight, I wish I would have done it in the middle of November. I’d probably be back out there playing by now, but I’m feeling a lot better,” said DeLaet, whose rookie campaign saw him finish 100^th on the money list to retain his card and earn three top 10 finishes, including a tie for third at the Shell Houston Open.

A medical exemption is likely in the cards for DeLaet, but he says his main focus right now is getting into peak health and winning enough money this year after his return to retain his card.

“I think I’m ahead of the curve with the majority of the people who have had my surgery, according to my surgeon and my physical therapist,” he said.

“I was pretty fit going into it, so I think that helped a little bit. I still have a little bit of work to do. I need to bulk up a little bit. I lost quite a bit of weight during the whole process. I’ve got about half of it back now,” he said.

“I need to rebuild in my legs from not using them, basically, for a month-and-a-half, two months,” said DeLaet, adding that at times he feels like he’s ready for a return, but still has the occasional rough day or two at a time.

Watch for more on DeLaet in Hutch’s Blog next week.

DeLaet Faces Surgery

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., will miss the early part of the PGA Tour season after he has surgery for a herniated disc on Monday.

DeLaet suffered from a bulging disc for most of last season, but it became herniated late in the year. After several weeks of exercise and therapy, he was advised to proceed with the surgery and will require about eight weeks of rehab.

DeLaet finished his rookie season as the top Canadian on the tour money list with $950,000 in earnings, good for 100^th spot. His best finish was a tie for third at the Shell Houston Open.

Hadwin Hasn’t Changed Since The Open

I caught up with Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., last week after he made it through the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying school and noticed that he is still playing with the fearless attitude that earned him low Canadian honours at the RBC Canadian Open back in July at St. George’s Golf and Country Club.

I wrote about Hadwin in my Sun Media column, which appeared in Monday’s edition of the Toronto Sun. You can read it below: Read more

DeLaet Keeps Answering The Bell

Graham DeLaet hardly sounded at the top of his game on Monday evening as he spoke from Chicago about the day before, when he definitely was at the top of his game in winning the Sunshine Tour’s BMG Classic in South Africa.

“I went straight to the airport and flew to London, had a four-hour layover there and then, flew to Chicago and now, I’ve got a four-hour layover here,” said a groggy-sounding DeLaet, before leaving on the final leg of his journey home to Boise, Id.

“I don’t know what the flight is – two-and-a-half, three hours to Boise. I’ll be home finally before midnight (Boise time),” he said. “The good thing is I travel so much, I can come up into the lounge, so it’s better than just sitting downstairs.”

DeLaet could have sweet dreams not only of his victory in South Africa, but also about the World Cup qualifier he won with fellow Canadian Tour player Stuart Anderson of Vancouver, but even if he did fall asleep, there was little chance he would miss the plane to Boise. Read more

DeLaet Wins In South Africa

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., won his first Sunshine Tour event at the 54-hole BMG Classic at the Glendower Golf Club in South Africa on Sunday.

DeLaet fired a third-round 69 to finish 11-under-par, one shot better than England’s Jeff Inglis.

The victory is the highlight of an impressive showing in South Africa this year for DeLaet, who also won twice on the Canadian Tour this year, where he won that circuit’s Order of Merit.

Earlier this year, DeLaet, who will play in next month’s World Cup with Victoria’s Stuart Anderson, earned two 12th-place finishes and was runner-up in two other events before his victory on Sunday.

DeLaet needed five events on the Sunshine Tour in order to keep his card on the circuit in 2010, but the victory now sets him up to win rookie of the year honours. He went into the tournament ranked 184th in the world.

Canada Wins World Cup Qualifier

The Canadian team of Graham DeLaet from Weyburn, Sask., and Victoria’s Stuart Anderson managed an even par 72 in Sunday foursomes, but it was enough to capture the Omega Mission Hills World Cup qualifier by two strokes over Wales.

The duo finished at 19-under-par 269 in Estonia to book a spot in the main event in China from Nov. 26–29.

Scotland fired a final round 66 to grab the third qualifying spot, three ahead of fourth place Portugal.

This is the second consecutive trip to the World Cup for DeLaet, who partnered with Calgary’s Wes Heffernan in a tie for 13th last year.

Anderson’s previous trip was in 2004 when he and Darren Griff represented Canada in Seville, Spain.

Buoyed by their victory in the qualifier, Canada were feeling confident about their chances when they tee it up at Mission Hills Golf Club in the World Cup final in November.

“When Graham and I are both on form, we can definitely contend. We played pretty well today. We had got ourselves far enough in front that we could cruise along today. It is great that we won, but our first goal was to qualify this week,” said Anderson.

DeLaet agreed. “We came here to get the job done and finish in the top three and we did it,” he said. “We are very excited to have the chance to play in China and we have a great chance to really compete when we get there.”

“It’s always exciting to put your country’s flag on your bag and stride down the fairway.

“Growing up as a kid in Canada you dream of representing your country at ice hockey. Golf is the only sport that I will have the chance to fulfill that dream with and I am really proud.”

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ROUND THREE

The Canadian duo of Graham DeLaet and Stuart Anderson fired a nine-under-par 63 in Saturday fourball to grab a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup qualifier in Estonia.

Canada is at 19-under-par 197, three ahead of Wales and five up on Portugal.

“Stu played awesome today”, said DeLaet. “He carried us today. I was able to contribute, but he shot eight of our birdies today”.

Canada’s only blemish on an otherwise perfect score card came with a bogey at the par four 14th.

“I spun my ball of the green from 100 yards and Stuart hit the green in regulation but three putted,” said DeLaet. “It always hurts to make bogey in this format, but we recovered well and made a couple more birdies.”

Although Anderson was responsible for most of the birdies, he was quick to point out how important DeLaet’s par-making had been for the team.

“Graham made the pars today and that freed me up to fire it at the flags and to be aggressive. We worked as a team and his pars were crucial. They made my birdie putts look easier,” said Anderson.

DeLaet added that it’s important for the Canadians not to get too far ahead of themselves heading into Sunday’s foursomes.

“We will have the same team order tomorrow as we did on Friday, but we might play a little more passively as we have a bit of a cushion. We aren’t thinking too much about China yet. We will take care of business tomorrow then we can be excited about the World Cup.”

The top three finishers qualify for the World Cup in China in November.

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FRIDAY FOURSOMES

Wales shot a bogey-free 66 in second round Foursomes to take a two-stroke lead over Canada at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier in Estonia.

We both played really well today,” said Canadian Tour player Graham DeLaet, who is representing Canada along with Victoria’s Stuart Anderson.

“We hit every green in regulation which is something you strive to do in the alternate shot format. We only missed two fairways today and even then, we were in the second cut. Our only bogey came from a three putt when I missed a two-footer for par on 14.”

Anderson reflected on the unique nature of Foursomes. “It’s an added pressure to perform with the Foursomes format. It’s a very different animal.

“It’s fun to play. You get involved in reading each other’s putts and figuring out the yardages together, so you feel much more like a team.”

The top three finishers from this event, which concludes on Sunday, qualify for the World Cup in China in November

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THURSDAY FOURBALL

The Canadian duo of Graham DeLaet and Stuart Anderson shot 65 to establish a one-stroke lead after round one of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier in Estonia.

The Canadians are one ahead of Welsh pairing of Stephen Dodd and Jamie Donaldson, who shot a 66 in Thursday’s opening fourball round at the Estonian Golf and Country Club.

With the top three finishers qualifying for the World Cup in China in November, DeLaet and Anderson, both regulars on the Canadian Tour, started strongly.

“We got off to a really good start, birdieing four of the first five holes. Six and seven slowed us down a bit with a three-putt par followed by a bogey, but Stuart birdied the 10th and we had birdie chances on every hole after that. We had a lull in the middle of the round, but we finished strong,” said DeLaet.

It was clear the duo had given some thought to the more challenging foursomes format that will be in play on Friday.

“We have had three days to look at the course and after the pro-am (Wednesday), we decided that Graham would tee off on the odd holes and I would take the even ones. We have a similar game, but Graham probably hits it further off the tee than I do,” said Anderson.

“We feel confident in each other and that’s huge. We trust one another and we played well so we will just have to stay aggressive and do our best.”

• images courtesy of the Canadian Tour

DeLaet Prepares For A Long Road Ahead

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is in Estonia with fellow Canadian Tour player Stuart Anderson of Victoria to play in a World Cup qualifier later this week.

DeLaet is coming off an outstanding season that began in Africa and continued on the Canadian Tour, where he has won twice in 2009 and leads the tour’s Order of Merit. Read more

DeLaet Wins His Second Before Playing the Open

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., shot a two-under-par 69 to capture the Canadian Tour Players Cup in Winnipeg by one stroke over Byron Smith, Lucas Lee and Ryan Horn.

DeLaet finished the week at eight-under-par 276 and, with his second title of the season, jumps to the top of the Order of Merit with $78,500 after his $32,000 payday on Sunday.

John Ellis posted a 71 to grab solo fifth at 278, while Derek Gillespie (71) and Mark Leon (73) shared sixth spot at 279.

Finishing in a tie for eighth at 280 were Mitchell Gillis (70), Luke Hickmott (72) and Ryan Thornberry (71).

DeLaet started with four consecutive pars and then backed up with consecutive bogeys at five and six.

Settling down with a birdie at eight, he parred three more before posting birdies on three of his next four, starting at 12, then was handed the victory when Smith bogeyed the final hole.

Smith, a winner in Victoria last month, birdied to start the day, but gave it back at five.

He went birdie-bogey at eight and nine and added a birdie at the par five 15th to move him one ahead of a charging DeLaet.

However, Smith bogeyed 16 to drop back into a tie with DeLaet before the fateful bogey at 18 left him one back.

DeLaet, who had already earned an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open, will be join by fellow Canadian Tour players Mauricio Molina, Mike Grob, Andres Gonzales, Hugo Leon, Rafael Gomez, Stuart Anderson and Wes Heffernan.

DeLaet to Write CPGA Blog

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., has become a Canadian PGA member and will write a weekly blog on the association’s website, www.cpga.com.

DeLaet, 27, will write an inside-the-ropes commentary on a season that has started off well with four top-15 finishes in South Africa, two of those as runner-up.

His performance in South Africa comes on the heels on a tie for 13th at the World Cup in China while playing with Calgary’s Wes Heffernan and a victory at the Canadian Tour’s Montreal Open. He also finished second at the Jane Rogers Championship and Canadian Tour Championship as the 2008 season wound down.

“The experience I’ve had in the last few months playing golf around the world should be great preparation for the 2009 season,” said DeLaet, who is currently ranked 245th in the world.

DeLaet’s first blog will appear following the first event on the Canadian Tour season.

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