Hadwin Jumps To Final Stage

A standout season for Adam Hadwin will be rewarded.

The 23-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., drew national attention in July with his charge at the top of the leaderboard at the RBC Canadian Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, where he eventually tied for fourth.

He also qualified for and made the cut at the U.S. Open, where he tied for 39th.

Those two finishes not only made Hadwin the pleasant surprise of the 2011 tour season for Canadians, but also had him in the race for the top 125 on the tour money list who earn playing privileges next year.

A tie for seventh at the Frys.com Open earlier this month, where he earned $130,312.50, drew him even closer, but he eventually finished outside the top 125.

Hadwin’s $440,753 in earnings from five events was enough, however, to place him 145th if he was a tour member, so his agent, George Sourlis of Landmark Sport Group, successfully lobbied on his behalf for an exemption into the final stage of Q-school.

Hadwin had expected to take part in the second stage next month, where he would have needed to qualify for the final stage. The direct step to final stage Nov. 30 to Dec, 5 in La Quinta, Calif., takes a big grind out of the process of earning his tour card.

The top 25 from the final stage will earn full-time status on the PGA Tour, but failing that, Hadwin will at least end up on the Nationwide Tour next season after spending most of this season on the Canadian Tour.

Industry Notes: June 8, 2011

Canadian teaching and coaching professional and GNN blogger Kyle German has joined Jancor Agencies as a professional staff representative for British Columbia. German, currently seventh in Canadian PGA rankings, works out of the Northview Golf Academy in Surrey, B.C. … A meeting between the Canadian Golf Industry Association and the Ontario PGA to discuss CGIA concerns about the new August Ontario buying show has been postponed until the third week of June, according to Ontario PGA president Dustin Kerr-Taylor … Jon Mills of Belleville, Ont., currently playing on the Nationwide Tour, and Canadian Tour players Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and Wes Heffernan of Calgary will be Canada’s three representatives at next week’s U.S. Open after qualifying. PGA Tour players who won’t be present include Mike Weir and Stephen Ames.

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

One More Hill To Climb For Matt?

One of the compelling aspects of PGA Tour qualifying school was the opportunity for a longshot to catch fire and suddenly find himself with his tour card.

It wasn’t easy, but it did happen in the case of Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., whose season-long tear through the Canadian Tour in 2009 culminated with him obtained his tour card through Q-school. He had a pretty good rookie year and wound up keeping his playing privileges even if he is currently sidelined with injuries.

Last year, Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., who spent much of his season playing the mini tours, enjoyed an impressive Q-school to earn his card, so it isn’t impossible.

However, proposed changes to the qualifying process will take some drama out of Q-school at a time of year when golf can use a few compelling stories. Read more

Q-School Proposal Benefits Canadian Tour: Janes

A guy like Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is a poster boy for a development circuit such as the Canadian Tour, where DeLaet had a magnificent run in 2009 and continued that through qualifying school to the PGA Tour, where he still has full-time status despite being out with an injury.

However, you won’t hear any stories such as DeLaet’s under new proposed changes to the year-end qualifying process. You also won’t hear about Dustin Johnston or J.B. Holmes jumping directly from college or other mini-tours to the PGA Tour, via Q-school.

In effect, graduations to the PGA Tour will now only come from the Nationwide Tour, while Q-school, as we know it now, will only elevate players to the Nationwide Tour. You can read about the proposed changes in this Golfweek story.

Canadian Tour commissioner Rick Janes says he was involved with the discussions before they became public earlier this week and believes a strengthened Nationwide Tour will benefit all of his circuit’s graduating players, even if direct jumps to the PGA Tour will be a thing of the past under the proposal. Read more

Papa Jon Goes Back To Work

Papa Jon’s paternity leave is up and he heads back to work this week at the Louisiana Open on the Nationwide Tour.

As reported at GNN last week, Jon Mills and wife Megan celebrated the arrival of their first-born about a week-and-a-half ago. Mom and son are doing just fine.

Mills was absent from the first two events on this year’s Nationwide Tour schedule, but the quest to get back to the PGA Tour gets underway this week after he came close in 2010. Read more

Canadians Prepare For Q-School Final

Six Canadians head to the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school starting Wednesday at Orange County National near Orlando, including David Hearn, who has already assured himself of a tour card, and Jon Mills, who is looking to make it on tour for the third time.

Hearn qualified by finishing in the top 25 on this year’s Nationwide Tour money list, while Mills was in contention to the end before finishing 33rd. Read more

Hearn Earns PGA Tour Card

Four Canadians will be regularly playing on the PGA Tour next year, with more possible through qualifying school.

The latest Canadian to join the tour is David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who shot a one-under 71 in Sunday’s final round at the Nationwide Tour Championship in Charleston, S.C., where he finished fourth.

That vaulted Hearn, 31, from 27th place to 21st on the Nationwide Tour money list after finishing in the top five twice in the final three events of the season. The top 25 on the money list earn their PGA Tour cards.

Hearn will join Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and Graham DeLaet as Canadian regulars on the PGA Tour, after playing there in 2005.

Jon Mills of Belleville, Ont., who played on the PGA Tour in 2006 and 2008, tied for 38th at the Nationwide Tour Championship and finished out of the top 25 in 33rd place on the money list.

Hill Reaches For His Next Summit

Great expectations are logical when a young player posts eight collegiate wins in one season, including the ACC Championship, NCAA East Regional and NCAA individual titles, but Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont., understands the importance of not getting caught up in that as he ventures into the professional ranks.

A year after his brilliant season with North Carolina State, Hill announced officially on Monday that he is turning professional and has signed on with IMG and Nike. He will make his pro debut this week at The Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, an invitation he earned after winning the 2009 Jack Nicklaus Award.

“I think people probably expected me to win almost everything this year, but it’s just the way the game is,” said Hill. “It can be tough sometimes and everything’s not always going to be great. There are always going to be times when you might be disappointed and it’s how you recover from those (that’s important).” Read more

Tour Schedule Will Be “Unprecedented”: Commissioner

The finishing touches are still being applied, but the 2010 Canadian Tour schedule could be “unprecedented” in terms of prize money, according to commissioner Rick Janes, who says the raise in overall purse on the season could be as much as $650,000.

“The real highlight of (the 2010) schedule and what we’re working on right now is prize money increases that are really going to be quite unprecedented,” said Janes.

Increases are expected at existing events such as Times Colonist Open in Victoria, the Players Cup in Winnipeg and the Canadian Tour Championship. An announcement about an event in Alberta is expected later this week, but Janes wouldn’t elaborate.

Another announcement coming soon is expected to outline a rebranding of the tour’s Montreal event.

“I think people are going to be quite surprised at what this looks like, particularly in a tough economy, and it will only get better,” said Janes.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the best schedule in terms of prize money – and that’s the operative, in terms of prize money – that the Canadian Tour’s ever had. There’s a bit of risk in this, risk in the sense that we still have a lot of work to do in terms of sponsorship,” he added.

“My board is supporting what we’re doing here. It is a bold effort,” said Janes, adding that as many as 17 Canadian events could take place in 2010, but will more likely be around the 13 mark compared to 10 in 2009.

New markets being considered include Fort McMurray, Alta., the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Thunder Bay, Ont., and possibly Vancouver.

Janes went on to say that rumours of the demise of the tour’s swing through Latin America have been greatly exaggerated in recent media reports. Last year at this time, the tour was making stops in Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica, tournaments that were part of the 2009 schedule despite being played in ’08.

Janes stresses, however, that the tour has not severed ties with Latin America.

“I really don’t know where that came from. No, we’re not giving up on Latin America at all,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that they couldn’t create a schedule of consecutive events. We really wanted that on the circuit, but they just couldn’t put it into the rotation of events.

“What we’re doing is looking now towards a series of events in the spring right now in Argentina and Colombia,” said Janes, adding that those events, played towards the end of March, would be co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour and Tour de las Americas.

Even though the swing through South American is still developing, Janes believes there is a strong upside to continuing.

“The reason why we’re in South America and the reason why we’re in Mexico is that we can’t play in Canada at that time of year and I’m very happy with the results of South America,” he said.

“One of the byproducts of it was that we attracted players like Hugo Leon (Chile), who joined us in South America,” said Janes, also pointing to players such as Mauricio Molina and Rafael Gomez, both from Argentina and both two-time winners over the past season.

Janes adds that his isn’t the only tour eyeing South America these days.

“What you’re going to see is PGA Tour expansion into South America, no doubt about it,” said Janes. “You will see, in all probability, on the Nationwide schedule another South American event, most likely in Colombia, in the coming year.

“The reason we’re in South America is to, first and foremost, give our players these international opportunities, to expose some of the top young players from South America to our tour and to bring them to Canada to play.”

Next Stop China for Graham DeLaet

Graham DeLaet got his first order of business done on Saturday when he qualified for the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school by tying for 13th at his second stage qualifier last week at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.

That was first priority in a busy itinerary over the next couple of weeks for DeLaet, who says the second stage has been his downfall in the past.

“I hit the ball really, really well all week. I didn’t putt very well the first three days. (In the final round), I made some good putts,” said DeLaet, who earned at least a Nationwide Tour card for next year with his performance last week.

“I got off to a bit of a shaky start in the first round. I made a quad on my fourth hole to go three-over, but I kind of held it together and brought it back in at even par for the round,” he said.

“Even though I was way back, I knew that I was playing well and that I could make up those strokes, so I just kind of kept plugging away,” said DeLaet, who can take something away from his climb into contention in Georgia last week.

“Every time you do that, it just lets you know deep down that you have the ability to fight back and it’s just one more thing in your repertoire, so to speak,” said DeLaet, who will need all weapons in his arsenal blazing over the next couple of weeks.

He left Atlanta yesterday for Newark, N.J., where he boarded a flight to Hong Kong. From there, he had a couple of hours by land to Mission Hills in China, where he was to join teammate Stuart Anderson of Victoria for this week’s World Cup.

He will have a similar arduous journey back for the final stage of Q-School, which takes place Dec. 2-7 in West Palm Beach, Fla., with a PGA Tour card on the line.

“Obviously, your sleeping patterns are definitely off and your eating patterns. I figure it’s the World Cup and it’s final stage of Q-School and if I can’t get excited to play those two events, what can I get excited for, so I’ll be ready to go,” said DeLaet, who won the Canadian Tour’s Order of Merit this year.

DeLaet will not be joined at the final stage of Q-School by Anderson, who withdrew from the final round of his second stage qualifier in Beaumont, Calif, Still, DeLaet believes his partner will be ready in China after the pair qualified at a World Cup qualifier in Estonia last month.

“You ask any Canadian who has played Canadian Tour with Stuart and they’ll tell you he’s got a lot of game. I’ve got total confidence in him,” said DeLaet.

Baryla Earns PGA Tour Card

Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., tied for seventh at the Nationwide Tour Championship in Charleston, S.C., yesterday, a finish that left him among the top 25 on the money list who graduate to the PGA Tour in 2010.

Baryla shot rounds of 69-70-70-68 to finish at 11-under-par and earn his fifth top-10 in a season that has been plagued by back problems.

“To be able to come back after having my back injury and Monday qualifying into the events and make it into the top 25 is awesome,” said Baryla, who won the Chattanooga Classic a couple of weeks ago.

“This is such a great opportunity for me to go to the PGA Tour and play against the best players in the world. It hasn’t even hit me yet to say exactly how I feel right now,” added Baryla, who tied for eighth at this year’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont.

Calgary’s Dustin Risdon tied for 12th in Charleston, but wound up 37th on the money list, while Jon Mills of Belleville, Ont., tied for 50th to place 54th on the money list.

On the PGA Tour, Mike Weir flirted with a 59, but wound up settling for a 61 at the Frys,com Open in Scottsdale, Az., yesterday to tie for sixth at a tournament he won two years ago. Calgary’s Stephen Ames tied for 23rd.

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. 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

Baryla Closes In On Tour Card

Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., took a giant step towards a full-time PGA Tour card for 2010 on Sunday, when he won the Chattanooga Classic for his first Nationwide Tour victory.

Baryla shot a two-under 70 for a 19-under 269 and earned $90,000 to move from 57th to 20th on the money list with two events remaining on the schedule. The top 25 earn their PGA Tour cards.

Baryla has shown flashes of solid play this year despite being hampered by a back injury for most of the year. In July, he tied for eighth at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont.

Bryan DeCorso of Guelph, Ont., tied for 11th, four shots off the pace.

Rutledge Remembers His Roots

Just when you’re feeling kind of jaded and cynical, figuring that professional golf is all about the money and nothing else, along comes a renowned decent guy like Jim Rutledge to demonstrate loyalty to those who helped set his career on course.

Rutledge went four under and tied for second at last week’s Times Colonist Open at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, the first of 11 events on the Canadian Tour’s swing through this country after stops in South America and Mexico.

Coming home to Victoria from the Nationwide Tour has its advantages for Rutledge, who has played off and on the Canadian Tour since 1979.

“I get to see a lot of people who I don’t get to see very often. I get to see them all at once,” said Rutledge.

“I enjoy playing the golf course, I grew up playing a lot of golf there as a kid and I know just about every single member up there and the golf course is in unbelievable condition,” added Rutledge, who tries to get home frequently throughout the season. Read more

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