Round 2 — PGA Tour Q-School

Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., shot a five-under 67 in the second round of PGA Tour quaifying schook at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., and is tied for the lead with Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, Ont., among Canadians going into Friday’s third round.

Hadwin shot a 69 and both he and Fritsch are at tied for 15th at five under after two rounds. The top 25 and ties earn exempt status for next year.

Below is your GNN Canadian leaderboard. For a complete leaderboard, click here.

Leader at -10

T15 Adam Hadwin, Abbotsford, B.C. -5

T15 Brad Fritsch, Manotick, Ont. -5

T21 Stuart Anderson, Victoria -4

T47 James Love, Calgary -2

T47 Richard Scott, Kingsville, Ont. -2

T108 Ryan Yip, Calgary +2

T133 Mitch Gillis, Williams Lake, B.C. +4

T166 Richard Lee, Vancouver +10

170 Matt McQuillan, Kingston, Ont. +11

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

Round 1 — PGA Tour Q-School

A pair of Calgarians lead the Canadian contingent after the first round of PGA Tour qualifying school at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

Both James Love and Ryan Yip shot four-under 68s and are tied for 26th heading into Friday’s second round. The top 25 and ties earn exempt status for next year.

Below is your GNN Canadian leaderboard. For a complete leaderboard, click here.

Leaders at -8

T26 James Love, Calgary -4

T26 Ryan Yip, Calgary -4

T61 Stuart Anderson, Victoria -2

T61 Adam Hadwin, Abbotsford, B.C. -2

T87 Richard Scott, Kingsville, Ont. -1

T107 Brad Fritsch, Manotick, Ont. E

T146 Matt McQuillan, Kingston, Ont. +2

T153 Mitch Gillis, Williams Lake, B.C. +3

T163 Richard Lee, Vancouver +4

Hadwin Studied For His Next Test At School

Adam Hadwin says he isn’t playing his best golf of late, but believe it or not, that’s a good thing heading into PGA Tour qualifying school, which begins Wednesday at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

“I’d feel like I’d peaked too early if I was (on top of his game). I’d like to have a couple of things to work on leading up to it. By the time Wednesday starts, I’ll be ready to go,” said the Abbotsford, B.C,, native, who tied for ninth at the Canadian Tour’s Desert Dunes Classic earlier this month.

He tied for 22nd at the Pebble Beach Invitational a couple of weeks ago, hardly cause for alarm that he has somehow slipped from the form that earned him a direct ticket into the final stage of Q-school. As a matter of fact, he never did get into any specifics of any aspect of his game going south.

What we do know is that Hadwin tied for 39th at the U.S. Open, tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open and tied for seventh at the Frys.com Open and was in the running for the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list before settling for 145th, had he been an official tour member. Read more

Your Canadian Lineup — 2011 PGA Tour Q-School

Nine Canadians will be taking their shots at playing on the PGA Tour next year as Q-School gets underway Wednesday at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. The following are the Canadian contenders:

(Top 25 and ties earn exempt PGA Tour status for 2012)

Stuart Anderson, Victoria

Brad Fritsch, Manotick, Ont.

Mitch Gillis, Williams Lake, B.C.

Adam Hadwin, Abbotsford, B.C.

Richard Lee, Vancouver

James Love, Calgary

Matt McQuillan, Kingston, Ont.

Richard Scott, Kingsville, Ont.

Ryan Yip, Calgary

A.J.’s Career Goes In New Direction

Former LPGA Tour player A.J. Eathorne of Penticton, B.C., has begun a new chapter in her career.

The former Canadian women’s amateur champ caddied on the PGA Tour for Kris Blanks before going on the bag of eventual CN Canadian Women’s Open champ Brittany Lincicome on the LPGA Tour in 2011.

“Brittany really rocked it out there and I thank her for doing so while I was on the bag,” said Eathorne in an e-mail. “With all the travels though, I have found that I have the desire to slow down a bit and try my hand at staying put.

“I have enjoyed the adventures, but find myself wanting more of a long term plan, or rather, something to work hard at for more than a year at a time,” she continued.

Eathorne will stay in the Phoenix area, where she owns a house, until next March and teach mostly short game clinics at courses in the Scottsdale area. She has joined a teaching business called Expert Golf AZ. For more information, click here.

She will then head to Predator Ridge near Kelowna, B.C., where she will be an instructor at the academy there, developing women’s and junior programs with a focus on clinics, group lessons and outings.

“It is a new area of focus for me and one that I am very excited about. It will test my skills of helping others enjoy the great game of golf, while being able to be back in B.C. and closer to family,” she wrote.

Eathorne plans to keep her house in Phoenix and return there next October.

Scott Won’t Be Holding Back At Q-School

Things have been going according to plan for three-time Canadian Amateur champion Richard Scott, who is in La Quinta, Calif., for the final stage of PGA Q-school which gets underway on Wednesday.

While finishing in the top 25 would earn him his long-awaited PGA Tour card, he’s going into it with the mindset that he wants more.

“Instead of just trying to get through each stage, try to win each stage like a normal golf tournament rather than `Oh, all I need to do is finish in the top 20 or whatever at first or second stage,’” said Scott, whose performance in the first two stages illustrated that attitude.

Scott, 28, finished on top of his first stage event at Pinewild Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. and tied for fourth in the second stage at Humble, Tx., to make it to the final stage for the first time this week.

Likewise, Scott plans to attack it as if it’s a normal tournament instead of doing just enough to get his card.

“Sometimes, that doesn’t work out. You either finish around 20th and you barely got through or you just miss by a couple,” he said, drawing on personal experience.

“At second stage, a couple of times, I missed by two or three my first time and then missed by one the next year at second stage. They’re all learning experiences. I just took a better attitude into it this year,” he said.

“Anytime you set your standards higher, you think you can win at any stage. I think it’s a better attitude going into it than just trying to finish in the top 20,” he said.

That goal does not mean he isn’t realistic, adding that it’s difficult to imagine how deep the talent pool is until you turn professional.

“Sometimes, you don’t realize playing amateur golf how many good players are out here, how many veteran guys are still out here grinding. There’s just a deeper talent pool these days in golf,” he said.

With that deeper talent pool, it makes the once-a-year shot at Q-school that much more difficult, according to Scott, who thought he might be out on tour, or close, before now.

“I haven’t had many bad seasons since I’ve been playing pro golf. I’ve been playing solid and winning some tournaments and getting into some Nationwide and PGA Tour events,” said Scott, adding that, on the flip side, somebody can have a bad season before getting hot at Q-school.

“That’s part of the deal,” he said. “I’m happy to see all these (nine) Canadians out here. It’s great to see everybody on the range where all of us should be,” said Scott, adding that one thing he will have to adjust to is playing six rounds at one time.

“I think, with the six rounds, you’ve got to kind of take it easy, maybe not hit as many golf balls or stay out on the golf course as long as sometimes, you might want to (in practice rounds),” he said.

“Your endurance level and your mental attitude has to be pretty sharp all week for two rounds more than you’re used to playing,” he said.

“I’m still relatively young in the grand scheme of things. I always had that attitude that, as long as my game keeps getting better, everything else will take care of itself,” said Scott.

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.

Seven Qualify For Final Stage At Q-School

Seven Canadians have made it through the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school.

In Humble, Tex., three-time Canadian Amateur champion Richard Scott of Kingsville, Ont., tied for fourth at nine under to qualify for the final stage of Q-school, which gets underway at the end of the month in California.

Meanwhile, Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., tied for sixth at 11 under and Calgary’s James Love tied for 11th at 10 under to qualify in McKinney, Tex.

Victoria’s Stuart Anderson tied for fourth at eight under, Vancouver’s Richard Lee tied for seventh at six under and Calgary’s Ryan Yip tied for 12th at three under to make it through in Murrieta, Calif.

In Plantation, Fla., Mitch Gillis of Williams Lake, B.C., tied for second at 12 under to qualify.

The players who made it through second stage will be joined by rising Canadian star Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., who played last year on the PGA Tour, at final stage.

Canadian Tour Reportedly In Discussions With PGA Tour

Not that financial challenges are anything new at the Canadian Tour, but things may be more daunting than ever as the tour winds down its season this weekend, according to a recent blog from Robert Thompson.

That blog consists of questions as much as answers and is definitely speculative, especially the part about the Canadian Tour potentially partnering with the PGA Tour, but such discussions are traditionally shrouded in secrecy.

Decide for yourself. You can read Thompson’s blog here.

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.

Canucks Advance To Second Stage

Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont., continued a remarkable comeback recently, when he tied for 15th in the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying in North Carolina. The top 22 and ties at that venue advance to the second stage.

Gillespie suffered a broken right femur, five broken ribs and a collapsed lung in a vehicle rollover in the Phoenix area in April, but returned to play a couple of events at the end of the Canadian Tour season before Q-School. You can read more about that here.

Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont., tied for third in the same Q-School field as Gillespie. Ted Brown of Peterborough, Ont., also tied for third in McKinney, Tex.

Vancouver’s Richard T. Lee led the way in Dayton, Nev., with a 14-under score, while Calgary’s Ryan Yip was close behind, tying for second at 12-under.

A quartet of Canadians qualified for the second stage of Q-school in Kingwood, Tex., where Mike Mezei of Lethbridge, Alta., tied for 14th, followed by David Morland IV of Aurora, Ont., Andrew Parr of London, Ont., and Edmonton’s Steven Lecuyer in a tie for 17th.

Victoria’s Stuart Anderson tied for third in Auburn, Ala., to move on to second stage, where he will be joined by Richard Scott of Kingsville, Ont., and Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont.,  who finished one-two respectively at Pinehurst, N.C. Peter Laws of Mississauga, Ont., will also advance after a tie for fifth in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

In Lantana, Tex., Calgary’s Dustin Risdon tied for eighth and Bryn Parry of North Vancouver tied for 20th. The top 23 and ties advanced at that location.

James Allenby of Langley, B.C. tied for 13th in Hollister, Calif., where the top 22 and ties advance to the second stage, and in Valdosta, Calif., Will Mitchell of Whitby, Ont., tied for fourth and Calgary’s James Love tied for sixth to advance.

In Beaumont, Calif., Lindsay Wilson, an Australian living in Montreal, topped the field at 13-under after rounds of 68-64-74-69, while Mitch Evanecz of Red Deer, Alta., and Mitch Gillis of Williams Lake, B.C., tied for 21st to move on.

The Apprenticeship Of Adam Hadwin

It’s a moving target, but Adam Hadwin will need to make about $250,000 over the next couple of weeks to earn his PGA Tour card through the money list and, as it stand right now, he is only assured of teeing it up in this week’s McGladrey Classic.

The 23-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., who captured this nation’s attention with a tie for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open in July, accepts that the wild ride his career has taken this season may not necessarily conclude with the ultimate graduation to the tour.

He’s nicely balancing the expectations and dreams of a young man with the reality that his outstanding part-time results, including a tie for seventh at last week’s Frys.com Open, may only be about experience and confidence as he prepares for Q-school. Read more

Patience Pays Off For Hearn

When he began his second whirl on the PGA Tour earlier this year, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., emphasized the importance of staying patient, not overreacting to rough patches on the road or trying to push his game by playing too much. You can read that conversation here.

The key, he said, was taking a long-term approach and not pushing for instant results, a strategy that paid off last week with his second consecutive top-10 finish, which ensured he would finish in the top 125 on the money list who keep full-time status in 2012.

“I had a lot of weeks earlier this year when I felt my game was really good and it just wasn’t quite getting the results that I felt I was capable of,” said Hearn, who followed up a tie for fifth at the Justin Timberlake event, with a tie for seventh at the Frys.com Open. Read more

Moving Up The Money List

A tie for seventh at last week’s Frys.com Open has put David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Matt McQuillan into good positions to maintain full-time playing privileges next year on the PGA Tour.

Hearn, who was coming off a tie for fifth at the Justin Timberlake event the week before, jumped from 108th to 102nd on the PGA Tour money list. The top 125 earn exempt status next year.

Meanwhile, McQuillan, a tour rookie this year, moved up eight spots on the money list from 140th to 132nd.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., also tied for seventh at the Frys.com event while playing on an exemption. It was the second top-10 finish this year on tour for Hadwin, who also tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open in July.

Canucks Crowd Top-10 At PGA Tour Event

With all eyes on Tiger Woods in his comeback, three Canadians finished in the top 10 at the Frys.com Open on Sunday.

In what could be a first for a group of Canadians, Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., all tied for seventh at 11-under-par in the Fall Series event.

For Hadwin, who got in on an exemption, it marked his second top-10 of the season after his tie for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open in July at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.

Meanwhile, the top-10 finish willl move Hearn into the top 125 on the PGA Tour who earn playing privileges next year. It also put McQuillan into striking range of the top 125.

All three are expected to play at next week’s McGladrey Classic in Georgia.

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