(Victoria, BC) – Fargo, North Dakota’s Josh Persons held steady with an even par 70 on Sunday at Uplands Golf Club to win the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, his first PGA TOUR Canada victory.
The 30-year old University of Minnesota graduate converted a tricky two-putt on the 18th green at Uplands to win by one over 2010 winner Brock Mackenzie of Washington and PGA TOUR Canada rookie Tim Madigan of New Mexico. The win moves Persons to no. 2 on the Order of Merit behind PC Financial Open champion Joel Dahmen.
“I made some big putts. Things went my way today,” said Persons, who added that the win gives him a whole new outlook on the rest of the season. “It sets you up in a great spot. It puts you near the top of the list. It can’t be better than to get a win.”
Persons came into Sunday’s final round with a two stroke lead over Madigan, Mackenzie and playing partner Garrett Sapp of California, a position he had experience with on the Web.com Tour, where he held a one shot lead through 54 holes at the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship. While he fell to a 77 and a tie for eighth in that event, there would be no faltering from Persons on Sunday in Victoria.
“That stuff has kind of taught me a lot,” said Persons. “I had a lead on the Web.com Tour and I didn’t finish it off. Last night I slept on the lead and I think those experiences helped me today.”
After making the turn with a 2-under par 33, Parsons carried a three-shot lead early in the back nine before three bogeys whittled his lead away to a single stroke. But a pair of long range two-putts on the final two holes, coupled with a missed Madigan six-footer for birdie at 18 that would have tied the lead, gave Persons all the breathing room he would need to claim his first career PGA TOUR Canada win.
“It’s always fun. It’s where you want to be,” said Persons of dealing with the Sunday pressure. “Of course you’re nervous and of course you don’t want to mess it up, but having fun is what it’s all about. That’s why we’re here. I enjoy it. I want to keep doing it.”
Madigan’s tie for second was a career best in just his second PGA TOUR Canada start, while Brock Mackenzie posted his best PGA TOUR Canada finish since winning at Uplands in 2010. One shot further behind were Langley, British Columbia’s James Allenby, Florida’s Michael Buttacavoli, Ohio’s Wes Homan and Florida’s Olin Browne, Jr., who finished in a tie for fourth for the second consecutive week.
ALLENBY TAKES TOP CANADIAN AWARD
Langley, British Columbia’s James Allenby carded a final round 68 to finish at 10-under par and in a tie for fourth, earning him Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours. The 29-year old earned his first top-10 of the season and the eighth of his PGA TOUR Canada career.
The top Canadian at each PGA TOUR Canada event will earn Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $1,500 prize, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $10,000 prize.
PERSONS MOVES UP ORDER OF MERIT
With the win, Josh Persons moves up to second on PGA TOUR Canada’s 2014 Order of Merit. Below are the top five through the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist (bold denotes Canadian):
1. Joel Dahmen – $29,813
2. Josh Persons – $27,545
3. Tim Madigan – $15,252
4. Brock Mackenzie – $13,862
5. Brad Clapp – $13,530
Victoria, BC – Fargo, North Dakota’s Josh Persons shot a 3-under 67 at Uplands Golf Club on Saturday to take a two shot lead heading into the final round of the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, the second event of PGA Tour Canada’s 2014 season.
The 30-year old former University of Minnesota Gopher will take his first 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship on the Web.com Tour. Persons built a two-shot cushion over California’s Garrett Sapp, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie and New Mexico’s Tim Madigan.
“I look forward to it. I had so much fun today and I’m hoping to have some fun tomorrow. I can’t wait to get out,” said Persons of his outlook for Sunday’s final round. “I played pretty solid today. I gave myself some chances and stayed out of trouble.”
Persons began his day inauspiciously with a bogey on the second hole, but carded four birdies without a bogey the rest of the day to leap in front of overnight leader Mackenzie, who fell to a 1-over 71 on a day when Uplands Golf Club provided a tough test. Among players to make the cut, the field scoring average was 70.13 on Saturday compared to 67.80 on Friday and 68.84 on Thursday.
“It’s fun to play well, so that’s the good part, but this course will definitely test you. It was firm and there were some spots where you had to be real careful today,” said Persons. The second year PGA Tour Canada member admitted he would likely feel the pressure on Sunday, but that he would simply try to make the most of the situation and enjoy it.
“It’s where you want to be,” said Persons, who fell to a 77 when he led through 54 holes at the Web.com Tour’s Neediest Kids Championship. “Let’s have some fun tomorrow. In the past I’ve been very nervous and I’m sure I’ll be nervous again tomorrow, but like I said I’m looking forward to it.”
Persons will play in the final group alongside Sapp, whose 67 on Saturday vaulted him into a tie for second. Mackenzie, the 2010 champion at Uplands, will play alongside Madigan, who chipped in for birdie on the final hole for a 1-under 69.
Victoria, BC – Fargo, North Dakota’s Josh Persons shot a 3-under 67 at Uplands Golf Club on Saturday to take a two shot lead heading into the final round of the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, the second event of PGA Tour Canada’s 2014 season.
The 30-year old former University of Minnesota Gopher will take his first 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship on the Web.com Tour. Persons built a two-shot cushion over California’s Garrett Sapp, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie and New Mexico’s Tim Madigan.
“I look forward to it. I had so much fun today and I’m hoping to have some fun tomorrow. I can’t wait to get out,” said Persons of his outlook for Sunday’s final round. “I played pretty solid today. I gave myself some chances and stayed out of trouble.”
Persons began his day inauspiciously with a bogey on the second hole, but carded four birdies without a bogey the rest of the day to leap in front of overnight leader Mackenzie, who fell to a 1-over 71 on a day when Uplands Golf Club provided a tough test. Among players to make the cut, the field scoring average was 70.13 on Saturday compared to 67.80 on Friday and 68.84 on Thursday.
“It’s fun to play well, so that’s the good part, but this course will definitely test you. It was firm and there were some spots where you had to be real careful today,” said Persons. The second year PGA Tour Canada member admitted he would likely feel the pressure on Sunday, but that he would simply try to make the most of the situation and enjoy it.
“It’s where you want to be,” said Persons, who fell to a 77 when he led through 54 holes at the Web.com Tour’s Neediest Kids Championship. “Let’s have some fun tomorrow. In the past I’ve been very nervous and I’m sure I’ll be nervous again tomorrow, but like I said I’m looking forward to it.”
Persons will play in the final group alongside Sapp, whose 67 on Saturday vaulted him into a tie for second. Mackenzie, the 2010 champion at Uplands, will play alongside Madigan, who chipped in for birdie on the final hole for a 1-under 69.
Victoria, BC – Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie rode a streak of five birdies in a row to card a 4-under 66 on Friday at Uplands Golf Club and build a two stroke advantage heading into the weekend at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist.
The 2010 champion made a tricky up-and-down at the par-4 18th to keep his two shot cushion intact, a fact he knew would be significant heading into the weekend with a tightly-packed leaderboard. 10 players were within five shots of the lead after 36 holes, including five within three.
“You never want to finish a round where you grinded all day and you’re kind of exhausted by giving one back,” said Mackenzie. “Every stroke when you’re out in front is so important. It’s one more mistake that I can make and one less mistake than guys behind me can make.”
The 32-year old got off to a shaky start, going 1-over for his first seven holes before righting the ship in a big way. He carded five straight birdies on holes 8-12 to jump out in front and turn a tough round into a solid one.
“I was treading water,” said Mackenzie of his start. “The first seven holes I just was real scrappy. It was a nice stretch. I needed that.”
Calm winds and soft conditions in the morning gave way to swirling breezes and firm greens on Friday, setting up a test Mackenzie expected to see in the late afternoon on the weekend.
“It was playing tough, but that’s kind of what I’m going to expect for Saturday and Sunday too,” said Mackenzie. “It was good to get a taste of it, and I settled down during the middle of the round and started hitting some good shots.”
Two shots behind Mackenzie were North Dakota’s Josh Persons and New Mexico’s Tim Madigan at 9-under par, while Florida’s Michael Buttacavoli and California’s Jake Sarnoff were a shot further behind at 8-under. Vancouver Island native Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C., who finished third here last year, carded a 1-under 69 to sit tied for eighth heading into the weekend.
Victoria, BC – Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie rode a streak of five birdies in a row to card a 4-under 66 on Friday at Uplands Golf Club and build a two stroke advantage heading into the weekend at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist.
The 2010 champion made a tricky up-and-down at the par-4 18th to keep his two shot cushion intact, a fact he knew would be significant heading into the weekend with a tightly-packed leaderboard. 10 players were within five shots of the lead after 36 holes, including five within three.
“You never want to finish a round where you grinded all day and you’re kind of exhausted by giving one back,” said Mackenzie. “Every stroke when you’re out in front is so important. It’s one more mistake that I can make and one less mistake than guys behind me can make.”
The 32-year old got off to a shaky start, going 1-over for his first seven holes before righting the ship in a big way. He carded five straight birdies on holes 8-12 to jump out in front and turn a tough round into a solid one.
“I was treading water,” said Mackenzie of his start. “The first seven holes I just was real scrappy. It was a nice stretch. I needed that.”
Calm winds and soft conditions in the morning gave way to swirling breezes and firm greens on Friday, setting up a test Mackenzie expected to see in the late afternoon on the weekend.
“It was playing tough, but that’s kind of what I’m going to expect for Saturday and Sunday too,” said Mackenzie. “It was good to get a taste of it, and I settled down during the middle of the round and started hitting some good shots.”
Two shots behind Mackenzie were North Dakota’s Josh Persons and New Mexico’s Tim Madigan at 9-under par, while Florida’s Michael Buttacavoli and California’s Jake Sarnoff were a shot further behind at 8-under. Vancouver Island native Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C., who finished third here last year, carded a 1-under 69 to sit tied for eighth heading into the weekend.
Victoria, BC – Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie got his quest for a second Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist title off to a good start on Thursday, firing a 7-under 63 at Uplands Golf Club to lead by one over Manhattan Beach, California’s Jake Sarnoff.
The 2010 champion went bogey free on Thursday, with the 63 representing his best score at Uplands in his sixth appearance. The 32-year old said his familiarity with the golf course was key to his performance in getting off to a good start.
“There aren’t too many courses other than maybe my home course that I’m this comfortable on,” said Mackenzie, a former All-American at the University of Washington. “For some reason everything just kind of suits my eye. I know where to miss it and where to hit it, and it’s just kind of up to executing. I rolled it a couple of putts today.”
Few players have as strong a track record as Mackenzie at Uplands – in addition to his win, he also posted a pair of top five finishes in 2009 and 2011 and was in the hunt on Sunday last year before fading with a Sunday 77.
“I’ve had some nice success at Uplands and I’ve always enjoyed coming back here. The people are great,” said Mackenzie, who said his familiarity with the event made it one of his favourites on PGA Tour Canada. “I see the same walking scorers each year and say ‘Hey, do you want to come walk with me this week?’ So it’s pretty cool to see.”
One shot back of Mackenzie with a 64 was Sarnoff, playing in just his second PGA Tour Canada event. The 24-year old, like Mackenzie, was also bogey-free on Thursday, and said he managed to navigate Uplands successfully despite a few wayward shots.
“I just kind of missed in the right spots,” said Sarnoff. “I was in the rough a lot but I had a lot of open shots and I putted really well. It’s always good to have no bogeys on the scorecard.”
Victoria, BC – Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie got his quest for a second Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist title off to a good start on Thursday, firing a 7-under 63 at Uplands Golf Club to lead by one over Manhattan Beach, California’s Jake Sarnoff.
The 2010 champion went bogey free on Thursday, with the 63 representing his best score at Uplands in his sixth appearance. The 32-year old said his familiarity with the golf course was key to his performance in getting off to a good start.
“There aren’t too many courses other than maybe my home course that I’m this comfortable on,” said Mackenzie, a former All-American at the University of Washington. “For some reason everything just kind of suits my eye. I know where to miss it and where to hit it, and it’s just kind of up to executing. I rolled it a couple of putts today.”
Few players have as strong a track record as Mackenzie at Uplands – in addition to his win, he also posted a pair of top five finishes in 2009 and 2011 and was in the hunt on Sunday last year before fading with a Sunday 77.
“I’ve had some nice success at Uplands and I’ve always enjoyed coming back here. The people are great,” said Mackenzie, who said his familiarity with the event made it one of his favourites on PGA Tour Canada. “I see the same walking scorers each year and say ‘Hey, do you want to come walk with me this week?’ So it’s pretty cool to see.”
One shot back of Mackenzie with a 64 was Sarnoff, playing in just his second PGA Tour Canada event. The 24-year old, like Mackenzie, was also bogey-free on Thursday, and said he managed to navigate Uplands successfully despite a few wayward shots.
“I just kind of missed in the right spots,” said Sarnoff. “I was in the rough a lot but I had a lot of open shots and I putted really well. It’s always good to have no bogeys on the scorecard.”
(Vancouver, BC) – With a furious back nine charge and a clutch birdie at the 72nd hole, Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen shot a final round 68 on Sunday at Point Grey Golf and Country Club to win the PC Financial Open, the first event of PGA TOUR Canada’s 2014 season.
Dahmen claimed his first victory in his five seasons on PGA TOUR Canada, narrowly edging British Columbia natives Eugene Wong and Brad Clapp by a shot. The win moves Dahmen to the top of the Order of Merit and the race for The Five, who will earn Web.com Tour status for 2014.
The 26-year old former University of Washington Husky secured the win with a two-putt birdie at the last, set up by a brilliant approach with a hybrid from 226 yards out in a fairway bunker. Dahmen said the win helped exorcise some demons from a handful of missed opportunities at winning on TOUR last year.
“I was pretty hard on myself after last year. I didn’t close on Sunday and didn’t get through Q-School, and I really thought I was going to be on the Web.com Tour this year,” said Dahmen, who earned $27,000 for the win. “I was pretty down over the winter. To put the time in and come out here and win the first event is just incredible.”
Starting the day two shots off the lead held by Des Moines, Iowa’s Jack Newman, Dahmen treaded water for the first nine holes before getting things started with a chip-in birdie on 10 (for the second consecutive day) and another birdie at the 11th. He found himself in the 18th fairway sharing the lead with his playing partner Wong, and Clapp at 15-under, and decided to play aggressively with his approach.
“I had a great lie. I thought that I had to make eagle, for sure birdie,” said Dahmen. “That’s why I went for it. Under the circumstances, it’s probably a top-10 shot of my life.”
Dahmen would go on to two-putt from 20 feet, and after Wong and Clapp both missed birdie putts inside of 10 feet to tie, he found himself in the winner’s circle for the first time on PGA TOUR Canada, with the significance of the win not far from his mind.
“The goal is to be in the top five [on the Order of Merit], but even number one is the real goal. To win early is incredible. Now I’ve got 11 events left, and basically if you win one more you have a good chance of being no. 1,” said Dahmen.
The win also sees Dahmen continue to succeed in the wake of a battle with testicular cancer in 2011. Early that year, he underwent chemotherapy treatments and successfully returned to PGA TOUR Canada later that year. He’s been healthy and playing on TOUR ever since.
“There were definitely some doubts there when I was going through chemo and laying on the couch and wondering if I’d ever get back to the golf course again,” said Dahmen. “Thankfully that’s behind me and I’m as strong as ever.”
Dahmen’s previous best finish was a tie for third at the 2012 SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel. He joins former Washington Huskies Brock Mackenzie and Joe Panzeri as winners on PGA TOUR Canada.
Wong, who started the day with a bogey but fought his way back to take the outright lead late on the back nine, posted his best finish since a win at The Great Waterway Classic in 2012, while Clapp recorded his first top-10 in just his first start as a PGA TOUR Canada member.
WONG TAKES TOP CANADIAN HONOUR
With a 15-under total on the week and a T-2 finish, North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong claimed Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours on Sunday. Wong won a tiebreaker over Chilliwack’s Brad Clapp by having the low round on Sunday.
Wong earns $1,500 for the award, which is presented weekly to the low Canadian on the leaderboard. The top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end will earn Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $10,000 prize.
NEXT WEEK ON TOUR
PGA TOUR Canada heads to Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia next week for the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist. Last year, Marysville, Ohio’s Stephen Gangluff birdied two of the final three holes to win PGA TOUR Canada’s inaugural event.
Vancouver, BC – Des Moines, Iowa’s Jack Newman shattered the course record at Point Grey Golf and Country Club on Saturday, carding an 11-under 61 to take a one stroke lead heading into the final round of the PC Financial Open, the kickoff event for PGA TOUR Canada’s second season.
Newman, the 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion, carded birdie streaks of six and four in a row, totaling 11 on the day to lead by one over Chilliwack, British Columbia’s Brad Clapp heading into the final round. Two shots back in a tie for third were North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong, the 36-hole leader, and Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen.
Newman’s 61 was the lowest round on PGA TOUR Canada since Andrew Roque shot 61 in the final round of the 2012 Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, and the lowest round of the PGA TOUR Canada era.
“It’s kind of like being in the third person. I told [playing partner Clark Klaasen] out there, it’s crazy – just blacking out. It’s a rarity. It’d be nice to do it a little more often,” said Newman of his incredible round that moved him up 37 spots on the leaderboard.
“I didn’t even look at the scoreboards once today. I knew I was up there and I knew I was around the lead. We’re just going to keep the same mindset going in to tomorrow and hopefully have some fun,” said Newman.
Newman’s round looked to be taking a turn for the worse at the par-3 13th, when he flew his approach over the green and had a tricky downhill pitch to try and save par. But instead of a momentum-stalling bogey, the Michigan State grad turned the tables and holed the miraculous pitch for a birdie, his second of four consecutive birdies on the back nine from holes 12-15.
“That’s one of those ones where you’re going to make bogey 50 per cent of the time, so that kind of kept the round going,” said Newman, who topped his previous best round in competition, a 64 on the eGolf Tour. “If you don’t make that, your 61 turns into a 63 or 64 just because of the momentum it brings.”
CLAPP READY TO HANDLE SUNDAY’S PRESSURE
Through 54 holes at Point Grey, Chilliwack native and PGA TOUR Canada rookie Brad Clapp has managed well to deal with the pressure of playing in front of large galleries and being in contention, carding rounds of 67-69-67 to sit one shot back heading into Sunday. And while he admitted he’s certain to face nerves on Sunday, the 27-year old said he’ll be able to draw on how well he handled the most pressure-packed situation of his career less than a month ago at the British Columbia Qualifying Tournament at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community.
That’s where Clapp played his way into a six-for-one playoff for exempt status, and carded birdies on two of the three playoff holes to lock up his spot on TOUR for 2014.
“That was basically playing for my season. I know a good conditional card is fine, but that was with my whole season and my whole career on the line,” said Clapp, the 2012 PGA of BC Champion taking his first full run as a TOUR player. “I don’t know if there will be more pressure than that playoff. We’ll see tomorrow.”
“I’m really happy with how I’ve handled the crowds and pressure with all that stuff,” said Clapp. “I can gain a lot of confidence from what I’ve done previously in tournaments past.”
WONG UPBEAT FOR FINAL ROUND CHANCES
North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong struggled to reproduce the magic that earned him the outright lead through 36 holes on Saturday, but the 23-year old was upbeat about his chances to try and win heading into Sunday’s final round.
“I like this spot because I feel like I have to chase the leaders, and I like that because I can be a lot more aggressive,” said Wong, a two-time winner on PGA TOUR Canada. “That’s my style. I’m a very aggressive player when I need to turn it on.”
Wong’s up-and-down day included a double bogey on the par-3 second and back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14, but the former Jack Nicklaus Award winner at the University of Oregon rebounded with birdies on 16 and 18 to finish with a 1-under 71 on the day, two back of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
“I grinded it out, especially after those back-to-back bogeys,” said Wong. “[The birdies on 16 and 18] were pretty significant, because now I’m only two shots back. So I’m in the hunt to win.”
(Vancouver, BC) – North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong carded five birdies and an eagle and survived two late bogeys to take sole possession of the 36-hole lead at the PC Financial Open, the season’s kickoff event for PGA TOUR Canada conducted at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Wong’s opening rounds of 66-67 gave him a 1-stroke advantage over PGA TOUR Canada rookies John Catlin of Sacramento, Calif., and Kelvin Day of England at 11-under-par 133. Catlin birdied his final two holes for his second consecutive round of 67 while Day posted the low round of the day with a 66.
In a five-way tie for fourth three shots back are Chilliwack, British Columbia’s Brad Clapp and West Vancouver’s Seann Harlingten, along with Chris Parra of Texas, Joel Dahmen of Washington and Mario Clemens of Mexico. Dahmen and Clemens shared the first-round lead with Wong.
Wong grew up playing junior tournaments at Point Grey and through two rounds, his biggest problem has been securing enough tickets for friends and family. The two-time PGA TOUR Canada winner stuck to his game plan of playing aggressive on Friday.
“The par-5s are all reachable if you hit a good drive, so yes, the plan was to attack,” Wong said. “And the same on the par-4s, when I have wedge in, I attack as well. It will be the same (this weekend), I’ll stick to my game plan unless someone catches me then I might change something here or there.”
Wong’s 20-foot eagle putt on No. 1 was courtesy of a 3-wood from 265 yards.
“That was a full 3-wood, a good 3-wood,” Wong said with a smile, “From there, I made some long putts, and missed some shorter ones, but it’s a game of give and take. I could have shot lower but I’ll take my 5-under today.”
Wong didn’t make his first bogey of the tournament until his 24th hole, No. 6 on Friday, and has just two miscues through the first 36 holes.
“I hit a bad drive on the sixth hole, but you know what, it’s not bad for what I’ve done so far,” Wong said. “I won’t think about that.”
Catlin, 23, an honorable mention All-American while at the University of New Mexico, said enjoying the game again has been a key to his success in his PGA TOUR Canada debut.
“This whole week, I’ve been just trying to have fun, trying to play like a kid again,” he said. “It’s easy when you start playing this game for a living, to get so into it, because we want to play well. But I’ve always played my best when I’m just out there having fun. I’m trying to see every shot before I hit it, feel what it takes to produce that shot, and then do it.”
When making comparisons to playing professionally and collegiately at the University of New Mexico, Catlin was quick to point out one obvious difference.
“The scores are a lot lower,” Catlin said. “That’s the first thing I noticed. You have to take advantage of the easy holes. You have to give yourself a lot of looks inside 15 feet. When I first turned professional, I wasn’t doing that. But I worked really hard on my wedge game and it’s much better than it used to be.”
Playing in the afternoon, Day recorded four birdies in his first eight holes en route to a 66 and a share of second. He came to Point Grey on a roll, having finished fifth at PGA TOUR Canada’s Florida Qualifying School in mid-April, followed up by a win on the Adams Pro Tour.
“I got my first win about three weeks ago, so I’m feeding off of that a little bit and just trying to let things happen as opposed to forcing things,” said Day. “It’s my fourth year as a pro now, so I’m trying to draw from past experiences.”
Making his maiden start on PGA TOUR Canada this week, Day is excited about the season-long pursuit of status on the Web.com Tour.
“I actually have a chance to play for something now,” he said. “I don’t know if that makes you play harder, but, but I definitely feel like I’m growing a bit out here.”
HARLINGTEN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SPONSOR EXEMPTION
West Vancouver’s Seann Harlingten, 31, has taken the road less traveled, and that path has resulted this week in a top-10 performance heading into the weekend. After missing out on conditional status by one stroke at PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying School’s British Columbia site, Harlingten was granted a sponsor’s exemption this week. He has responded with rounds of 68-68 to trail leader Eugene Wong by three heading into the weekend.
Hartlingten, who at the age of 16 became the youngest player to make the cut at a Web.com Tour event when he finished T33 at the 2003 Mark Christopher Charity Classic, turned professional after graduating from high school. He was a member of PGA TOUR Canada in 2006 but suffered a Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tear in his right wrist and was limited in his starts over the next several years before stopping all together for a time.
“I basically quit golf for five years but now back at it,” said Harlingten. “I can’t hit balls, my wrist kills if I pound balls, so I grind away on my short game.”
That short game has paid off, as Harlingten has 10 birdies and just two bogeys through the first two rounds.
“It’s point and shoot out here pretty much,” he said. “The greens are soft, and I’m just trying to take advantage of it.”
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