Five Canadians Advance to Second Stage of PGA Tour Q-School

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:45:41

"TORONTO,ON--The first hurdle has been cleared for 18 Canadian Tour players who have advanced to the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying. After the first of two weeks of opening stage play wrapped up Friday on five U.S. fronts, five Canadians were among those who moved on to the second phase which runs the weeks of November 5th and 12th at six venues.

Tour members made the biggest impact at Dayton Valley GC in Dayton, NV, with nine contestants moving on, including Canadians Brett Bingham, David Hearn and Jim Rutledge.

At Greystone CC in Texas, another four Tours members finished in the top ten to make it through Stage 1, among them Americans Ken Duke and Dave Christensen, who wound up 1-2. Adam Short of Vineland, ON, coming off a win last month at Fall Q-school in Ashburn, ON, was also able to make it through first stage at Greystone.

Duke, a two-time Canadian Tour champion and 1999 Order of Merit winner, made 11 of 12 cuts in 2002 and was second at the Greater Vancouver Classic.

"I came here two years ago and liked the course,"" admitted Duke. ""I hit a little bit farther than some people so I didn't have to use a lot of drivers. I really like this course and the greens are good. I was really anxious to come here because I've been playing well for the last month and a half.""

Christensen, the 1997 Minnesota Amateur Champion, has had four second-place showings in his two-year Canadian Tour stint, including this season at the Bay Mills Open in Michigan. With one stage now under his belt, Christensen knows he will just have to stay focused when Q-school resumes in November.

""You just try and do the best job you can do,"" said the 26-year-old. ""All I wanted to do was get in the top 20. That's the goal. We all get the same thing, first through 20th. We get to go to the next stage."

Four of the five Tour members who teed it up in Lutz, FL-Chris Wall, Mike Grob, Jason Enloe and Steve Scott-advanced, while newlywed Alan McLean, who now lives in Thunder Bay, ON, wound up T-13 in Coral Springs, FL.

The opening stage wraps up next week at eight sites throughout the United States. Final stage action is slated for December 4-9 at PGA West in La Quinta, CA.

Below are results for Canadian Tour members after Friday's final round of PGA Tour Qualifying School (Stage 1) held at five locations in the United States:
x-denotes Canadian

TPC OF HERON BAY, Coral Springs, FL
(23 players were 6-under or better to advance to second stage) Medallist finished at -18

Advanced to second stage:
T13. x-Alan McLean 69-68-74-70 /-7

Failed to advance:
T33. Zane Zwemke 75-70-72-70 /-1
T48. x-Craig Matheson 74-72-70-75 /+3
T56. x-Walter Keating, Jr. 75-72-78-69 /+6
T63. Tony Smith 73-75-71-77 /+8

TPC OF TAMPA BAY, Lutz, FL
(22 players were 2-over or better to advance to second stage) Medallist finished at -10

Advanced to second stage:
T3. Chris Wall 72-65-70-72 /-5
6. Mike Grob 73-70-71-67 /-3
T7. Jason Enloe 71-68-71-72 /-2
9. Steve Scott 70-71-68-74 /-1

Did not advance:
T36. Conrad Ray 71-77-72-72 /+8

CYPRESSWOOD CC, Spring, TX
(22 players were 287 or better to advance to second stage) Medallist finished with 72-hole total of 275

Did not advance:
T23. Pablo del Olmo 77-73-70-68 /288
T37. Craig Kanada 76-74-71-70 /291
65. x-Jamie Welder 76-76-73-76 /301

Greystone CC, Dickson, TX
(24 players were -2 or better to advance to second stage) Medallist finished at -15

Advanced to second stage:
1. Ken Duke 65-67-69-72 /-15
2. Dave Christensen 66-68-71-69 /-14
T8. Michael Harris 68-69-72-74 /-5
T8. x-Adam Short 67-72-73-71 /-5

Did not advance:
T25. Brian Payne 73-69-74-71 /-1
T25. David Howser 68-74-76-69 /-1
T37. Brian Unk 73-75-72-70 /+2
T37. David Faught 68-75-76-71 /+2
T43. x-Dean North 72-72-74-74 /+4
T47. Ben Pettitt 69-78-72-74 /+5
T62. x-Adam Speirs 74-72-77-77 /+12
68. Rob Johnson 74-75-79 /+15

DAYTON VALLEY GC, Dayton, NV
(22 players were 5-under or better to advance to second stage) Medallist finished at -14

Advanced to second stage:
3. x-Brett Bingham 72-68-66-71 /-11
T6. Bobby Kalinowski 69-69-73-69 /-8
T6. Warren Schutte 70-69-69-72 /-8
T6. Brian Kontak 71-71-69-69 /-8
T9. x-David Hearn 70-68-70-73 /-7
T9. Brad Sutterfield 67-70-73-71 /-7
T9. Aaron Barber 70-71-70-70 /-7
T14. x-Jim Rutledge 71-72-71-69 /-5
T14. Chris Kamin 75-68-72-68 /-5

Did not advance:
T25. Kyle Kovacs 72-74-66-73 /-3
T25. Jeff Wood 71-71-71-72 /-3
T25. Scott Hend 75-70-71-69 /-3
T34. Michael Kirk 74-68-75-69 /-2
T66. x-Brent Osachoff 76-70-77-75 /+10
T69. x-Wes Heffernan 73-74-77-75 /+11
"