Six Canadians will be trying to earn their card for next year while two others will look to improve their standing
Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:11:39
by Golf Canada
As many as eight Canadians will take part in the six round, stomach churning process known as PGA Q-School which starts in Orlando on Wednesday. Six will be looking to earn their playing status for 2011 while two others - Chris Baryla and David Hearn - already have their cards for next year but will be looking to improve their standing in order to get into more tournaments.
Chris suffers from spinal stenosis, a condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves. This limited him to just seven Nationwide Tour starts in 2008, leaving him without full status and forcing him to qualify to get into events in the early part of 2009. He ended up making 13 of 14 tournaments and ultimately finished 19th on the 2009 Nationwide Tour money list to earn his PGA Tour card. ...After seven PGA starts in which he made just two cuts, he was forced to undergo surgery to fix a torn labrum in April, earning a medical exemption which will postpone his Tour status until 2011. ...Returned to the Nationwide Tour in September and made four starts, making just one cut. ...Lost to Adam Hadwin in a playoff at the 2010 Desert Dunes Classic. ...Has been working with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley for the past 3 1/2 years. ...As an amateur, qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open at age 20, eventually missing the cut. Later that year made the cut at the Bell Canadian Open, becoming the first Canadian amateur in 20 years to do so.
Ted Brown made 10 of 24 cuts in his first full season on the Nationwide Tour to finish 121st on the money list. ...Made one PGA Tour start in 2010, the RBC Canadian Open, where he failed to make the cut. ...Played on the Hooters Tour from 2003-05, the Gateway Tour in 2006-07, winning the 2007 PGA Resort-South Course Tournament and was a two-time winner on the Tarheel Tour in 2008, finishing as the leading money-winner. ...Lucky charm is a ballmarker with son's photo displayed on it.
David Hearn earned his 2011 PGA Tour card after finishing 21st on the Nationwide Tour money list, however players earning their TOUR cards via Q-School take priority over those players who earned their cards finishing in the top-25 on the Nationwide Tour money list when it comes to entering tournaments. ...Former Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year earned his PGA Tour card back in 2004 after finishing tied for 21st at the final stage of Q-School, becoming one of the youngest Canadians to earn PGA Tour membership... As a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2005, he finished with two top-25 results and ranked No. 196 on the money list. ...Has made 33 career starts on the PGA Tour. ...Teamed with Jon Mills to lead Canada to the team title at the Four Nations Cup. ...Has also played on the Asian Tour. ...Grew up five blocks from Wayne Gretzky's home in Brantford, Ont.
