THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF PGA TOUR CANADA INCREASE IN CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION HIGHLIGHTS 2014 SEASON Charitable contributions by PGA TOUR Canada events rose by 72 per cent in 2014, totaling $353,500 over 12 events. For more highlights of the 2014 PGA TOUR Canada season on and off the course, read the 2014 Season In Review below. PGA TOUR CANADA PLAYERS AT Q-SCHOOL Cory Renfrew and Darren Wallace are among the PGA TOUR Canada players who have advanced through the first stage of Web.com Tour Q-School. Follow along with the performance of every PGA TOUR Canada player teeing up at Q-School as they try to play their way on to the Web.com Tour. READ MORE. THE GREAT WATERWAY CLASSIC RETURNING TO LOYALIST G&CC IN 2015 The Great Waterway Classic will return to Loyalist Golf & Country Club in Bath, Ontario next year after the Ted Baker-designed course played host in 2014. West Virginia s David Bradshaw was the champion this year, capturing the event as it played a pivotal role in the race for The Five. READ MORE. Four Canadian members of PGA TOUR Canada will tee it up this week at the inaugural Bridgestone America s Golf Cup, a new team event in Buenos Aires, Argentina featuring top players from PGA TOUR Latinoamérica as well as a handful of stars including Angel Cabrera. Below are the four Canucks in the field: Williams secured his first win at the TOUR Championship of Canada and finished 6th on the Order of Merit. Gligic finished 11 th on the Order of Merit and was selected by Williams to be his partner for the event. Campbell is in the field based on his 35 th position on the Latinoamérica Order of Merit. As the next highest Canadian on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Campbell selected Carrey as his partner.
PGA TOUR Canada s second season in 2014 was highlighted by strong competition and significant growth, with the schedule increasing from nine to 12 events throughout Canada, along with a major increase in charitable contributions. Competitive highlights ranged from Order of Merit winner Joel Dahmen s record-setting season, Brady Schnell s stellar round of 59 and Canadian Ryan Williams capturing the season-ending TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial. Achievements off the course included a significant 72 percent increase in charitable contributions by PGA TOUR Canada events. Media exposure for PGA TOUR Canada grew as well, with a 27 percent increase in television ratings for the tour s weekly television show and a 305 percent increase in social media engagement. Some of the key highlights from the past season are listed below. The following five players earning status on the Web.com Tour: Player Total Earnings Notes Joel Dahmen (Clarkston, WA) Matt Harmon (Grand Rapids, MI) Tim Madigan (Rio Rancho, NM) Brock Mackenzie (Yakima, WA) Greg Eason (Leicester, England) $80,992 $60,119 $59,436 $56,222 $43,367 Won two of first three events at PC Financial Open and Syncrude Boreal Open pres. by AECON Surpassed 2013 Order of Merit winner Mackenzie Hughes 2013 winnings in just three events Finished second in scoring average at 69.09, first in birdies per round at 4.64 and tied for the most top-10 finishes with 4 Was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2011 and made a full recovery Won the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open pres. by SaskTel and lost in a playoff at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic pres. by PC Financial Finished in the top-25 8 times in 12 starts and tied the TOUR lead with 4 top-10s Has previous success on the Web.com Tour, finishing T2 at the 2012 TPC Stonebrae Championship Burst on to the scene as a rookie with top-3 finishes in 3 of his first 5 starts, including a win at The Players Cup Was one of four players to make 11 of 12 cuts on the season New Mexico State grad won his first professional start at 2011 New Mexico Open Won the ATB Financial Classic with a record-setting 27-under total for his second career PGA TOUR Canada win Finished fourth in scoring average at 69.26 First in scoring average before cut at 68.32 Made 10 of 11 cuts Two-time First Team All-American at The University of Washington Brother of Golf Channel analyst Paige Mackenzie Became the first player without a win to finish in The Five Finished second by a stroke to Wes Homan at the Staal Foundation Open pres. by Tbaytel Was one of four players to make 11 cuts and posted eight top-25 finishes Was named an All-American in his final season at the University of Central Florida and rose as high as No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings
In addition to The Five, players 6-10 on the Order of Merit earned exemptions into the final stage of Web.com Tour Q- School: No. 6 Ryan Williams (Vancouver, BC), No. 7 Nate McCoy (Wes Des Moines, IA), No. 8 Josh Persons (Fargo, ND), No. 9 Wes Homan (Cincinnati, OH), No. 10 Mark Silvers (Savannah, GA). CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS INCREASE BY 72% Charitable donations by PGA TOUR Canada events increased dramatically this season, rising to a total of $353,500 in 2014. As with every PGA TOUR event, the goal of every tournament on PGA TOUR Canada is to make an impact in the community and make charity the leading money winner each week. 2014 SEASON BY THE NUMBERS: General Statistics: 1 Order of Merit leader all year, with Joel Dahmen going wire-to-wire. 2 Events that went into a playoff, with Nate McCoy defeating Michael Gligic at The Wildfire Invitational pres. by PC Financial, and Mark Silvers defeating Matt Harmon at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial. 7 54-hole leader or co-leaders to convert victories in 2014. 4 The number of winner s scores to eclipse 20-under par in 2014. 1 The number of winner s scores to fail to reach double digits under par (Tim Madigan, 9-under at The Players Cup). 6 The number of winners in both their 20s and 30s in 2014. 4 The number of first-time members to win in 2014 (Matt Harmon, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open pres. by SaskTel; Tim Madigan, The Players Cup; David Bradshaw, The Great Waterway Classic; Mark Silvers, Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial). 69.05 Chris Williams TOUR-leading scoring average in 2014. 28 Joel Dahmen s TOUR-leading number of rounds in the 60s. 209 Greg Eason s TOUR-leading number of birdies. 53.21% - The percentage of par-5s on which Michael Gligic made birdie or better in 2014, the best mark on TOUR. Age Statistics: The profile of PGA TOUR Canada s membership changed in 2014 as well, reflecting a younger group of players consistently making the cut and contending. Below is the breakdown of four age groups (18-24, 25-30, 31-36 and 37+) and their respective share of cuts made this season compared to 2013. Player Age Group 2013 2014 % of cuts made by Players 18-24 26% 27% % of cuts made by Players 25-30 48% 61% % of cuts made by Players 31-36 18% 10% % of cuts made by Players 37+ 9% 3% Course Statistics: Toughest Courses: 1 Pine Ridge GC (+1.775 average over par)
2 Whitewater GC (+0.419) 3 The Lakes GC (+0.211) Toughest Holes: 1 Pine Ridge GC / Par-3 9 th (3.522) 2 Hylands GC / Par-4 2 nd (4.471) 3 Loyalist G&CC / Par-3 11 th (3.380) MEMORABLE SHOTS FROM THE 2014 SEASON: Schnell joins the 59 Club Milford, IA s Brady Schnell joined golf s most exclusive club, holing a 122-yard approach on the final hole to shoot a 13-under 59 at Sirocco Golf Club at the ATB Financial Classic. Schnell finished birdiebirdie-eagle. Dahmen s bunker blast Order of Merit winner Joel Dahmen s first win at the PC Financial Open was partially thanks to a 232-yard second shot from a fairway bunker at the par-5 72 nd hole, which found the green and led to a birdie and a one-shot win. Homan makes birdie for the win Cincinnati, Ohio s Wes Homan earned his first PGA TOUR Canada win with a dramatic birdie on the 72 nd hole at the Staal Foundation Open pres. by Tbaytel, holing a 10-footer for birdie to win by one over England s Greg Eason. Machtaler s birdie bomb gives him win Summerland, BC s Greg Machtaler capped off a 9-under 62 in the final round of the Forces & Families Open in style, holing a 70-foot birdie putt on the 72 nd hole that was eventually the difference in a one-shot win. Double eagles land in 14 After zero double eagles were recorded during PGA TOUR Canada s inaugural season, three were recorded in 2014. Logan, UT s Devin Daniels made the first with a 3-hybrid from 242 yards at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open pres. by Times Colonist on the par-5 12 th at Uplands Golf Club. Los Angeles, CA s Bryan Bergna s 210-yard 6-iron netted him an Albatross on the par-5 3 rd at Whitewater Golf Club for the Staal Foundation Open pres. by Tbaytel, and Stephane Dubois of Brantford, ON holed a 7-iron from 182 yards on the par-5 8 th at Hylands Golf Club during the Forces & Families Open. There were also eight holes-in-one during the 2014 season. Two events, the ATB Financial Classic and The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial, saw multiple holes-in-one during tournament week. ALUMNI SHOWING STRONG 2014 was also a strong year for PGA TOUR Canada alumni. Four players who played PGA TOUR Canada in 2013 Mark Hubbard, Nick Taylor, Carlos Sainz, Jr. and Tony Finau went from Canada to the PGA TOUR in one season, each earning one of the 50 cards available via the Web.com Tour. Six alumni accounted for seven victories on the Web.com Tour, led by Money List winner Adam Hadwin with two and fellow BC native Roger Sloan. The pair became the first two Canadians to win on the Web.com Tour in the same season since Jerry Anderson and Rick Todd in 1991. Also claiming wins were 2007 Order of Merit winner Byron Smith, 2000 Order of Merit winner Steven Alker, 2009 SIGA Dakota Dunes Open pres. by SaskTel winner Andres Gonzales and 2013 graduate Tony Finau. Two-time PGA TOUR Canada winner Tim Clark s win at the RBC Canadian Open was the 118 th PGA TOUR victory by all-time PGA TOUR Canada alumni, while 10 alumni earned PGA TOUR cards via the Web.com Tour, bringing the total to 180 alumni who have gone on to earn PGA TOUR cards. TOP 60 RETAIN EXEMPT STATUS The top 60 on the 2014 Order of Merit retain exempt status for the 2015 season. Below is a breakdown of the top 60 by country and age. By country: United States 38 Canada 17
England - 2 Argentina 1 Australia 1 Sweden 1 By age: 18-24 16 25-30 35 31-36 8 37+ 1