A good mix of solid veterans and young guns will be among the more than 100 golfers playing for 10 spots in Monday’s qualifying round for the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by the Times Colonist.
Among them will be 36-year-old Stu Anderson of Sooke, a former member of the Web.com Tour, and Darren Day Jr., a 20-year-old who longs for a shot to play with the talented members of PGA Tour Canada.
Players will tee it up beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Gorge Vale Golf Club with the top 10 advancing to the main tournament on Thursday at Uplands Golf Club.
“I’m loading up for the Gorge, getting ready,” said Anderson, who was more than a little surprised he did not earn one of the sponsor’s exemptions to the Victoria tournament, which he has played on numerous occasions.
A series of unfortunate circumstances has left Anderson battling to get into events on the tour, in which he has twice won the highlight event, the Tour Championship, once in 2011. That year he finished fourth on the Order of Merit.
Anderson was in Asia attempting to qualify for the overseas tour and was essentially too late in registering for PGA Tour Canada Qualifying school. The popular local will now have to battle it out through Monday qualifiers, such as this one.
“I’d like to give it my best this summer, but not getting exemptions and having to Monday qualify, I don’t know how far it will come,” he admitted.
Anderson just missed out on a chance at qualifying for the PC Financial Open at Point Grey in Vancouver, where PGA Tour Canada began the season this weekend. He was one shot off the mark as he recorded a 2-under 71 at Quilchena Golf and Country Club last Monday. Day recorded a 6-over 79 to finish tied for 55th at the same event.
“Monday qualifying for the Canadian tour — I never thought I would be saying that. But when you struggle the last couple of years it comes down to two words, playing better. That’s all,” stressed Anderson.
“I know Gorge Vale well. I’m pretty positive I can pull it off. I knocked some of the rust off last week, which was my first competitive round since February. I feel I can compete again and my mental game is in a good state.”
He has secured a sponsor’s exemption for the Syncrude Borreal Open presented by AECON on June 19 in Fort McMurray, Alta., but he felt he was in line for one in Victoria.
“It’s great for the Tour, I’m happy that it’s going in that direction,” he said of the popularity of the Q school, which filled up quickly. “But it’s unfortunate that guys like Wes [Heffernan] and I and a few others, with our records and history on tour, that we wouldn’t have a place to play on an off year. Last year was that off year. Now we’re in the same boat, looking to get sponsor’s exemptions.”
Day, on the other hand, is a youngster looking for his opportunity to get his career started. He’ll be among the other locals playing Monday such as Jarred Callbeck, Lawren Rowe, Grant Maskiewich, Michael Griffin, Trevor Richardson and Eric Wang.
Rowe and Griffin are still in high school at Mount Douglas and were probably about three years old when Anderson first turned pro in 2001 after his stint at Illinois State University.
Day, meanwhile, hopes to be that much better than he was at last week’s Monday qualifier in Vancouver.
“I didn’t play so well, struggled a bit, but I’m looking forward to this week. I love Gorge Vale,” said Day, who missed the qualifying mark in Victoria last year by a few shots.
“I’m obviously looking for a different result,” said Day who recently finished 13th at a Vancouver Pro Tour stop and has previously competed at the Canadian Amateur.
