Matt Matheson and Gordy Scutt are picking up right where their boss, Kevin Maxwell, left off.
The Olympic View assistant pros will have an opportunity to tee it up on separate PGA Tour Canada events over the next two weeks through earned positions.
Matheson will tee it up in the Bayview Place Island Savings Open (BPISO) presented by the Times Colonist at Uplands Golf Club on June 4-7. He will represent the Vancouver Island Pro Tour, securing the exemption as Order of Merit leader with a pair of wins, a second- and a fourth-place finish over the first five events of the series.
Scutt, a former regular on the Canadian tour, will play the season-opening P.C. Financial Open at Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf and Country Club this week, grabbing a spot available through Golf B.C., winning a four-player event at Richmond Country Club to secure his tee time.
The P.C. Financial Open opens the tour, beginning Thursday with the BPISO tournament following a week later at Uplands.
“Yeah, we’re taking over the world, one small step at a time,” Matheson said with a chuckle, referring to Olympic View pros securing the four positions over the last two years. Maxwell played both events in 2014. “Seriously, it’s really exciting to get this opportunity.
“It was a goal I set for myself a few years ago [to play a tour event], but I didn’t expect it would come this quickly,” said the soon-to-be 33-year-old native of Cole Harbour, N.S. “My game is good right now.” Matheson credited the tough competition on the V.I. Tour in improving his game, which he’ll now take against PGA Tour Canada regulars.
“Kevin and I chat about it [Maxwell’s 2014 experiences] and Gordy used to play on tour, but I’m just looking at it like it’s another golf tournament,” said Matheson, who will be busy that week, playing the B.C. Assistants’ Championship on the Monday and Tuesday on the mainland before returning for the BPISO on the Thursday. “I know it would mean a lot to the V.I. Pro Tour if I could make the cut,” he said.
Scutt is a former tour member, having competed for four years with his last season back in 2007.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve played [on tour]. I haven’t been able to qualify for the T.C. Open here of late,” Scutt, 35, said. “I’m taking the same attitude as the last time — it’s an opportunity to play and see how I stack up against the top guys out there.”
Teaching means limited playing time for both Olympic View assistants, but there will be a lot of familiarity with the courses.
Matheson, who won the Arbutus Ridge and Highland Pacific stops on the V.I. Tour this year, will get three practice rounds in at Uplands to prepare. Meanwhile, Scutt won the 2014 PGA B.C. Championship at Point Grey.
“I still have good vibes from last year,” Scutt said. “The game feels good, so we’ll see where it takes me.”
The remaining exemptions to the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist tournament include Uplands Golf Club champion Brian Sluggett, the Zone 5 men’s amateur champion (to be determined this weekend at Royal Colwood), Kevin Spooner and Curtis Yonke. Yonke, who played the event last season and made the cut, is the grandson of former PGA player Jim Colbert.
Ten more players will earn their way into the event through Monday qualifying at Gorge Vale Golf Club on June 1.
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
Twitter/tc_vicsports
