It should be of little surprise that a Canadian would jump out and grab one of just five fully exempt playing cards available at the Champions Tour qualifying school on Friday.
In miserably cold, wet and blustery conditions, Victoria’s Jim Rutledge went out and recorded a final round 6-under 65 at TPC Scottsdale, leaping 11 spots to finish tied for second with a 15-under 269 total.
“It was terrible weather,” Rutledge said over the phone after returning to his hotel to dry off and warm up. “Two layers of rain gear, four layers of tops; rainy and cold. That helped us, I think.”
Remarkably the 53-year-old got through it, for the third straight year, having to gut out the always competitive qualifying process.
He’s become a bit of an A-plus student when it comes this school, finishing in the Top 5 for the third straight year after failing to keep his card in the top 30 money list on the PGA’s senior tour (he finished 55th).
“Yeah, unfortunately I am,” he said with a chuckle. “But that’s OK. That’s the way she goes. We’re just going to put it behind us and carry on next year.”
Speaking for himself and his wife and caddy, Jill, there was a sense of relief after bouncing back from a 1-over 72 in the third round on Thursday that left him in danger of having to Monday qualify next season with a conditional card.
“It is tough,” he said of the format that allows just five full spots. “But it is what it is. No one wants to Monday qualify, because we’ve been through that deal. We knew we were on the edge of having to do that. We had to put in a good round today and hopefully get by that scenario.”
He made it thanks to the gritty round in conditions akin to playing in Victoria in December or January.
“I hit a lot of good shots within three feet or four feet and I made one good putt on the back nine to get me steamrolling, which was helpful,” said Rutledge, who was 4-under on the back nine on his way to the best round of the day, tied with Sweden’s Anders Forsbrand.
“You figured scores were going to stall with the weather being so bad. If you could get a good round in, you could jump by some guys.”
Rutledge will now return home, play through the next two months and then venture to warmer climates in mid-January before starting the 2014 Champions Tour schedule in February.
“It won’t be any worse than it was today,” Rutledge said of playing back home in Victoria. “That’s for sure.”
Rutledge finished tied for second with American Mike (Radar) Reid, five shots behind Wes Short Jr., also of the U.S.
