Riley Wheeldon of Comox finished second in the Mackenzie Tour Canadian PGA Tour Staal Foundation Open over the weekend in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Ben Griffin, the NCAA Div. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels graduate making his professional debut, won with a four-round total of 266.
Wheeldon was next at 21-under-par 267.
“This [Canadian] Tour is the gateway to get to the PGA Tour,” said the 22-year-old Griffin, who hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
“After this win, I think it puts me in a good position to get on the Web.com Tour next year, so the win isn’t so much about the money as it is about my playing status. I'm really blessed to have won and I’m ready for the future.”
The solo-second finish is Wheeldon’s best showing on the Mackenzie Tour Canadian PGA Tour since he joined the winner’s circle in 2013. The final round 64 also matches his lowest career round on Tour.
“It was my best event this year, best event in a while, so I take a lot of positives out of it,” said the Islander.
“I thought I played good enough to win but there's a lot of good players out here.”
