THUNDER BAY – Forty-five PGA TOUR Canada members, including nine 2014 winners, are set to participate in the final stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, looking to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR. With Order of Merit winner Joel Dahmen already exempt for the 2015 season, along with PGA TOUR Canada member Julian Etulain, who captured the Order of Merit on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, below are the names of all 45 members competing this week at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Matt Harmon, 29, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Key finishes: Won the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel), 4 top-10s, No. 2 on Order of Merit
Harmon’s first season on PGA TOUR Canada was a successful one, posting top-10s in three of the first four events and nearly joining Joel Dahmen as a two-time winner before losing in a playoff to Mark Silvers at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial.
Tim Madigan, 25, Rio Rancho, N.M.
Key finishes: Won The Players Cup, 3 top-10s, No. 3 on Order of Merit
After finishing tied for second at Q-School, Madigan burst on to the scene in 2015 with three top-3 finishes in his first five starts, culminating in his win at The Players Cup. The native of New Mexico known as ‘Mad Dog’ will look to improve his status on the Web.com Tour, where he will play for the first time in his career.
Brock Mackenzie, 33, Yakima, Wash.
Key finishes: Won ATB Financial Classic, 4 top-10s, No. 4 on Order of Merit
Mackenzie returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2010 in record fashion, setting a PGA TOUR Canada-era record by shooting 27-under to win the ATB Financial Classic. The former University of Washington star has made 73 career starts on the Web.com Tour, finishing 53rd on the money list in 2007.
Greg Eason, 22, Leicester, England
Key finishes: 2nd at Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, 4 top-10s, No. 5 on Order of Merit
Eason, who earned his PGA TOUR Canada status at Q-School before finishing up an All-American season at the University of Central Florida, found no difficulties transitioning to the professional game. The Englishman’s consistency (eight top-25s, just one missed cut in 12 starts) allowed him to become the first player to finish in The Five without recording a win.
Ryan Williams, 33, Vancouver, B.C.
Key finishes: Won TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial, 3 top-10s, No. 6 on Order of Merit
Williams, a former hockey player turned professional golfer, broke through for his first win in his seventh PGA TOUR Canada season, outlasting Clayton Rask and good friend Adam Cornelson to win the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial. Williams posted a career-best 5 top-25 finishes in 2014 and represented PGA TOUR Canada with Michael Gligic at the Bridgestone America’s Golf Cup. As the top Canadian on the Order of Merit, Williams was also named Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year.
Nate McCoy, 24, West Des Moines, Iowa
Key finishes: Won The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial, 2 top-10s, No. 7 on Order of Merit
After caddying for his father Mike at this year’s Masters Tournament, McCoy returned to PGA TOUR Canada, earning conditional status at the British Columbia Qualifying Tournament, and produced the best season of his young pro career. McCoy outlasted Michael Gligic in a four-hole playoff to secure his first win and help get a direct ticket to final stage.
Josh Persons, 30, Fargo, N.D.
Key finishes: Won Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, one other top-10, finished eighth on Order of Merit
Persons got off to a hot start in 2014, making his first six cuts and holding on for his first win in Victoria to with another top five finish at The Players Cup. His 72nd hole birdie at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel was just enough to earn him a spot in the RBC Canadian Open.
Wes Homan, 30, Cincinnati, Ohio
Key finishes: Won Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, one other top-10, finished ninth on Order of Merit
Homan broke through for his first win after emerging victorious from a duel with Greg Eason in Thunder Bay, draining a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win by one. The Southern Methodist grad also qualified for the Shriners’ Hospitals for Children Open this year on the PGA TOUR, finishing T56.
Mark Silvers, 28, Savannah, Ga.
Key finishes: Won Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial, one other top-10, finished 10th on Order of Merit
With two weeks to go in 2014, Silvers was 89th on the Order of Merit and at risk of losing his PGA TOUR Canada card. A win and a fifth place finish in his final two weeks turned things around in a big way, however, vaulting the former Golf Channel Big Break champion to 10th on the Order of Merit and earning him an automatic bye to the final stage of Q-School.
Brady Schnell, 29, Milford, Iowa
Key finishes: Shot 59 at the ATB Financial Classic, three top-10s
Schnell made headlines across the golf world when he jarred a 122-yard wedge on his final hole to shoot 59 at the ATB Financial Classic, before going on to finish tied for fourth. The former Web.com Tour member has missed just one cut in 20 starts the last two years on PGA TOUR Canada.
Cory Renfrew, 28, Victoria, B.C.
Key finishes: T4 at ATB Financial Classic, three top-10s
The University of British Columbia graduate got a taste of the Web.com Tour this season, finishing T23 on a sponsor’s exemption at the Nova Scotia Open to get in to the following week’s Utah Championship. After another strong season on PGA TOUR Canada, where he had three top-10s and missed just one cut, the 28-year old looks primed to take his game to the next level.
David Bradshaw, 31, Harpers Ferry, West Va.
Key finishes: Won The Great Waterway Classic, medalist at British Columbia Qualifying Tournament
It was all-or-nothing in 2014 for Bradshaw, who won the BC Q-School by eight shots and captured The Great Waterway Classic, but was otherwise absent from the top-25 in any event.The West Virginian also Monday qualified for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this year on the PGA TOUR.
Ted Brown, 45, Peterborough, Ont.
Key finishes: 6th at ATB Financial Classic, 4 top-10s
Just three players had a better scoring average in 2014 than the Peteborough native, whose 69.19 mark was just .14 back of leader Chris Williams. Brown tied the TOUR best for top-10s last season, too, notching four on the way to a season that saw him finish 19th on the Order of Merit and earn a direct pass into second stage. Brown’s most notable accomplishment of the season might have been when he holed his approach on two of the first four holes in a round at the ATB Financial Classic.
Beon-Yeong Lee, 25, Montreal, Que.
Key finishes: T3, Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial
Lee continued to improve in 2014, moving from 49th on the Order of Merit a year ago to 31st this summer. The 25-year old also won a regional qualifier to gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open in his hometown of Montreal, the second time he has qualified for the national open.
Ryan Yip, 30, Calgary, Alta.
Key finishes: T5 at The Players Cup
Yip turned in a solid 2014 campaign, making eight of nine cuts and posting five top-25 finishes. The Kent State grad also ranked in the top-10 in scoring average and birdie average, and will look to return to the Web.com Tour for his first full season since 2012.
Linus Gillgren, 26, Onsala, Sweden
Key finishes: T8, ATB Financial Classic
Gillgren struggled through back issues for most of 2014, but did manage to shoot 19-under on the way to his T8 finish in Calgary. He was also a member of Team PGA TOUR Canada in The Miracle On Grass: Part 2, and piped a few drives down the runway at Peterborough Airport during The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial.
Hunter Hamrick, 24, Birmingham, Ala.
Key finishes: T17, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel
The former All-American at the University of Alabama showed flashes of brilliance in 2014, including a final round 62 in Saskatoon.
Daniel Miernicki, 24, Santee, Calif.
Key finishes: 4th, Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel
After claiming medalist honours at the California Q-School, Miernicki went on to post three top-10s. The former All-American at the University of Oregon reunited with Ducks teammate Eugene Wong on PGA TOUR Canada this summer.
Adam Long, 27, New Orleans, La.
Key finishes: T2, The Great Waterway Classic
The Duke grad made a furious charge at The Great Waterway Classic before falling one shot shy of a playoff thanks to David Bradshaw’s final hole birdie.
Tyler Aldridge, 30, Nampa, Idaho
Key finishes: T17, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel
Splitting time between the Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, Aldridge made five cuts in seven starts.
Kelvin Day, 26, Surrey, England
Key finishes: T5, Forces & Families Open
In his first season in Canada, Day was quietly solid, posting four top-25 finishes and two top-10s, finishing 44th on the Order of Merit.
Michael Buttacavoli, 26, Miami Beach, Fla.
Key finishes: T4, Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist, three top-5 finishes
The PGA TOUR Latinoamérica star fared well in Canada this summer, finishing in the top five three times, including his first two starts. Buttacavoli won the Dominican Republic Open in May.
Jeff Corr, 35, Apopka, Fla.
Key finishes: 3rd, Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel
A former Web.com Tour member, Corr was a model of consistency in 2014, finishing with six top-25s in nine starts, and never finishing worse than T-27 when he made the cut.
Wes Heffernan, 37, Calgary, Alta.
Key finishes: T23, ATB Financial Classic
Though he had no status on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, the four-time winner played his way into four events, and will look to play on the Web.com Tour for the first time this year.
Hugo Leon, 29, Santiago, Chile
A member of PGA TOUR Canada, Leon, who won The Great Waterway Classic in 2013 and finished in The Five, played on the Web.com Tour in 2014, making nine cuts in 19 starts. The popular Chilean played his way back through second stage to return with Web.com Tour status next season.
William Kropp, 24, Tulsa, Okla.
Key finishes: 2nd, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open pres. by SaskTel
Primarily a standout on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, where he outduelled Angel Cabrera to win the Abierto OSDE de Centro in Argentina, Kropp showed his game can travel when he fired a final round 62 to finish second to Matt Harmon in Saskatoon.
Drew Stoltz, 30, Fort Collins, Colo.
Key finishes: T9, The Players Cup
Stoltz returned to PGA TOUR Canada for the first time since 2009 this season and made eight cuts in 12 starts to finish 55th on the Order of Merit and retain status for next year. Stoltz was the first round leader after an unbeliebable first round 63 at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, bettering the field average by more than 11 shots.
Jay Myers, 24, San Jose, Calif.
Key finishes: T5, The Players Cup
Myers, a teammate of 2013 The Five graduate and current PGA TOUR member Mark Hubbard at San Jose State, had a strong season in 2014, posting two top-10 finishes.
Tommy Cocha, 23, Salta, Argentina
Key finishes: T2, The Great Waterway Classic,
Cocha, who finished in Los Cinco on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in 2012 and earned a Web.comTour card, had back-to-back top-10s on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014. He finished one shot shy of David Bradshaw at The Great Waterway Classic, then finished T7 the following week at The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial.
Erik Barnes, 27, Kalmazoo, Mich.
Key finishes: 4th, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel
Barnes rode a hot streak in July, carding pair of 63s to finish in the top five in Saskatoon, then firing a first round 63 to lead at The Players Cup, where he went on to finish T16.
Jamie Sindelar, 24, Horseheads, N.Y.
Key finishes: T25, Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON
The son of former PGA TOUR winner Joey Sindelar, Jamie made the cut three times in eight starts in 2014.
Jason Millard, 24, Murfressboro, Tenn.
Key finishes: T23, The Great Waterway Classic
Millard played three PGA TOUR Canada events in 2014, splitting time with the Web.com Tour.
Marcelo Rozo, 25, Bogota, Colombia
Key finishes: T11, Forces & Families Open
The two-time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica winner, who finished second on that Tour’s Order of Merit to earn conditional status already, played five events on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, finishing in the top-25 twice.
Abraham Ancer, 23, McAllen, Texas
Key finishes: T19, Staal Foundation open presented by Tbaytel
The Web.com Tour member played three events on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, making the cut twice.
Rick Cochran, 28, Paducah, Ken.
Key finishes: T23, Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist
The PGA TOUR Latinoamérica winner made the cut in both his PGA TOUR Canada starts in 2014, shooting under par in six of eight rounds.
Mauricio Azcue, 24, Mexico City, Mexico
Key finishes: T30, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel
The PGA TOUR Latinoamérica standout teed it up five times on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, making four cuts.
Brad Hopfinger, 25, Lake Forest, Ill.
Key finishes: T12, SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel
The PGA TOUR Latinoamérica standout played six times on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, making four cuts and posting two top-25 finishes.
Tyler Weworski, 24, Oceanside, Calif.
The 2012 PGA TOUR Canada Q-School played one event in 2014 and will look to return to the Web.com Tour this year, where he made three cuts in 14 starts.
Brad Elder, 39, Tulsa, Okla.
The three-time Web.com Tour member teed it up twice on PGA TOUR Canada in 2014, making the cut on both starts.
Robert Rohanna, 28, Waynesburg, Penn.
A PGA TOUR Latinoamérica member, Rohanna pegged it twice on PGA TOU Canada in 2014, missing the cut at The Players Cup and the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.
Garrett Driver, 25, Humble, Texas
After earning conditional status at the British Columbia Q-School, Driver played five events on PGA TOUR Canada, making one cut.
David Chung, 24, Fayetteville, N.C.
The former Stanford University standout and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica member played three events in 2014, making one cut.
Tyler McCumber, 23, Jacksonville, Fla.
The two-time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica winner and Los Cinco member has already earned Web.com Tour status, and will look to improve upon it at Final Stage. McCumber played two PGA TOUR Canada events this season, making one cut.
Armando Favela, 28, Tijuana, Mexico
The lefty from Mexico played one PGA TOUR Canada event in 2014, finishing T34 at The Great Waterway Classic.
Brad Gehl, 23 Carmel, Ind.
After earning conditional status at PGA TOUR Canada Q-School, Gehl played in one PGA TOUR Canada event, missing the cut at the ATB Financial Classic.
