Golfer lighting up two tours at once
The scores are down and the air miles are up for the hottest hand on the Mackenzie Tour right now.
After posting a record-breaking eight-shot victory in Quebec, Hank (Two Tours) Lebioda is carving out a name for himself in both Canada and Latin America at the same time.
With five top 10 finishes in seven starts on the Latino-America PGA Tour and that decisive win two weeks ago on the PGA Tour Canada, Lebioda has climbed to sixth on the money list on both circuits.
It’s not often that a player can make a run for the Order of Merit on two tours at the same time, and it’s certainly not easy, but the 23-year-old from Florida is loving the ride … if not the travel.
“It’s a little bit of a juggle, it’s very hectic,” said Lebioda, who’ll be looking to make it two wins in a row when he tees off Thursday in the Syncrude Oil Country Championship at Windermere. “You can ask my girlfriend, she’ll tell you. For the most part it’s a few up here, week off, a few down there, week off.
“I have a game plan, I hope it’s a good one; only time will tell.”
This wasn’t necessarily the plan from the very beginning, but Lebioda sort of played his way into it. He started out so well on the Latino-America Tour in the spring (T3, 2, T2, T6 and T8) that he skipped the start of the Canadian Tour to ride the wave.
Why not? He was playing well and making money, so it made sense to focus his attention there, given that the Latino-America Tour is also a gateway to the Web.com Tour (top 5 players on both tours gain exempt or conditional status).
Then, during a break in the Latino-America schedule, he shot up to Canada, posted a win and leapt up the Order of Merit here, too. Now he has two legitimate shots at advancing to the Web.com Tour next season.
Which is making it even busier. “I was not planning on coming (to Edmonton) until I won,” he said. “I was planning on taking this time off and prepping myself for the Latin America season, which starts back up two weeks from now.
“I was planning on going down to Paraguay and riding out the Latin America Tour down there because I’m sixth on that money list. But plans change and things happen.
“I’m doing my best to figure out which events are the smartest for me, the most economical and practical for me to get to.”
It’s a unique and exciting situation. There are only six or so current players who are working both tours at the same time, and none are this close to finishing top five in both.
“It keeps you motivated knowing that you’re that close to moving up to the next level and chasing some of your goals and dreams.”
And the Latino-America Tour sounds like a blast.
“It takes you to a lot of different places,” said Lebioda. “We went from Quito, Equador, which is 9,000 feet elevation in a country club course downtown to playing on the coast in the Dominican Republic. Two completely different styles of golf.
“The travel is a little bit hectic, I won’t lie. It’s kind of a pain every now and then getting from country to country, but it’s an unbelievable experience that I don’t think you get on many tours.”
Starting in mid August, the two tours have three events in a row that run simultaneously, so Lebioda will have to make a decision based on which tour will give him the best shot at finishing in the top five and getting exempt or conditional Web. com status.
That will largely depend on how he does in Canada, starting here in Edmonton.
If the momentum from Quebec carries over and he delivers a high finish, the travel plans might change.
“I would love to take some of the shots from last week,” he said. “I’m definitely on a confidence high right now, but I still know I have to go out and execute the shots.”
There’s a lot at stake, but when he strips it all down, it’s still golf.
“We’re all competitors out here,” he said. “It’s fun to be playing in a tournament. Step out on that first tee Thursday and I’m going to be nervous as hell.
“That’s just how it is. A majority of the guys in this field would be lying to you if they said they didn’t feel the same way.”