Sloan making the most of his second chance
Canadian continues career rebound with solid opening round at Bay Hill
It wasn’t long ago that an opportunity to play this week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational was a long shot for Roger Sloan, but fortunes can change quickly in the game of golf.
Three years after losing his PGA Tour card as a rookie in 2015, the 31-year-old Canadian is working hard to make the most of his second chance. On the strength of his recent play, Sloan made it into the field as the first alternate this week in Florida.
“Three weeks ago I wasn’t even in this event, so I’m extremely honoured and thrilled to be at Bay Hill,” Sloan said after his round Thursday. “It separates itself from the standard tournament, for sure.”
Sloan has been playing the best golf of his PGA Tour career in recent weeks and it continued early Thursday morning. Teeing off at the 10th, he caught fire quickly, making five birdies over a six-hole stretch beginning at the 12th and ending with a birdie at the difficult 221-yard, parthree 17th, where he hit a hybrid that finished just seven feet from the back right pin.
“I was able to hit a good quality shot, so you kind of just take one there,” Sloan said.
A bogey-bogey finish took a little of the shine off the round, but things have been going too well for Sloan to be much bothered, and he was pleased with Thursday’s two-under 70. He finished the first round tied for 15th with a group of golfers, including Masters champion Patrick Reed and fellow Canadian Adam Hadwin.
Rafa Cabrera Bello leads at seven-under after shooting an opening round 65.
Sloan spent the past few years on the Web.com Tour after missing 13 of 20 cuts on the PGA Tour in 2014-15, but doesn’t look at his rookie season with any regret.
“While it wasn’t a lot of great results, it was a catalyst to where I am now,” he said. “I was never too discouraged that I lost my card, it’s just part of the process. Whatever tour you’re playing that year, that’s where you’ve got to focus your attention. For us this year it’s the PGA Tour.”
Sloan’s penchant for finding the good in any situation might have been taught to him by his father on a rather strange day back home in B.C. at Merritt Golf and Country Club: the day he lost a bet by shooting 58.
“True story,” Sloan said. “I had the round of my life, I started off with three eagles in my first four holes and went on to shoot 58.” That’s when it all went wrong. “My dad also had the round of his life,” he said. “He shot 68 as, I believe, a six handicap. At the end of the day I had to throw him a couple bucks.”
MORE CAN-CON
Corey Conners found out earlier than Sloan that he would be playing this week at Bay Hill, but was never a sure thing.
The Listowel, Ont. native is having a career year, despite having a hard time knowing whether or not he’ll be playing on any given week. Conners finished last season outside the top 125 on the PGA Tour’s Fedex Cup standings, but inside the top 150, which means he didn’t keep his card, but he didn’t really lose it either.
The 27-year-old has made the most of this conditional status, finishing second at the Sanderson Farms Championship last fall. He also has twice earned his way into tournaments as a Monday qualifier, including at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where Conners finished tied for third.
“I was hoping I would get in the field this week by my good play so far,” he said. “I kind of had it on the radar and was excited.”
Conners sits 50th in Fedex Cup points this season, which is how he made it here to Bay Hill this week. It’s also why he’s a lock to make the trip down the road next week to TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship.
“Two awesome places and two good fields,” he said.
“It will be a test. Hopefully I can keep it going the rest of the week here and have a good week next week.”
I was never too discouraged that I lost my card, it’s just part of the process. Whatever tour you’re playing that year, that’s where you’ve got to focus your attention.