Wheeldon earns another shot on tour
Comox golfer sixth at qualifying school
Needing another round in the 60s, Riley Wheeldon couldn’t quite pull it off on the final day of Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada qualifying school on his home course at Crown Isle Resort on a blustery Friday.
His final-round 1-under 71 left the Comox native sixth in the field, enough to earn him status on tour for the first four events of the upcoming season before the circuit reshuffles according to money earned.
“It wasn’t my best week, but I did what I needed to do. Now my goal is to play as well as I can early and ideally turn those four events into an entire season,” Wheeldon told tour officials following the round.
Wheeldon had recorded rounds of 68, 69 and 69 on the first three days. His 277 total left him eight shots back of runaway medallist Horacio Leon of Chile, who posted rounds of 66, 68, 65 and 70 to grab the one full playing privileges spot.
Americans Eric Onesi and Jonathan Ruiz finished tied for second with 274 totals, while PGA Australasian Tour winner Brett Coletta took fourth another shot back. Amateur Max McGreevy was fifth after his final-round 67 left him at 276, one shot better than Wheeldon.
Wheeldon had started the day with birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, but a bogey at No. 3 cooled him off. It was all pars until the 11th hole where he dropped another shot, but got it back on No. 15. A topfive placing would have given him eight starts and advancement to the second reshuffle.
Leon, whose older brother is two-time Mackenzie Tour winner Hugo Leon, was stellar throughout the week, especially since battling back from ankle surgery.
“I feel great. I didn’t play my best, but I knew [Thursday] was good enough to give me some space to go around and be able to not stress about any putts that didn’t go in,” he said. “All in all, I’m super happy.”
This was the last of five qualifying schools for the Mackenzie Tour, which fires up June 1-4 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver. The tour then moves to Victoria the following week for the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by the Times Colonist, June 8-11 at Uplands Golf Club.