Crown Isle hosts pro golf hopefuls

The road to pro golf goes through Crown Isle.

Crown Isle in Courtenay will host the last of five Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada spring qualifying schools today through Friday.

It’s the last chance for players to earn a ticket to this year’s 13-stop Mackenzie Tour, which begins its season May 31-June 3 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver. The Tour makes two other B.C. stops, with the Bayview Place DC Bank Open presented by the Times Colonist scheduled for June 7-10 at Uplands in Victoria, and the GolfBC Championship going June 14-17 at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna.

Jake DuVall of Victoria, last year’s B.C. Amateur champion, and 2014 B.C. Amateur runnerup Mike Belle of Burnaby are among the field of 132 players who will compete in the 72-hole qualifying competition this week at Crown Isle.

The winner will earn a full exemption on this year’s Mackenzie Tour, while players finishing second through fifth are exempt through the first eight events. Those finishing sixth through 16th place are exempt through the first four events, while those finishing 17th through 40th get conditional status.

This is the fifth straight year Crown Isle has played host to the final Q-School of the season.

“It has been good to see some of the guys who started here get to the Web.com and PGA Tours,” Crown Isle director of golf, Rod Prieto Prieto, said in a statement.

“Our members for the most part really embrace the event and are excited to volunteer for it and take players in as billets. It also helps us get our course in great shape. By May 1, our course is in pristine condition and ready for the whole season.”

Another British Columbian of note competing at Crown Isle is former B.C. junior boys champion Riley Wheeldon of Comox. Wheeldon, a past winner on the Mackenzie Tour, is back at Q-School for the second straight year. He tied for sixth last year at Crown Isle, but failed to finish in the top 60 on the 2017 money list and retain his exempt status.

A trio of former B.C. collegiate players are also in the field at Crown Isle as former UBC Thunderbirds Nate Ollis of Victoria and Evan Holmes of Calgary will be joined by Bret Thompson of Winnipeg, who competed for SFU.

Last year, it took a 72-hole score of 6-under or better to finish inside the top 16 at Crown Isle. Horacio Leon of Chile won by five shots with a score of 19-under par.