Digby golfer turns attention to pro
Digby golfer Myles Creighton is turning pro.
After learning he wouldn’t be selected for Golf Canada’s national amateur squad, Creighton – the 2017 Nova Scotia amateur champion – will pursue a career as a professional golfer.
“I probably would have been on (the national amateur team) if I played OK over the summer and had a couple good finishes,” the 22-year-old Creighton said in a recent phone interview from Jupiter, Flordia.
“I kind of struggled over the summer and got into a bad funk event after event. It was kind of tough. But I’m fine with not making the team,” he said. “I can get started on the pro thing. I’m not too disappointed. I feel like I’ve done everything I wanted to do in amateur golf.”
Creighton will remain in Florida to play in a few Minor League Golf Tour events as well as the Florida Elite Golf Tour in preparation for qualifying school next year.
“I want to get some reps in before Q school, whether it’s Canada, Latin America or possibly even China,” Creighton said.
Qualifying school for the PGA Tour Latin America will be held in January, followed by China in February and qualifying events for the Canadian tour in the spring.
Each tour is a feeder circuit for the Web.com Tour.
And each Q school comes with a price tag.
Entry fee for the 2018 PGA Tour Canada qualifying tournament was US $2,750.
“China and Latin America is about the same but obviously you have to travel for those ones,” Creighton said.
“You hope to make money obviously to help cover the costs. But the only tours where you’re going to be sufficient in making money and breaking even are on the PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour. Other than that, the others are just stepping stones to get there. You’re not generating any income.”
Creighton said he played a round with PGA Tour rookie Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. last week.
Conners, who has played on the Canadian and Latin American tours and the Web.com Tour before graduating to the PGA Tour last October, gave Creighton some insights on what it takes — and costs — to become a professional.
“He said he did a full year on the Latin tour and that cost him about $75,000,” Creighton recalled. “You would have to finish at least second or third to help cover that amount.”
Creighton figured it would cost him about $30,000 to play a season on the PGA Tour Canada.
“You’d have to finish top 10 to cover that cost.”
Creighton, who graduated in May with a business degree from Radford University, excelled in his four seasons at the Virginia college.
He completed his collegiate career with a 72.95 all-time scoring record, the lowest career scoring average in the Radford men’s golf program history.
He won back-to-back Big South scholar athlete of the year awards, the first Radford men’s golfer to earn that honour, and was named to the Virginia State Golf Association’s second all-state team.
Two weeks before capturing the ’17 Nova Scotia amateur at Oakfield Golf and Country Club, Creighton was victorious at the Rice Planters Amateur, considered one of the top amateur events in the U.S.
Creighton, who’s been working with PGA Tour coach Jeff Leishman, feels his game is ready for the pros.
“My coach, who’s worked with Daniel Berger (2015 PGA Tour rookie of the year) and a few other guys, has been giving me some good advice,” Creighton said. “He knows what it takes. It puts me in a good spot.
“A huge thing though is having the funds and the budget to be able to play in everything. Living down here and having a golf course to play at is so expensive. And there are so many kids doing what I’m doing down here in Jupiter. I’m a dime a dozen down here.”