Robin Conlan, captain of the 颅University of Victoria Vikes team, said about playing in his first professional golf 颅tournament: 鈥淲hat a way to get my feet wet.鈥�
He meant that figuratively. But it also fit literally Thursday.
It wasn鈥檛 until after 6 p.m. that Conlan stepped to the first tee at Uplands to begin his 颅initial pro golf adventure amid a 颅swirling day of rain and delays on the Mackenize Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒. More than half the field 鈥� 65 golfers 鈥� were unable to complete their first round by the time darkness hit. Six 颅golfers had not even started. Conlan had only completed three holes and was shooting par to be 颅tentatively tied for 18th.
As captain of the Vikes, and also as a back-shop employee at Uplands, he has hit his tee shots many times before on that course. But never against pros, or perhaps quite as soggy, even on the edge of rainforest.
Conlan was pulled off the wait list at the last moment and made the 132-player field for the 颅Reliance Properties DCBank Open presented by the sa国际传媒 as one of 13 amateurs playing the 颅tournament. The more amateurs the merrier, as far as the pros are concerned, because that鈥檚 less competition for the $100,000 in prize money.
The leader of the amateur 颅brigade is Noah Steele of 颅Kingston, Ont., who is second on the season Mackenzie Tour points parade behind leader 颅Callum Davison of Duncan, who completed his opening round at par 70. Steele dried off in the clubhouse following his complete opening-round 1-under-69 Thursday, tentatively tied for fourth, behind tentative leader Marc Casullo of Aurora, Ont., who brought Uplands to its knees at five-under 65 despite the conditions.
Most of the rest of the 颅amateur class was given later tee times and were still on the course before darkness descended and will finish off their opening rounds today in combination with their 颅second rounds. Not that Conlan is 颅complaining.
鈥淚鈥檓 very fortunate and very honoured to be playing among the pros,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he nerves are there but I know the course and that鈥檚 a great advantage for me.鈥�
A third-year Vikes player, Conlan wants to give the pro game a swing 鈥� on or off the course.
鈥淚 want to give it a shot as a player. If that doesn鈥檛 work out, then perhaps in the golf-services industry. I鈥檓 keeping all that in mind and all doors open in the game,鈥� he said.
Growing up in Berlin, 颅Germany, Conlan of course played soccer. But when injured as a teen, he turned to golf.
鈥淚t is a sport that is growing, and is losing its former image in Germany as an old man鈥檚 sport or a rich person鈥檚 sport,鈥� said Conlan.
鈥淢artin Kaymer [the German who won two majors] has made a big impact in helping grow the sport鈥檚 popularity.鈥�
Conlan hopes to make the cut to be playing on his 28th birthday Sunday. If he does, he will have to rush to catch an evening ferry to meet his Vikes teammates at the sa国际传媒 West championship Monday and Tuesday in Squamish.
Meanwhile, organizers are playing catch-up with the 颅schedule.
鈥淚鈥檝e been tournament director since 2009, and on the board since 2005, and this is our first major weather issue,鈥� said tournament director Murray Thomas.
Players with incomplete first rounds will begin today at 7:45 a.m. with the resumed-play format, where they will go to the holes where they were 颅Thursday when play was called. The second round will start after that on the first and 10th holes for everybody. Organizers will likely have to do the same thing Saturday to compete the 颅second round, after which the cut will be made. Thomas said he expects everything to be caught up by the end of play Saturday, heading into a normal final round Sunday.
That is, of course, barring further weather delays.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hectic but we鈥檒l get through it,鈥� said Thomas.
鈥淭he Mackenzie Tour people have been through weather before across the country and know what they are doing.鈥�
Forced by the pandemic, this is the second-to-latest date the Victoria Open has been held since its inception in 1981. It will revert to its regular first-week-of-June time slot in 2022. The prize purse this week is $100,000. It will return to its 颅normal $200,000 level next year.
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒 leads to the Korn Ferry Tour, which leads to the PGA Tour. The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒 since 2013 has produced 56 PGA Tour players, who have won 11 PGA 颅tournaments, and more than 300 players for the Korn Ferry Tour, who have produced 47 victories at that Tour.
