Some sporting events are big enough in their own right and do not require home-country rooting interest. But it was still nice for the hosts to have Sidney Crosby鈥檚 overtime goal at Vancouver 2010 and Neymar鈥檚 goal in penalty kicks at Rio 2016.
While not in that heady company, there is a quad of able golfers 鈥� among the starry international constellation that includes the likes of Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer and Tom Kite 鈥� providing Canadian content in the PGA Tour Champions Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.
Murray Poje of Delta made it into the $2.5-million US event through qualifying play Tuesday. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Stephen Ames, with four PGA Tour titles and four top-11 finishes in majors, is the most accomplished of the Canuck foursome in the tournament at Bear Mountain. But even he can鈥檛 match Jim Rutledge鈥檚 hometown Victoria pedigree. And none of the Canadians competing this week has a backstory like that of St. Catharines, Ont., native Rod Spittle.
The top-level amateur walked away from a successful career in the health insurance business to become a professional golfer at age 49.
鈥淢ost of these guys turned pro right out of school. I went the opposite way,鈥� said the amiable Spittle, now 61.
鈥淵ou put your name on the bag and go out later in life without any guarantees that you will make a living. It鈥檚 been an unbelievable journey. I鈥檝e been able to hang out with the best players in the world. It has been more fun than I ever imagined. I have been incredibly blessed.鈥�
His golf game assured he never had to go back to the insurance game.
Spittle is at Bear Mountain with his wife Ann, which is only fitting. A late-life career change, like the one her husband proposed 12 years ago, can only be a family decision. It helped that the couple began a family early and now have three children in their 30s and seven grandchildren.
鈥淣o one makes a career change like that alone,鈥� said Spittle.
He was the back-to-back Canadian amateur champion in 1977 and 1978. After remaining in Columbus following his NCAA collegiate career with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the six-foot-five, 230-pound Spittle won the Ohio Mid-Amateur championship in 2000, 2001 and 2003.
Spittle鈥檚 lone win on the senior tour came after he Monday qualified and then won the 2010 AT&T Championship in a sudden-death playoff over Jeff Sluman. He also tied for second in the 2007 Greater Hickory Classic.
Spittle鈥檚 90-year-old mother, Brenda, still lives in the Niagara Falls region and avidly follows his golf career.
With Bear Mountain and Calgary the only current PGA Tour Champions tournaments in sa国际传媒, this week promises to have extra meaning for Spittle, Ames, Rutledge and Poje.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very cool, as a Canadian, any time you get to play golf north of the border,鈥� said Spittle.
Ames concurred. He moved to Vancouver from Calgary in 2014, so that makes three sa国际传媒-based golfers, including Rutledge and Poje, competing this week.
The native of Trinidad and Tobago, however, is playing on the Island for the first time since the 1989 Canadian Tour鈥檚 Victoria Open at Uplands.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not as much grinding on PGA Tour Champions as there is on the PGA Tour, and the 19th hole is a lot more fun,鈥� he said.
Ames said he enjoys mountain courses and is looking forward to competing for the first time at Bear Mountain.
鈥淚t is a course that is right in front of you, without hidden bunkers and that sort of thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the scenery is always unbelievable on mountain courses.鈥�
