This is where golf dreams are made. Or where they come to die.
The winner of the four-round qualifying school tournament Tuesday through Friday at Crown Isle in Courtenay will gain a full exemption into the PGA Tour sa国际传媒-Mackenzie Tour鈥檚 2019 season.
Second place through 14th (no ties) will gain entry into the first six Tour stops and the top 15 to 40 (with ties) will get conditional status for the season as space allows.
鈥淚t鈥檚 mostly Americans here from NCAA Div. 1 schools 鈥� it鈥檚 amazing just looking at some of the names on the bags from North Carolina State to Marquette,鈥� said Michael Griffin of Victoria, who opened with a 2-under 70 on Tuesday, good for a tie for 13th, three shots back of leaders Zach Seabolt, Derek Barron and Ryan Schmitz, all of the United States.
Griffin is one of 31 Canadians who will be challenging the American onslaught of hopefuls. And Griffin has something guaranteed that nobody else gathered in Courtenay has yet: A berth in the Bayview Place DC Bank Open presented by the sa国际传媒 from May 30 to June 2 at Uplands Golf Club. It is the second Mackenzie Tour event of this season, after the Canadian Life Open in Vancouver, and there is annually an exemption given to the Uplands club champion, which this year is Griffin.
鈥淚 feel I鈥檓 already one step ahead,鈥� said the former University of Victoria Vikes golfer, who was a 2015 first-team Golf sa国际传媒 university all-Canadian.
And who knows where that could lead? The winner of the Bayview Place DC Bank Open will be granted an exemption into the PGA鈥檚 2019 RBC Canadian Open the following week in Hamilton.
Griffin realizes this is not all going to come in one chunk, but in increments. Don鈥檛 count this guy out. He made the UVic team as a walk-on and went on to have a standout university career with the Vikes. He carries that same determination into his first attempt at a pro career.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 give it a couple of weeks. You have to give it a couple of years,鈥� he said of the pro-golf chase.
Joining him in the quest are his former UVic Vikes teammates Lawren Rowe and Andrew Funk. Also in the hunt in Courtenay is 2017 sa国际传媒 amateur-champion Jake Duvall, whose 2018 Uplands club title allowed him to compete in last year鈥檚 Bayview Place DC Bank Open, in which he shot a scorching round of 66 in an eventual top-60 finish on his home course.
Duvall earned conditional status through the 2018 qualifying school at Crown Isle and will be looking to nail down more permanent status through the 2019 Q-school tournament this week back in Courtenay.
Being both from Uplands, Duvall and Griffin know each other well. And also being joined at Crown Isle by fellow Vikes alumni Rowe and Funk will make this like old home week for Griffin.
鈥淚鈥檝e known Lawren [Rowe] from middle school through UVic, so we have golfed together for nine years,鈥� noted Griffin.
Those Island roots extend to family, as well. Griffin comes from an athletic background. Uncle Richard Griffin coached high school basketball teams for 25 years, including the Mount Douglas girls, to sa国际传媒 prominence. Cousin Rachel Griffin was a star member of those Rams teams before going onto play for the Camosun College Chargers and coaching Mount Douglas. Michael鈥檚 dad, Jim Griffin, will be his caddy this week at Crown Isle.
Michael Griffin was an all-rounder in his own high school career at Mount Douglas and played on the Rams football and basketball teams.
鈥淎 lot of the hand-eye co-ordination from other sports comes in handy in golf,鈥� he said.
He鈥檚 made the most of those skills since taking up golf in Grade 10.
鈥淎t five-foot-11 and 180 pounds, I鈥檓 not a long-ball hitter,鈥� said Griffin.
鈥淚 will either make money, or not, on my short game with the wedge and putter. I Mike Weir my way around the course.鈥�
And so the chase began Tuesday at Crown Isle. Among the favourites are ACC player of the year Stephen Franken out of the N.C. State Wolfpack and Carr Vernon out of the University of Akron Zips. Both Franken and Vernon played in the Arnold Palmer Cup, which is the university version of the Ryder Cup featuring the U.S. NCAA team against an international team.
Crown Isle is the fifth and final PGA Tour sa国际传媒 qualifying tournament for 2019. Winning full status for the season in the previous qualifier, held last week at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, was American Chase Parker, looking to find his way back along the pro path through sa国际传媒 after previously having played in two PGA Tour tournaments and 22 Web.com Tour events.
CHIP SHOTS: Zach Anderson of Nanaimo is the top Canadian after the opening round. Anderson is tied for fourth, one shot off the lead. Callum Davison of Duncan shot a 70 and is tied for 13th. Duvall shot a 3-over 75 to sit in a tie for 63rd, while Rowe opened with a 6-over 78 and is in a tie for 93rd.
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