There was a certain bad-boy quality to the appropriately named Outlaw Tour in Arizona when Riley Wheeldon became the first Island athlete to return to competitive play in April following the March shutdown. That image faded as golf in general opened wider as the first sport to return during the pandemic.
Wheeldon capped the most unusual season in sports history by topping the 2020 Outlaw Tour money list with $17,501 US on two wins and three runner-up finishes in nine tournaments. The Comox Valley product showed why there was a time when his name was whispered along with fellow-Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin and Corey Connors.
Success on the Outlaw Tour was a matter of necessity for the former sa国际传媒 junior champion, who played NCAA Div. 1 with the University of Louisville Cardinals, and twice in the RBC Canadian Open.
鈥淚 took it seriously because it put food on the table this year. I had to make sure to pay the bills,鈥� said Wheeldon.
Such is the fact of life in pro golf, no matter the Tour. That is especially so for Wheeldon, whose current U.S. work visa only allows him to play golf professionally as an occupation in that country.
鈥淎ll my eggs are in the golf basket,鈥� said the Highland Secondary graduate.
That is despite that the Islander now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his American wife Erica Wheeldon, who is a school teacher.
A bonus was that since the Outlaw Tour takes place only in the Greater Phoenix area, travel and hotel expenses were next to nil compared to a normal pro golf season.
鈥淭he furthest I had to travel was about an hour. I got to sleep in my own bed every night and you never get to do that on any other Tour,鈥� he said.
The Outlaw Tour鈥檚 listed mission statement reads: 鈥淸To] create a cost-effective, self-sustaining, developmental professional golf tour showcasing rising talent. The goal is to create 鈥� a checkpoint on the road-map to a PGA Tour card.鈥�
Wheeldon will continue that quest with what he feels is more maturity after turning 30 this year.
鈥淎nother year older and I feel I know the game better now,鈥� he said.
鈥淢y putting, course management and mental side all improved.鈥�
Wheeldon is hoping for a return of the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour sa国际传媒 next year, and especially the annual home-Island DC Bank Open presented by the sa国际传媒 at Uplands, which he always looks forward to because his family is scattered over the Island from his dad in the Comox Valley, mom in Ucluelet and sister in Victoria. The Canadian Tour was cancelled this year due to the pandemic.
鈥淚 am missing family I haven鈥檛 seen for so long,鈥� said Wheeldon.
With the vaccines coming, sport is looking to rebound by next summer, and Wheeldon said he is feeling increasingly confident about returning to the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour sa国际传媒 in 2021. That鈥檚 the goal, at least. But even with the rising optimism across all sports wrought by recent vaccine news, he knows that which events are cancelled, and which go ahead, is out of any athletes鈥� control. 鈥淵ou try not to get ahead of yourself and just take it day by day at this point,鈥� said Wheeldon, echoing the thoughts of just about every athlete on the planet.
