A trip to the doctor - the swing variety - has made a big difference in Axle Riley's golf game.
The 28-year-old Riley, an assistant pro at Cordova Bay, has had an outstanding year on the Vancouver Island Professional Golf Tour. Entering the tworound championship that will be Monday and Tuesday at Bear Mountain Golf Resort (Mountain Course), Riley is in second place in the Order of Merit, three points behind Edd Boudreau from Gorge Vale.
Veteran Boudreau has 509.50 points while Riley has 506.50. Either Boudreau or Riley will capture the overall Order of Merit title as none of the other golfers can make up enough ground during the final event. Rob Cruise from Highland Pacific is in third place with 346.05 points. Mac McLeod from Royal Colwood is the defending champion.
"I've had a great year,'' said Riley, who came to Victoria in 2005 from Toronto to play on the University of Victoria Vikes golf team. "I have won five tour events and I have been very close in some of the others.
"During the winter, I decided to make some changes to my swing. I worked with Matt Diedrichs [an assistant pro at Highland Pacific] on my swing. I started hitting the ball much better and then I started playing more golf.''
Riley said he is excited about having the two-day showdown with Boudreau. "I'm only a third-year pro and we have played together many times. Edd [Boudreau] is a great competitor with a very strong game. I'll have to be at my best to beat him. Edd and I have car-pooled to several of the events and he has showed me some of the ropes about playing pro golf.''
Riley has played in 14 of the 15 events. The only one he missed was when his wife was due to give birth to their second child.
"I have a pretty good short game and I can hit it far off the tee,'' said Riley. "I'm usually very smart on the golf course but I did have a major blowup at last week's PGA Assistants' Championship of sa国际传媒 in Jasper. I made some bad decisions and lost my concentration on a hole and I came away with a nine.''
Riley, who joined the Cordova Bay staff in 2010, received an exemption to the 2012 sa国际传媒 Island Savings Open but he missed the cut.
"The TC Open was a great experience. I didn't do very well because I couldn't find the fairways. I seemed to be in the long rough or under trees all the time. Hopefully, I'll have another crack at it next year.''
The tee off times Monday and Tuesday range from 10: 10 a.m. to 11: 50 a.m. Boudreau and Riley will be paired together for Monday's round, starting at 10: 20 a.m.
