Riley Wheeldon of Comox should be taking plenty of confidence into PGA Tour sa国际传媒鈥檚 second stop of the season this week in Calgary.
The 22-year-old finished third at the tour鈥檚 inaugural event 鈥� the sa国际传媒 Island Savings Open 鈥� in Victoria two weeks ago and this past weekend lost in a playoff at the Vancouver Golf Tour鈥檚 flagship event, the Saputo Vancouver Open, at Fraserview.
A second-round 64 set him up nicely and his final-round 68 left him tied with fellow PGA Tour sa国际传媒 members Chris Epperson of Hilton Head, S.C., and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford in the VGT tournament.
Epperson pulled out the win to claim the $12,000 top prize, while the two former sa国际传媒 junior champions earned $5,750 for finishing tied for second.
鈥淎ny time you can finish up the leaderboard and get in the hunt, you can draw again on that in the future,鈥� Wheeldon said of his early successes. 鈥淓ach time you鈥檙e out here and get in contention it means a lot, and I hope I鈥檓 able to get in contention more often.鈥�
Wheeldon earned $10,200 for his career-best finish (on the former Canadian Tour) in Victoria and added an annuity for $1,500 as the first Freedom 55 Financial Canadian player of the week on the PGA Tour sa国际传媒 circuit. The top Canadian on the Order of Merit will also receive a $10,000 cash prize at year鈥檚 end.
Wheeldon and Victoria鈥檚 Cory Renfrew, who placed eighth at the 2013 sa国际传媒 Island Savings Open after finishing tied for second in the 2012 event, are among the field teeing it up starting Thursday at the ATB Financial Classic presented by Telus at the Talons Course at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary.
Wheeldon also rebounded nicely in Vancouver from an unsuccessful qualifying run for the RBC Canadian Open nine days ago at Gorge Vale Golf Club, where he admitted to being drained from his successful run at Uplands Golf Club.
鈥淚 had a chance on 18 to end it in regulation and it just lipped out,鈥� Wheeldon said of a birdie putt on his final hole at the VGT event. 鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 made it. But any time you can get into contention is a positive.鈥�
He鈥檒l take those positives into Country Hills this week in the second of nine $150,000 total purse events across the country.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely useful, any time you can finish up the leaderboard, get in the hunt and execute when you are in the hunt, you can draw on that when you鈥檙e in the hunt again,鈥� said Wheeldon, who earned his first NGA Pro Golf Tour victory in May in North Augusta, South Carolina.
鈥淎s each year comes on, I get more and more comfortable out here and I hope I鈥檓 in contention more often.鈥�
Renfrew, who also missed out on the RBC Canadian Open qualifying and fell short of the cut at the VGT event, aims to get back on track in a province in which he won last season, claiming the Syncrude Boreal Open in Fort McMurray, where he defeated Matt Hill in a four-hole playoff.
Renfrew earned $4,050 for finishing tied for eighth in Victoria, where he and Wheeldon both finished with 15 birdies during the four rounds of the first event.
CHIP SHOTS: Stu Anderson of Sooke and Nanaimo鈥檚 Darren Griff are also in the field in Calgary. 鈥� Former sa国际传媒 Island Savings Open champ Mike Grob is also in after topping the field of Monday qualifiers with a 66.
