With just 12 events on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒 season, there is no time like the present to make a statement.
Ryan Williams believes it and lived by it in last week鈥檚 season-opening PC Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club where the North Delta native, who later moved to Surrey, finished tied for seventh for a $5,454 paycheque.
The just turned 34-year-old sits seventh on the Order of Merit, which is critical at year鈥檚 end as the No. 1 finisher earns full exemption onto the 2016 Web.com Tour, while the next four earn partial exemptions onto the next rung of the professional golf ladder.
The ultimate goal is the PGA Tour. Starting fast gives you that extra jump.
鈥淕etting off to a good start just sets the rest of the year up,鈥� said Williams, who tees it up this week in the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by sa国际传媒 at Uplands Golf Club, which starts Thursday. 鈥淵ou know you鈥檙e in all the pro-ams and you kind of know what your schedule is going week-to-week.
鈥淭hat obviously helps and having a few extra dollars is a good thing as well. Last year I put so much pressure on myself at the start of the year and things didn鈥檛 work out well for me, then things came together at the end.鈥�
Last season the diminutive five-foot-nine, 175-pounder finished sixth on the Order of Merit, earning $40,945, including a victory in the last tournament of the year, the Tour Championship of sa国际传媒 presented by Freedom 55 Financial in which he cashed a $27,000 cheque.
But it was a sluggish start. He missed the cut seven out of 12 times (five of them by one shot) and placed fourth at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON in Fort McMurray following the stop in Victoria in which he also failed to play on Saturday and Sunday.
It wasn鈥檛 until the end of the year that he cashed out and leaped up the Order of Merit.
鈥淚n this tour we only have 12 events. You do put a little bit more pressure on yourself as the season is so short. It is important to get off to that good start, but all it takes is a real good week and you can be in that Top 5 and that鈥檚 what everyone鈥檚 goal is,鈥� said Williams, who is in his seventh season on tour.
鈥淭he tour is so deep, anyone who tees it up can win. It鈥檚 that competitive. Having the Web.com Tour spots and being a feeder tour as part of the PGA makes it that much more competitive.鈥�
Williams 鈥� who played hockey with the Richmond Sockeyes, Surrey Eagles and in the East Coast Hockey League in Bay City, Michigan 鈥� jumped from 32nd on the money list to sixth after his win late in 2014.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about winning and finishing in the top five in the week,鈥� he added. 鈥淲ith the purse increments, it鈥檚 all about rewarding the best players and that鈥檚 the way it should be.
鈥淚 know how much that Top 5 means, having finished sixth [overall] last year and being on outside looking in. Top 5 would have given me five or six [Web.com] starts under my belt so there鈥檚 a lot of motivation for me.鈥�
Last week he turned in rounds of 70-71-70-67 for a 5-under 278 total on his home course, Point Grey. Williams was two shots back of eventual winner Drew Weaver of the U.S., who won in a five-man playoff after finishing at 276 along with Riley Wheeldon of Comox, Adam Svensson of Surrey, fellow Canadian Tyler Pendrith and American Ross Beal.
Svensson made the best of his start, earning a Golf sa国际传媒 exemption into the field.
