67 Canadian Tour Players Head to PGA Tour Q-School

OAKVILLE, Ont. – With one goal in mind they come from all corners of the globe. That goal is a 2009 PGA TOUR card.

The first of two waves of First Stage Qualifying begins Tuesday at six locations across the United States with 67 current and former Canadian Tour members aiming for the big prize.

At Beaumont, Calif., Tommy Barber is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Jerry and father Tommy on the PGA TOUR while Chris Baryla is looking to regain his form after struggling with injuries for much of 2008.

Also in the field is Asian Tour regular Bryan Saltus, Scott Gibson, Jay Choe, Andreas Huber, Bryn Parry, Philip Jonas, Warren Pineo (pictured), Mike Sica, 2008 Florida Q-School winner Ryan Yip and two-time Canadian Tour winner Daniel Im.

At Dayton, Nev., 2008 Desjardins Open winner Graham DeLaet tees it up alongside Ryan Camp, Wil Collins, John Colyar, Zach Doran, Tyler Erickson, Andres Gonzales, Christo Greyling, Erick Justesen, Tom Kalinowski, Liam Kendregan, Marc Lawless, Clayton Ogden, Cody Slover, Winn Smith, Luke Swilor, Taylor Wood, Kwangsoo Yoon, Mike Roters and Clayton Rask.

Across the country in Florence, S.C., 2008 Jane Rogers Championship winner Alex Coe begins his quest in the same field with Chris Cureton, 2008 Nationwide Tour member Lee Curry, D.J. Fiese, Jim Lemon, Derek Oakey, Dan Payton, Eugene Smith, Brian Unk and Brennan Webb.

At Key Biscayne, Fla., Canadian Tour 2004 Order of Merit winner Erik Compton returns to competitive play after receiving his second heart transplant earlier this year. Also in the field are Will Dodson, Sam Kemp, Hoyt McGarity, Jerome Blais and Mark Walker.

Down the road in St. Augustine, 2006 Order of Merit winner Stephen Gangluff is hoping to return to the PGA TOUR as are Brent Schwarzrock, Scott Hend and Mario Tiziani. Hend has won several tournaments in his native Australia as well as capturing the Asian Tour’s 2008 Indonesia President Invitational.

Joining that group are Rob Johnson, Danny King, Rob Oppenheim and Colton Turnquist.

At Kingwood, Texas, 2008 San Luis Potosi Open winner Russell Surber is in the field along with Brad Heaven, Matt Johnston, Dean Kennedy, 2007 Free Press Manitoba Classic winner Mike Mezei, Jason Moon, Michael Sims, Zoran Zorkic, Andy Walker and the Canadian Tour’s Fall Q-School winner Robert Gates.

Last fall, 46 Canadian Tour members advanced to second stage.

In the Clubhouse

The second wave of First Stage begins October 29 and runs until November 1.

Brent Schwarzrock played the PGA TOUR from 2000 to 2003 and the Nationwide Tour from 2004 to 2006 before being slowed by back injuries.

Scott Hend played the PGA TOUR in 2004 and 2005 but suffered a hand injury. He played the Asian Tour in 2007 and 2008.

Mario Tiziani played the PGA TOUR in 2005 while Stephen Gangluff played the big tour in 2002.