Canadian Rutledge wins Q-school event

by Jeff Brooke

Three more Canadians, led by veteran journeyman Jim Rutledge, advanced to the third and final stage of the PGA Tour's qualifying school on Saturday. Two others came agonizingly close.

Rutledge shot seven-under-par 65 to win one of Q-school's remaining two second-stage tournaments. He finished the four-day tournament at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, Calif., at 15-under 273, three shots clear of U.S. runner-up Steve Friesen.

Rutledge had his first full-time stint on the PGA Tour in 2007 as a 47-year-old rookie.
By being the Beaumont medalist, he gets another chance to get back on golf's biggest stage.
The top 25 at the final stage earn PGA Tour cards for 2009. The rest of the field gets at least part-time status on the lower-tier Nationwide Tour.

Canadian Tour rookie of the year Kent Eger and teen prodigy Richard Lee will join Rutledge at the 108-hole final stage, which begins Dec. 3.

Eger of Regina shot three-under 69 on Saturday at Beaumont to reach 10 under and tie for seventh place. Lee, an 18-year-old from Vancouver who turned pro at 16, was two shots further back, tied for 14th place.

While those three celebrated, Chris Baryla felt the sting of narrow defeat. The Vernon, B.C., golfer, who played on the Nationwide Tour this year but was hampered by chronic back problems, finished 72 holes at six under, tied for 20th spot — one stroke away from advancing.
Just the top 19 in Beaumont moved on.

Bryn Parry of North Vancouver, B.C., suffered a similar fate at another second-stage tournament in Lantana, Tex. The teaching pro, who played regularly on the Nationwide Tour in 2007, tied for 23rd place at one-over 289, a shot beneath the cut line.

Five other Canadians competed in Beaumont and Lantana but did not advance. Julien Trudeau of Montreal and David McKenzie tied for 29th at Beaumont, and Barrett Jarosch of Edmonton shared 47th place.

Two stars of the Canadian Tour — Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont., and Wes Heffernan of Calgary — failed to get through at Lantana Golf Club.

The Q-school's second stage had six tournaments in total, with roughly the top 20 at each advancing to the final stage. The Beaumont and Lantana events concluded Saturday, and the other four wrapped up on Nov. 15. Four Canadians survived at the first four events — Brennan Webb, Jon Mills, David Hearn, and Dustin Risdon. Just four Canadians made it to the final stage in 2007.

This year's final stage will be played at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Golf Channel will broadcast the final three rounds.