Kanada chips his way to US PGA Tour card
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2006 Nationwide Tour Championship | Wrap | 13 Nov 2006
Five more Australians will grace the fairways of the PGA Tour next season when Andrew Buckle, Gavin Coles, Jarrod Lyle, Michael Sim and Paul Sheehan take up their membership of the PGA Tour.
All five retained their positions inside the top twenty on the Nationwide Tour moneylist at the completion of the Nationwide Tour Championship today although as it turned out, the top twenty two were granted PGA Tour cards as a result of both Michael Sim and Jarrod Lyle being non-members of the Nationwide Tour.
The tournament was won by Craig Kanada who will return to the PGA Tour having first played there in 1997 were he failed dismally in his first attempt. It would take Kanada another four years to get back to the big time in 2001 but again he struggled and his golfing career has been in the wilderness since. This year he had shown improvement on the Nationwide Tour but coming into this week he knew he needed to win or finish runner up to have any chance.
In 32nd position as the week began, Kanada was hardly considered a threat to those above him although when he produced a superb second round of 64 he was just one back and the possibility of doing the impossible became greater.
His third round of 72 saw him slip six shots behind Matt Kuchar but Kanada’s brilliant start today had him within one of Kuchar by the turn. He matched birdies with bogeys over the next four holes but at 12 under he was within one of Kuchar as he played the par three 17th. A pulled tee shot there left him a difficult trap shot. He only just escaped and was faced with a delicate little pitch from the edge of the green.
It never looked like missing however and he remained one behind as he played the last.
At the 18th and with so much depending on him finishing the tournament well, the Texas based golfer was short with his second but again found a way to bump and run a 60 foot chip into the hole for birdie and at 13 under he shared the lead with Kuchar.
Kuchar was playing two groups behind but also in the mix was Australian Andrew Buckle who had contended all week and still had a chance for the title with two holes to play. Buckle had gone quietly about his business throughout the day and when he recorded his third birdie of the day at the 12th he was within one of the then leader Kuchar. Buckle’s card was already secure but a win and the subsequent improvement on the money list would mean a lot when starts are being given out early in 2006. He hardly made a mistake over the last few holes but could not get the required birdie although he did make a very good par at the 17th.
Buckle would have to settle for the runner up place at best but behind him Kuchar dropped a shot at the 17th and now in order to tie with Kanada, Kuchar would need to birdie the last. His 8 iron there finished 7 feet from the hole but the putt never looked like making it and the title was Kanada’s.
Ricky Barnes was the unlucky loser although he had his chances earlier in the week to put himself closer to the leaders for his last round charge. He was brilliant on the final day with his last round of 65 to finish 4th but fell one shot short of a place on the PGA Tour in 2006.
For the Australians other than Buckle, Gavin Coles finished 14th, Paul Gow 22nd, Steve Allan 27th, Nick Flanagan, Scott Gardiner and Jarrod Lyle 30th, Matthew Jones and Michael Long 36th, Aron Price and Michael Sim 46th and Bradley Hughes 49th.
Four of the five mentioned above were all smiles as their Tour Cards were give out at a post tournament ceremony. The fifth player, Paul Sheehan, was in China playing the HSBC event where he finished 54th.
Paul Gow and Nick Flanagan will advance to the final stage of PGA Tour School while for Brad Hughes, Steve Allan, Matthew Jones, Aron Price, Michael Long and Scott Gardiner they will join a host of others at stage two over the next two weeks.
