A red-hot start by J.J. Spaun and a string of four birdies over five holes from Seann Harlingten left the two as low men on the leaderboard in Monday’s qualifying for this week’s Times Colonist Island Savings Open, the first event on the 2013 PGA Tour Canada circuit.
Spaun, of Newport Beach, Calif., opened with birdie, eagle, birdie on his first three holes to eventually record his 5-under 67 at Gorge Vale Golf Club.
Harlingten, of Vancouver, made what he called a “shaky par” on No. 2 then recorded four birdies over hole Nos. 3-7 to record his 67, topping the field of 115 golfers who were battling for 10 Open spots.
It was a particularly satisfying round for Harlingten, 26, a former Canadian Tour (as it was known before the PGA Tour took over this season) member, who was off for almost five years with a wrist injury.
“I had given up. It was just too frustrating going six months on and six months off,” said Harlingten, who received a medical extension after the injury originally occurred, but eventually had to give up his pro-playing aspirations.
Until Monday, that is, when four birdies on the front nine were followed by three on the back.
“I finally made some putts,” said the relieved Harlingten, who was in the seventh-last group. “I spent four hours out here putting [Sunday].”
Spaun, meanwhile, captured lightning in a bottle and never looked back.
“I was 4-under after three and I was just thinking, ‘Don’t make mistakes, play for par, and if birdies come, they come,’ ” said Spaun, who has a conditional card for the tour, having missed his full playing privileges at spring qualifying school by just one shot. “I wanted to eliminate mistakes.
“Play for the centre of the green and hit the shorter club if you’re in between clubs,” said Spaun, a 22-year-old San Diego State product, who is out “chasing the dream” with fellow collegiate players Colin Featherstone and Alex Kang, neither of whom made it.
Kevin Ko of Coquitlam set the pace early with a 4-under 68 playing in the first group of the day at 7 a.m. He was matched by Alexander Theodore of Salt Lake City.
Maxwell Cohen, of Los Angeles, Christopher Lane Branum of Texas, Paul Peterson of Salem, Ore., and Brad Clapp of Chilliwack all finished at 69 to clinch their spots.
“I’m very happy,” said Cohen, who will chase the tour across the country attempting to qualify weekly. “I wish I could have made a couple more [birdies] early, but I grinded pretty hard down the stretch, almost finding water on 17. That was a good scare. Actually finding it and making birdie.”
He birdied Nos. 3, 15 and 17 and stayed away from bogeys.
“I also made an unbelievable up and down on 16 to save par,” he said.
The final two positions came via a four-way playoff which included Uplands assistant pro Parker Lilly, who along with Clark MacPherson, of Surrey, American Jordan Shea Russell and Fergal Rafferty of Ireland, all shot 2-under 70.
MacPherson made a 12-footer for birdie on the first extra hole and Rafferty advanced with a pair of pars.
Lilly had birdied the 15th and 18th holes after going out early and then headed to work at Uplands only to have to drive back for the playoff. He had rolled in a clutch 20-foot putt on No. 18, almost seven hours earlier.
CHIP SHOTS: Over on the Mainland, Olympic View teaching pro Gordie Scutt got his opening round off to a flying start at the Puma PGA of B.C. Assistant’s Championship at the Chilliwack Golf Club. Scutt aced the par-3 ninth hole with a nine iron en route to a tournament-leading 68. One shot back of Scutt is Lindsay Bernakevitch of Shaughnessy, Greg Machtaler of Summerland and James Harper of McCleery. The 36-hole event wraps up today.
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