The grind known as professional golf qualifying school begins Tuesday for three Vancouver Islanders who will be playing for their competitive lives on both the Web.com and Champions tours.
Sooke’s Stu Anderson and Victoria’s Cory Renfrew will attempt to get through the second of three stages to earn their Web.com Tour cards, while local veteran Jim Rutledge battles through the final stage to return to the Champions Tour, where he has had full exempt status the past two years.
All are in different shoes — Anderson played on the Web.com Tour just two years ago but failed to keep his card, Rutledge is a veteran of many tours, including a season on the PGA, and Renfrew is looking to move up from PGA Tour Canada — but all require a good start in the four-round events.
“Absolutely,” said Anderson, who just clawed through the first stage of qualifying, grabbing a share of the final spot in the first stage. “The first stage I had a nice solid round of four-under to open, then I shot myself in the foot the second day. But I was in the mix.
“That was the key. You never want to fire up that 75 or 76 in the first round because you know you’ll need three really good rounds to follow. Anywhere from 71 to 68 would be a solid start,” added Anderson, who will peg it up at Shell Landing Golf Club in Gautier, Miss.
All three will begin play on Tuesday after practice rounds today and Monday.
Renfrew tees it up at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murietta, Calif., while Rutledge and the Champions Tour are at TPC Scottsdale, Ariz. Rutledge, 54, finished 55th on the Champions Tour 2013 money list with $271,381, outside the Top 30 who keep their cards. Canadians Marc Girouard and Ken Tarling will also be in the 78-player field.
Renfrew, 27, was exempt from the first stage of Web.com Tour qualifying thanks to his strong season on PGA Tour Canada.
He has been in the Scottsdale area, practising and competing on the All-American Gateway Tour, where he is currently fifth on the money list with $8,670.83 in three events, well back of fellow PGA Tour Canada player Brock Mackenzie’s $25,500, but within $800 of Ryan Hogue in second. Renfrew has placed fifth, 11th and seventh in the three tournaments.
“I feel good going in. Obviously, it’s my first time at second stage,” said Renfrew. “Last year I just missed getting through first stage. But I’ve been playing well in the mini tour events on the Gateway Tour. If I can get a little sharper and keep that momentum I’ll be OK.”
Bear Creek will be new to Renfrew, but the same holds true for most of those competing. “It’s supposed to be a good test, probably not a low-scoring course,” said Renfrew. “It will be more of a grind through four days . . . It’s four days and anything can happen. Obviously, you want to get off to a good start and stay with it and grind for 72 holes.”
Anderson was in Palm Springs this past week playing Indian Wells before returning to Mississippi Saturday. “I feel good,” he said. “I’ve put in the work the last month or two and I’m anxious to get started again. It would have been nice if it [the three stages] was spread over three weeks and not three months.”
The final stage, should Renfrew and Anderson get through, is set for mid-December at La Quinta, Calif.
Upwards of 80 players will be in each of the Web.com Tour qualifying fields and the numbers advancing — which Anderson believes will be about 20 — will officially be determined the first day of the event.
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