Look-out PGA, Abbotsford's Here

Adam Hadwin

Forgive me a little self-indulgence as I brag a bit for a couple of great guys from my city.

Last year there were only 5 Canadians on the PGA Tour; this year, 2014/15, there are eight. Two of them are from the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, where I live.

Congratulations to Adam Hadwin, who won the most money on the Web.com Tour (which feeds the PGA), and thereby won full-exemption for this year. On the Official World Golf Rankings, Adam moved from 622 at the end of 2013 to 170 today.

Nick Taylor

A big congratulations goes to Nick Taylor, who barely made the Web.com Tour for 2014, then barely made the playoffs, then barely made enough money to get his limited PGA Tour card.

On just his 4th tournament as a PGA member, Nick won the Sanderson Farms Championship, becoming the first Canadian-born player to win a PGA event since Mike Weir in 2007. As a result of that win, Taylor now gets a 2-year exemption, meaning he will not have to qualify for any PGA event for two years. Nick ended 2013 at 718 on the OWGR and has jumped to 210 today.

Roger Sloan

Both men are from Abbotsford, and, most likely played a lot of golf at Ledgeview one of the toughest courses I have ever played with its long, narrow fairways and frequent side-hill lies. For duffers like me, it's a monster. For young guys like Nick and Adam it's great training ground.

The third graduate from the Wen.com Tour to the PGA is Roger Sloan, from Calgary, Alberta. They join Graham Delaet, David Hearn, Mike Weir, and Trinidad-born Canadian Stephen Ames, who was actually the last Canadian to win a PGA event which he did in 2009.