VICTORIA, BC (June 3, 2010) - New Zealand rookie Jae An certainly knows how to make quite a first impression in Canada.
The 22-year-old Canadian Tour freshman threw down the early gauntlet at Uplands GC Thursday with a blistering 8-under 62 as the $250,000 Times Colonist Open kicked off the 2010 summer-long Canadian swing on Vancouver Island. Scott Harrington of Scottsdale, Ariz., making his first Canadian start in five years, is one shot back.
Five others, including Canadians Kent Eger, Jordan Irwin and Richard Lee, started their week off at 4-under 66. Irwin, a former Canadian Tour member and ex-amateur standout, had to Monday qualify to get into the event while 19-year-old prodigy Lee was making his first start since winning the Spring Qualifying School in nearby Parksville, BC last week.
Jim Rutledge, Victoria’s favourite golfing son, opened at 68.
Victoria marks just the third Canadian Tour start, and first in Canada, for An, who finished tied for 21st at the Riviera Nayarit Classic in Mexico in April.
Starting his day on the 10th tee, An was 3-under at the halfway point of his day before finding another gear on his back nine. He birdied the par-4 fifth to get to 6-under but followed that up with a bogey on the sixth. That didn’t last long as he took over sole position of top spot with a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 seventh. For good measure, he rolled in another birdie on number eight.
“It’s always great to get a good start,” said An, who was born in Korea, raised in New Zealand and now calls Arizona home. “I hit a lot of shots close today, and that always makes things easier.
"I really like how this tournament is set up. It has a big-time tour feel to it.”
Originally joining the tour back in 2005, Harrington suffered through a forgettable freshman season, making a cheque in just two of eight starts with a season-best finish of 44th.
“That (2005) was my worst year as a pro,” he admitted. “Nothing seemed to go right and I just decided to go home early and try to figure things out. It was a struggle all year long.”
He took a half-decade hiatus from the Canadian Tour, before re-joining the circuit at Florida Q-School earlier this year. Harrington made the cut in both his starts this year, finishing 68th and 50th at stops in Mexico in April.
If early returns are any indication, Harrington could be well on his way to his best career finish on the tour.
Welcome back, indeed.
“It’s nice to be back,” said Harrington with a smile. “Anytime you can put up a number like that in the first round, it’s going to help you. I love it here, especially with my Northwest roots (growing up in Portland, Ore.). Canada is a pretty great place to spend the summer.”
Taking on an Uplands course that is anything but a pushover, Harrington was the clubhouse leader all day before An came in with his late 62. He birdied the par-4 third before giving that shot back with a bogey on the next hole. On the par-5 seventh, Harrington crushed what he referred to as his “best drive of the day” and knocked his second shot from 185 yards to 10 feet before cashing in the eagle putt. He followed up with a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole and made a clutch par save on the ninth. After missing a couple of birdie attempts on his way in, Harrington hit it to 15 feet on the par-3 17th to set up another birdie.
“That got me happy again,” laughed Harrington, referring to his putt on 17. “I think I could have made a couple more, but all in all there’s not a lot to complain about after a day like that.”
Like Harrington, the 24-year-old Irwin, who represented Canada at the 2008 World Amateur Championship, struggled in his rookie season and was unable to retain his card for 2010.
Should he keep his current pace, this week could go a long way to seeing Irwin play his way back on to his homegrown circuit.
“It feels really good to get an early one under the belt,” said Irwin. “It was one round, so I won’t get too far ahead of myself. Anything can happen over these next three days.”
Harrington said after he saw the increased Canadian Tour purse sizes this season, he booked a trip to Florida for Q-School. Between $250,000 events in Victoria, Saskatoon and Edmonton, the $300,000 Players Cup in Winnipeg and the $325,000 Canadian Tour Championship, players will compete for $1.375 million in those five events alone.
When Harrington played five years ago, a quintet of events was worth about $750,000.
“There were a number of things that brought me back,” said Harrington. “Obviously, the purse increases are very attractive, and the perks you can get out here if you play well can really reward you.”
“I know if I play how I am capable of, this tour will do a lot for me for the future.”
