The thing about the Canadian Tour is that it never steps beyond the parameters of what it really is, that being a development circuit to send players on to either the Nationwide or PGA Tours.
As a result, commissioner Rick Janes can find something positive in what could have been a major snarl in the tour schedule after he rescheduled spring events in Mexico following the outbreak of the H1N1 virus.
Those events were played in late September and earlier this month and Janes says it all ended nicely despite the inconvenience.
"The only hiccup of the year was Mexico and, in the final analysis, that actually worked out really well because those two events are two events that are much closer to the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying school and it keeps our players active," Janes said.
"It's actually something I'm considering for next year, that we would perhaps do two events (in Mexico) in the spring and two events in the fall," he added. "It's pretty tough for those guys to go into Q-school without any competition under their belts. You've got to keep them active."
The recent events in Mexico concluded the 2009 season, offering occasion for Janes to reflect.
"I think it was a terrific year. It was certainly more than I could have expected to be honest, beginning with our foray into Latin America (late in 2008), the byproduct of which brought us some wonderful players, not the least of which was Hugo Leon (of Chile) and Mauricio Molina (of Argentina)."
Molina won the 2008 Costa Rica Classic and 2009 Mexican PGA Championship and finished fourth on the money list. While Leon didn't win, he did tie for second at the Saskatchewan Open and had four top-10s.
Some in this country have voiced the opinion that the Canadian Tour should be focused on Canadian players, but the more people the tour prepares for higher levels, the better its reputation as a development circuit. Having top-level competition around the world also serves the Canadians well, too.
"A lot of people don't realize the makeup of our tour. Fewer than 30% of our players are from Canada. The balance comes from other countries," Janes said.
"There are a lot of countries in the world, I'm sure, that would be very happy to have a domestic circuit of 10 events across the country, some of which are pretty significant events," he said.
COMPETITION
"We're bringing competition to Canada to help our developing Canadian players and I think that if we recognize the assets that exist within the Canadian Tour, it would be difficult to deny the importance in the development of players in (Canada)," Janes said.
That point is illustrated by the play of Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., who topped the money list with two wins among six top-10s before winning a World Cup qualifier for Canada with Victoria's Stuart Anderson, another 2009 Canadian winner along with Calgary's Ryan Yip and James Love.
"Being Canadian-centric about it, we need to become more pro-active. It's one thing to have the events, but I think that we need to get on board with the (Royal Canadian Golf Association) and their athlete development program," said Janes, who hopes to speak with RCGA executive director Scott Simmons.
Janes says the tour is a natural extension of RCGA efforts once players turn pro. "I don't think (the RCGA) is getting full credit for the quality of work that they're doing. We see the results," he said.
"There are very few places for these young people to develop. There are not a lot of players in North America who go right to the Nationwide Tour or PGA Tour."
HUTCHGOLF@NETZERO.COM
