Monday, August 25, 2014
The Great Waterway Classic 2014
David Bradshaw tapped
in his second putt on the seventy-second hole to win the 2014 Great Waterway
Classic at the Loyalist Country Club last weekend. For those of you who
attended the event, it was a great opportunity to enjoy fine golf. This is the
third time that the “Classic” has been held in Bath ,
but the second time as part of PGA TOUR Canada
The Professional
Golfers’ Association took over the northern circuit two years ago, and it has
proven to be a great success. I spoke with Dave Mills, a recent inductee into
the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame, about the event. Dave worked as a starter
for the week, and he knows the game of golf. He has been involved in the game
for decades, and is the proud father of Jon and Jeff Mills. Both of his sons
have had successful careers in the game. Jon just missed the cut in Bath
“It has been
tremendous for the game,” Dave told me when we talked about the PGA coming to
the Canadian circuit. Dave worked primarily in the development of the game in
junior golf. He had an opportunity to keep his eye on players with potential.
One player that caught his eye is Chris Hemmerich from Guelph , Ontario
Chris Hemmerich
“As a junior, his
name would always be visible,” he told me. But the remarkable success that
Hemmerich has recently achieved somewhat surprised him. “He certainly emerged
from a non-traditional road to golfing success. He attended the University of Guelph
This is just his
first week as a pro, having jumped into the money ranks after coming second in
the United States U. S.
It is a difficult
ladder to climb, to play at the highest level of the game. More than 150
golfers began the Classic. That number was cut in half after the second round.
At the end of the season, the top five golfers qualify for the Web.com Tour.
Following another year, a lucky few may qualify to play on the PGA Tour. You
get the point. After a successful college career, and then three or four more
testy years, you might make the grade.
Andrew Georgiou
I also had an
opportunity to connect again with Andrew Georgiou, a South African golfer with
Cypriot roots. Andrew began playing the back nine on his final round, trailing
the leader by seven strokes. He began the tournament with two rounds of 68, but
fell to a 73 on his third round. As he stepped up to the final hole, he said to
himself, “I don’t like this hole,” and pulled an iron from the bag. His two
playing partners gripped and ripped. He landed to the right of the green with
his second shot, and played a stroke over par on the hole. He finished with a
68.
“I hate ending with a
bogey,” he told me after the round. “But it is great playing again in Canada Canada , I will return to South Africa
As far me, off on a
little European vacation. If I can find the right event, and the right way to
get it to you, you will hear from me; otherwise, I will see you when I see you.
I drifted across the rippling waters of the Bay of Quinte, on the short ferry ride from Adolphustown. Always a great trip.
Cheers!
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:27 AM 
