Ten years ago, golfer Erik Compton was a young professional beginning his second season on PGA Tour Canada, looking to make his way up the game’s ranks to the PGA Tour. Though the Miami native has gained most of his fame for his success story as a two-time heart transplant recipient, his pedigree as a player from the amateur levels onward has always been stellar, and he was about to show it playing in Canada.

Compton’s 2004 season on PGA Tour Canada would jumpstart his professional career, posting five consecutive top-three finishes at one point, capped by a win at The Players Cup in Winnipeg, and go on to win the Order of Merit. At the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April, where Compton finished tied for fifth, the former University of Georgia All-America looked back on the 10-year anniversary of his Order of Merit win knowing it helped fuel him to the new heights he would go on to reach.

“I think I have the confidence now that I had when I was playing PGA Tour Canada. I was very confident when I played in Canada, and I was very comfortable in my skin and knew what I was capable of, and I’m sort of getting to that feeling now,” said Compton.

His win at The Players Cup in Winnipeg is an experience that he still draws on to this day while playing the PGA Tour.

“The fans were just amazing,” said Compton. “I remember I stayed with some people and they were just so fired up about the event. It was like a PGA Tour atmosphere. They were so into the event, and that goes hand-in-hand with being more comfortable in a PGA Tour-type environment.”

Compton would go on to out-duel David Hearn, now a peer on the PGA Tour, on the back nine at Pine Ridge for the win. And as he looks to win for the first time on the PGA Tour, he knows he’ll have confidence from his days in Canada.

“It’s not easy, because this is the biggest stage in golf, but to be able to build that for young pros, it’s huge,” said Compton. “In Canada, I learned what it’s like to be in the lead and to try and win a golf tournament. It’s learning how to travel, learning how to eat out.

“It’s a beautiful tour Canada, too, so it’s a lot of fun.”

Most avid golf fans are familiar with Compton’s story. His first heart transplant came at age 12, and in 2008, he was successfully transplanted for the second time. He would not be slowed down, however, and continued to make a name for himself with his play on the course as well. He captured his first Web.com Tour win in 2011, earning a PGA Tour card for 2012. Last year, he retained exempt status for the first time, and with his top five in New Orleans, currently sits 61st in FedExCup points.

“It’s huge for me. It frees me up with some FedExCup points and now I can pace myself for the rest of the year,” said Compton of his week in New Orleans, matching the second best finish of his PGA Tour career.

The 34-year old uses his platform to raise awareness for Donate Life America, which helps educate the public and raise awareness for organ and tissue donation. At PGA Tour events, he’ll often conduct clinics and meet with young transplant recipients to deliver a message of hope.

“Some of these kids are young and they’ve just had their transplant,” said Compton. “So they want to know and their parents want to know that they can go on to do some cool stuff. Working with the kids is great, but sometimes when you get to talk to recipients and family members that are waiting, that makes even more of an impact.”

Compton’s effort to match his considerable profile as an off-course success story with on-course performance will always be a challenge. With his tale of triumph over adversity, it would likely take an enormous breakthrough on the golf course to make Erik Compton the story secondary to Erik Compton the player.

But if and when it happens, just don’t expect Erik – or anyone in Winnipeg – to be surprised.

COURTENAY, B.C. – California’s David Bradshaw cruised to an eight stroke victory at PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Qualifying Tournament Friday, carding a final round 73 to finish 17-under par for the week. Bradshaw was among 18 players to earn exempt status and 42 total players to earn PGA Tour Canada cards for 2014.

The 31-year old Bradshaw coasted easily to the win on the heels of a brilliant start, including a course record 62 in Wednesday’s second round at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community.

“Winning is always fun. I don’t care if it’s checkers or golf,” said Bradshaw. “I’m really looking forward to the first event, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Canada. This is my first time in Canada, and it’s been a heck of an experience.”

Bradshaw led by 11 strokes heading into the final day and extended his lead with an eagle on the first hole. The Shepherd University graduate admitted he lost focus for a stretch of holes coming in but was happy overall with his performance on the week.

“I think I had the bad mojo today, though I had my fair share and then some the first two days,” said Bradshaw. “I kind of felt like today was a little bit of a victory lap. I didn’t feel like anyone was going to be able to catch me. I knew I was playing well, but it’s so easy to get ahead of yourself.”

Bradshaw joins Qualifying Tournament medalists Jordan Krantz of Vermillion Bay, Ont. and Daniel Miernicki of Santee, California, who won the Florida and California Qualifying Tournaments respectively. Eight shots behind Bradshaw were Timothy Madigan, who fired a 5-under 67 on Friday, and Adam Long, who both finished at 9-under for the week. 

Thirteen Canadians earned status on PGA Tour Canada for 2014, bringing the total number of Canadians with playing status for the year to 42. Below are the names and hometowns of each Canadian to earn status this week.

Player                        Result            Hometown

Greg Machtaler          T-4            Summerland, BC
Ben Silverman            T-4            Thornhill, ON
Ted Brown                  T-11            Peterborough, ON
Adam Cornelson         T-11            Langley, BC
Brad Clapp                  T-18            Chilliwack, BC
Riley Fleming               T-30            Airdrie, AB
James Love                  T-30            Calgary, AB
Mitch Evanecz               T-35            Red Deer, AB
James Seymour             T-35            Aurora, ON
Kevin Stinson                 T-38            Mission, BC
Braeden Cryderman       T-38            Huntsville, ON
Mitch Sutton                    T-38            London, ON
Brett Cairns                     T-38             Courtand, ON

COURTENAY, BC – On a day when heavy rain and gusting winds made Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community a challenging test and just six players broke 70, David Bradshaw held steady with a 1-under 71 to extend his lead to 11 shots heading into the final round of PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Q-School.

The 31-year old from Encinitas, California managed three birdies and two bogeys to add one shot to his overnight lead and post 18-under through 54 holes. Amateur Ryan McCormick sat in solo second at 7-under after firing a 5-under 67, the best round of the day.

“I know where I stand and I feel pretty confident,” said Bradshaw. “I just have to try and stay focused and not think about it too much and it should be okay.”

Bradshaw said he felt good about his round despite shooting nine shots higher than the day before, when he carded a course record 62 at Crown Isle. Temperatures hovered around 12 degrees Celsius, with winds gusting to 20 km/h and approximately 20 mm of rain falling through the day. The course averaged 75.35 strokes on Thursday after averaging just 73.74 over the first two rounds.

“I played pretty well. I saved a lot of pars on that back nine,” added Bradshaw. “Hitting the ball forward was the goal. If you made par it was great, and if you made any birdies it was a miracle. On the 14th hole, I hit driver-3 wood today after I hit driver-9 iron yesterday.”

Bradshaw comes into the week off an appearance on the PGA Tour, where he Monday Qualified for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The Shepherd University graduate also received a timely assist from a Crown Isle resident – four-time club champion Peter Benedictson, whose son Brian is a former PGA Tour Canada member – who stepped into caddie in round three.

“With a day like today, you definitely need a caddie, and he did an awesome job,” said Bradshaw. “When it got really windy around the middle of the front nine, it was a big relief to have him around and help me with the weather.”

With the top 18 players this week earning exempt status and rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status for 2014, seven players were tied for 18th position at 1-under, a leaderboard that would result in a seven-for-one playoff for exempt status if it were to remain. Forty-one players were at even or better and in position for conditional status.

(COURTENAY, BC) – California’s David Bradshaw opened up a massive lead at PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Qualifying Tournament Wednesday, firing a 10-under 62 at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community to lead by 10 shots through 36 holes.

Bradshaw’s 62 is a competitive course record at Crown Isle and gave him a 17-under par total, following his opening 65 in Tuesday’s first round. Summerland, B.C.’s Greg Machtaler was in solo second at 7-under after a second round 69.

“I was hitting it great and putting really well. I had one little blip when I three-putted nine, but I made everything I looked at,” said Bradshaw, who carded 11 birdies on Wednesday. The 31-year old said any thoughts of shooting 59 were dashed after three-putting the ninth hole – a turn of events that Bradshaw said actually helped him on the back nine.

“When I got to 5-under on eight, it occurred to me that I could do it,” said Bradshaw of the potential for a sub-60 round. “But when I three-putted nine, it kind of relaxed me because I knew it was done with and I could just focus on the next shot.”

With a double-digit lead heading into Thursday’s third round, Bradshaw said he’s going to focus on the tasks at hand as much as possible.

“Golf’s a weird game. It seems like the more you focus on the individual shot, the better they total at the end,” said Bradshaw, who is coming off an appearance two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he Monday Qualified to play on the PGA Tour for the fourth time in his career.

Machtaler carded five birdies to offset a double bogey and give him a 3-under 69, his second straight sub-60 round for the week.

“I’m really happy with where I am and how I’ve played,” said Machtaler, who said he’s looking forward to the challenge of two more Q-School rounds. “They’re definitely not comfortable rounds, so I couldn’t ask for more to be where I am right now.”

With the top 18 players this week earning exempt status and rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status for 2014, 20 players were at 3-under or better and in position for full cards, while 47 players were at even or better and in position for conditional status.

(COURTENAY, British Columbia) – California’s David Bradshaw carded a 7-under 65 Tuesday at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community to take the first round lead at PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Qualifying Tournament. Bradshaw led by two over Garrett Driver and Russell Surber after one round.

With the top 18 players this week earning exempt status and rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status for 2014, 22 players were at 2-under or better and in position for full cards, while 52 players were at even or better and in position for conditional status.

The 31-year old Bradshaw is coming off an appearance two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he Monday Qualified to play on the PGA Tour for the fourth time in his career. He is playing PGA Tour Canada Q-School for the first time, with an eye on earning status on the Web.com Tour next season.

“In years previous, I’ve done a lot of Monday Qualifying and played some of the mini tours, but even playing well in those events doesn’t advance you to the next level,” said Bradshaw. “I had never been to Canada until four days ago, so I thought ‘why not? Let’s go to Canada’ and try to play my way up.”

The Shepherd University grad started with an eagle on the par-5 10th, his first hole of the day, and would go on to post six more birdies on the round. His only miscue on the day came on the par-5 15th, where a ball out-of-bounds led to a bogey.

“I putted really well and I went on a good run on the front. I rolled it pretty well and hit some close iron shots. It’s wet out there so you can play so aggressive, but the greens are perfect too so you can really get on a roll,” said Bradshaw, who added that he was able to play aggressively due to the near-perfect weather conditions.

“I didn’t even look at how far right and left the pins were – I just aimed right at them.”

Two shots behind Bradshaw were Humble, Texas’s Garrett Driver and longtime PGA Tour Canada member Russell Surber, who fired a pair of 5-under 67s. Four Canadians – Summerland, B.C.’s Greg Machtaler, Huntsville, Ont.’s Braeden Cryderman, Langley, B.C.’s Adam Cornelson and Calgary’s James Love – were a shot further back at 68.

REUNION, Fla. – Vermillion Bay, Ont.’s Jordan Krantz carded a final round 66 at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Reunion Resort on Saturday to claim medalist honours and lead all 43 players who earned status at PGA Tour Canada’s Florida Qualifying Tournament.

Six Canadians were among those who earned cards for PGA Tour Canada’s 2014 season, which will kick off May 26-June 1 at the PC Financial Open in Vancouver.

Krantz, a two-time Manitoba Amateur champion who last played on PGA Tour Canada in 2010 at The Players Cup, was the only player finish under par for the week, earning the top spot by two over Ryan Brehm of Grand Rapids, MI.

“It was great to put it away today. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance,” said Krantz, who was thrilled to have played his best golf of the week at the end of a demanding week like a qualifying tournament. “It’s such a test. You really have to bear down and just believe in yourself, but if you’re resilient and believe in what you’re doing you can really build on that. Hopefully I can use this as a jumping stone.”

Krantz, who started the day in a tie for sixth, began the final round inauspiciously, carding a double bogey on his second hole. But seven birdies and an eagle at the par-5 18^th, which capped a back nine score of 30, gave Krantz a final round 66, the best round of the week at the Nicklaus Course. The 33-year old credited a conversation on Friday evening with coach Derek Ingram for his strong finish on Saturday, and said he was excited about his prospects for the upcoming season.

“We simplified my goals for the day, so that was more important to me than the number,” said Krantz. “I’m just excited about the steps I took and how it will hopefully help me over the months to come.”

Krantz’s 66 was one better than Scotland’s Paul Cormack, who went bogey-free over his final 29 holes of the week and fired a 5-under 67 for the second-best round of the week.

“A lot of hard work went in to this just to get to this point, so this feel really good,” said Cormack, who like Krantz credited his coach, Claude Harmon, for his success this week. “I’ve seen the progress almost instantly and hope it keeps going. I’m looking forward to playing this summer.”

With 18 exempt cards available, it took a playoff to determine who would earn exempt status on PGA Tour Canada for 2014. Five players – Creighton Honeck, Andrew Noto, Paul Ferrier, Clark Klaasen and Christian Westhorpe – finished the 72 holes tied for 15^th headed back out to the 372-yard 1^st hole with exempt status available for four players.

Honeck, a PGA Tour Canada member in 2013, and Klaasen knocked their approaches within five feet to make birdie, while Noto and Ferrier safey found the green and two-putted. Westhorpe, a Toronto native who moved to the Orlando area before high school, hit his approach into a greenside bunker and was unable to convert an 8-foot par putt, leaving Honeck, Klaasen, Ferrier and Noto home free for exempt cards.

Joining Krantz and Westhorpe in earning status this week were Dundas, Ont.’s Chris Ross (T-20), Essex, Ont.’s David Byrne (T-27), Thornhill, Ont.’s Mark Hoffman (T-30) and Baddeck, Nova Scotia’s Peter Campbell (T-35).

Those six join Hamilton, Ontario’s Justin Kim, who earned conditional status last week at PGA Tour Canada’s California Qualifying Tournament, as Canadians to earn status in qualifying for 2014.

REUNION, Fla. –  Ryan Brehm of Grand Rapids, MI shot a 1-under 71 at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Reunion Resort on Friday to take the lead through three rounds at PGA Tour Canada’s Florida Qualifying Tournament. The 28-year old was the only player at even par or better through 54 holes and held a one shot lead over Dan McCarthy of Syracuse.

The third round was completed Friday following delays originally caused by thunderstorms on Tuesday. More storms caused a two-hour delay Friday. The fourth round began late Friday evening and will resume at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Eighteen players will earn conditional status on PGA Tour Canada for 2014, with the rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status. Brehm, a Michigan State University grad, was the only player at even par or better through three rounds on the demanding Nicklaus course.

“I got off to a bit of a bad start with a bogey on the first hole, but I kept it together and was able to make enough birdies to keep myself in it,” said Brehm, who made birdie at the par-5 18^th to shoot a 1-under 71 and take the lead through 54 holes. “Anything under par on this course is pretty darn good. You’ve got to use your brain and really play some smart golf.”

The cut-off for exempt status through 54 holes sat at 6-over par, with five players tied for 17^th – a scenario that would produce a five players-for-two spots playoff. The number for conditional status sat at 10-over, with 42 players tied for 35^th or better heading into Saturday.

Toronto’s Christian Westhorpe and Vermillion Bay, Ont.’s Jordan Krantz were the top Canadians, tied for sixth at 4-over, while Baddeck, N.S.’s Peter Campbell was also in position to earn an exempt card. Other Canadians in the top 40 included Essex, Ont.’s David Byrne (T-26, +8) and Thornhill, Ont.’s Mark Hoffman (T-31, +9).

REUNION, Fla. – Baltimore’s Brad Miller and Clark Klaasen of Grand Rapids, MI were the only two players at even par or better when the third round play was suspended due to darkness at PGA Tour Canada’s Florida Qualifying Tournament at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Reunion Resort on Thursday.

Thursday’s play saw the completion of round 2, which was pushed back due to thunderstorms that halted play on Tuesday, and the start of round three in the Qualifying Tournament, which will see 18 players earn exempt status on PGA Tour Canada for 2014, with the rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status.

Once again, windy conditions made the Nicklaus Course a tough test, with just four players – Miller, Dan McCarthy, Evan Beirne and Bruce Woodall, who all shot 1-under 71 – breaking par for the round.

“Anything under par on that course is pretty good regardless of the conditions, so when it’s windy like it has been, it’s really tough out there,” said Miller, a University of Richmond grad. “Even when you had a downwind hole, it was hard to hold the green, let alone get it close to the hole.”

The demanding conditions were reflected in the scores of the field, which averaged 78.07 over the first two days. Zero players have broken 70 for the week, with the cut-off number for exempt status sitting at 4-over and conditional status at 8-over through 36 holes.

Third round play is set to resume Friday at 8 a.m., with Klaasen, Miller and Ryan Brehm set to go off in the final group at 11:49 a.m.

REUNION, Fla. – Toronto native Christian Westhorpe and Michigan’s Clark Klaasen shared the lead at 2-under par before play was called due to darkness at PGA Tour Canada’s Florida Qualifying Tournament on Tuesday. Play is scheduled to resume Thursday morning at 8 a.m., with 66 players still left to begin their second round.

After Tuesday’s thunderstorms and rain delayed play, Wednesday saw all but 23 players return to complete their first round. With windy conditions testing players each of the first two days, just four players were under par for the tournament midway through the second round at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Reunion Resort, each of whom had yet to tee off in Round 2.

One shot behind Westhorpe and Klaasen were Baddeck, N.S.’s Peter Campbell, who completed his first round Tuesday and did not play at all Wednesday, and South Carolina’s Colby Wilson. Both players shot 1-under 71 in the first round.

“You know the course is going to be tough going in,” said Klaasen, who completed his first round Wednesday morning. “You know you’re going to make mistakes, and that everyone else is going to make mistakes too. A lot of holes I just tried to play for par and ended up making some birdies that way.”

Klaasen, a 27-year old Duke University grad, said the challenge of dealing with delays is just part of playing as a professional, and that there’s still plenty of golf to be played even with two days of competition having already passed.

“You have to be ready to go play at any time. It’s a new tournament each day, and there’s still a lot of golf to be played. My coach is caddying for me this week and we’re just going to try and keep a positive attitude and play smart golf,” said Klaasen.

The top 18 players this week will earn exempt status on PGA Tour Canada for 2014, with the rest of the top 40 plus ties earning conditional status.

REUNION, Fla. – With thunderstorms and heavy rainfall rolling through central Florida, round one of PGA Tour Canada’s Florida Qualifying Tournament was suspended for the remainder of the day on Tuesday and will resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. local time.

Play was initially suspended due to a dangerous weather situation at 1:33 p.m., and called for the rest of the day at 4 p.m. Just 23 players completed round one before play was suspended, with 10 groups left to tee off.

Tee times for round two will be announced later on Wednesday.

Before play was suspended, Baddeck, N.S.’s Peter Campbell battled through tough conditions to post a 1-under 71, the best score in the clubhouse of all 23 players to complete 18 holes on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Reunion Resort.

“I hit it pretty well for the most part. The winds were pretty strong out there,” said Campbell, who carded four birdies and three bogeys. “It made a tough course even tougher.”

The 31-year old was the medalist at one of the NEC Series – PGA Tour Latinoamérica’s Qualifying Tournaments earlier this year, and is coming off a runner up finish at the Mundo Maya Open, a career-best on that Tour.

“You always like to get in contention and give yourself a chance to get win. I was right there on the back nine and just made a couple of mistakes coming in,” said Campbell. “I’m pretty happy and looking to build on it this week.”

The Cape Breton Islander made three cuts in nine starts on PGA Tour Canada in 2013, with a season-best tie for 21st finish at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial.