Canadian Richard Lee Is Medalist At Canadian Tour Q-School

Four Canadians were among the players earning Canadian Tour cards as the annual Spring Qualifying School wrapped up at Morningstar GC in Parksville, BC.

Forty-eight players representing half a dozen countries began the chase for a card Tuesday but after four trips around Morningstar, six players were awarded fully exempt playing privileges while another six secured non-exempt, or conditional, status.

Richard Lee, a 19-year-old prodigy who was born in Toronto and raised in Vancouver, earned bragging rights and medallist honours by carding a final-round  2-under 70 for a four-day total of 5-under 283, one shot better than American John Cassidy.

Calgarian Scott McNeil (73) finished two shots off the lead while Clint Schiller of Lloydminster, Sask. also earned exempt status by coming in at minus-2.

Tyler Pitt of Vernon, BC (73) was one of the six to earn non-exempt cards.

“I missed a lot of putts today but overall I played pretty solid,” said Lee. “I just went out there and played my own game. I wasn’t worried too much about where I finished, I just wanted to concentrate on what I had to do.”

After becoming the second-youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Open at 16, Lee earned status on the Nationwide Tour in 2009 but was looking for a more permanent place to play this year rather than chasing the Monday qualifying route on the PGA and Nationwide Tours.

“This (Canadian Tour) is going to be great for my development,” Lee added.

“When you try to Monday (qualify), you’ve got to play lights out that one day. Here, you are getting the four-round experience, so I’ll try to hit stride and get ready for PGA Tour Q-School.”

Lee joins an impressive list of Q-School medallists at Morningstar, including three-time PGA Tour champion Scott McCarron (1993) and Notah Begay III (1996).

Other notables who earned their Canadian Tour cards in Parksville include Canadian lefty Mike Weir (1993), an eight-time PGA Tour winner and 2003 Masters champion, and two-time PGA champion Jason Bohn (1997).

Weir and Bohn are two of the most decorated players in Canadian Tour history – Weir captured Rookie of the Year honours in his freshman season on the Canadian Tour and claimed the Order of Merit crown four years later. Bohn won twice on the Canadian Tour, including the 2001 Bayer Championship in Sarnia, Ont., when he gained worldwide attention with a dazzling final-round 13-under 58.

2010 Canadian Tour Spring Q-School

1 Richard Lee, Canada 73 68 72 70 283
2 John Cassidy, United States 70 72 70 72 284
3 Scott McNeil, Canada 73 69 70 73 285
T4 Thomas Petersson, Sweden 73 73 71 69 286
T4 Jarin Todd, United States 69 71 74 72 286
T4 Clint Schiller, Canada 70 75 69 72 286

7 Michael Moore, Australia 67 73 74 73 287
8 Jason Humphrey, United States 74 71 71 72 288
9 Andrew Kelly, Australia 71 70 72 76 289
T10 Cesar Coello, Mexico 72 77 75 66 290
T10 Brent McCullough, Australia 71 74 75 70 290
T10 Tyler Pitt, Canada 78 69 70 73 290

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