UBC Okanagan Heat men's golf alumnus Justin Towill took a big step forward in his golf career on Friday as he earned exempt status for the North American swing of the PGA Tour Americas following a ninth-place finish at the Canadian qualifying tournament at Crown Isle Golf Club.
UBC Okanagan Heat men's golf alumnus Justin Towill took a big step forward in his golf career on Friday as he earned exempt status for the North American swing of the PGA Tour Americas following a ninth-place finish at the Canadian qualifying tournament at Crown Isle Golf Club.
Towill, a native of Kelowna, B.C., finished at seven-under par 281 over four rounds to secure the ninth and final qualifying spot at the tournament. His final round of even-par 72 was enough to hold off eight other golfers who finished one shot behind on the leaderboard.
"It feels unbelievable honestly," said Towill after the event. "I always kind of knew this was the step I was going to try and take. I was working towards this while at UBCO and actually being here and getting through the Q School in my first attempt is unbelievable. I've been looking forward to this for a long time and for it to be here already is awesome."
The Okanagan Mission Secondary graduate opened the tournament with rounds of three-under par 69 and four-under par 68 to put himself in a good position to qualify. Battling nerves over his final two rounds, Towill held onto the qualifying spot as posted consecutive rounds of 72, including his round on Friday that featured an eagle, a birdie, a bogey and a double-bogey.
"It was hard to stay focused on each shot when you knew what was going to be needed," said commented Towill on his final round. "I was happy to eagle my first hole of the day which helped settle me down but knowing I was 18 holes away from achieving this goal, it was very nerve wracking and hard to stay in the moment."
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Towill will begin competing on the PGA Tour Americas, which sits two steps below the PGA Tour for professional golf in North America, this upcoming weekend with the Beachlands Victoria Open, set for June 20-23 at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria.
In its first season of existence, the PGA Tour Americas combines two previous tours, including PGA Tour Latino America and PGA Tour Canada. Running from March until September, the PGA Tour Americas consists of two legs, including the Latin American swing and the North American swing. The top three on the points list during the North American swing earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership for the following season and an exemption to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School.
Prior to qualifying for the PGA Tour Americas, Towill had been playing professionally on the Asher Tour this season, where he had competed in eight events, sitting 148th on the money list.