Even the winds of a hurricane couldn’t hold Roger Sloan back.
The British Columbia golfer won the inaugural Nova Scotia Open in Halifax on the weekend to move one step closer to the PGA Tour, surviving the remnants of Hurricane Arthur, which put the tournament on hold Saturday. That left Sloan with the second round lead, but unable to do anything about it. Instead he hit the Halifax tourist sites with his mother and aunt while Ashburn’s New Course was pounded by high winds.
“It might have been a blessing in disguise,” says Sloan, 27, who is a graduate of PGA Tour Canada. Sloan and his family spent some of the day at Pier 21, the famed historical site where his great-grandfather and grandfather entered Canada in 1955. He says spending time with his family took his mind off the tournament.
On Sunday he returned to play 36 holes, eventually outlasting Derek Fathauer to win a one-hole playoff. Sloan won $117,000 for the victory, moving him to 12th on the Web.com money list. The top 25 money earners at the end of the season earn a spot on the PGA Tour. Already fellow B.C. golfer Adam Hadwin has managed to crack the list, and currently sits 5th. Both golfers should be in the position to join the likes of other Canadians like Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir, and David Hearn on the PGA Tour next year.
Sloan now has some big decisions to make. This morning he received a call offering him a spot in the RBC Canadian Open in Montreal in two weeks.
The tournament runs up against the Midwest Classic on the Web.com Tour, forcing Sloan to make a decision. For the time being he simply thanked Golf Canada, which runs the Canadian Open, and told the organizer he’d have to consider his options. In past years some Web.com Tour golfers who have been offered spots in the Canadian Open have elected to skip the PGA Tour event, deciding a potential high finish on their tour was more important in the long run.
“It is a tricky situation on Web.com,” Sloan says, “because there’s a lot riding week to week.”
One thing the victory does is help Sloan’s financial position. Sloan has self-financed his career, something that is common in Canadian professional golf. He has limited sponsors, though he can expect that to change if he makes the PGA Tour next year.
“The bank really loves me,” he joked. But he admits that it isn’t the money he plays for. Rather, he’s battling for a chance to win on the PGA Tour.
“Good golf will always take care of the money,” he says. “But my goal isn’t to win money, but to win on the PGA Tour.”
After outlasting both his opponent, and a hurricane, Sloan is in line to get a shot to do just that.
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