Canadian Tour News - Award Winners For 2008

John Ellis, who won the Stockton Sports Commission Classic in a playoff over Tommy Barber for his first Canadian Tour title, has been named the ROLEX Player of the Year. He followed it up with a win the next week at the Mexican PGA Championship where his five stroke lead after the first round set a Tour record.

In July, Ellis won the TELUS Edmonton Open and finished second at the Players Cup the next week in Winnipeg. Overall, he made 11 of 12 cuts in his 2008 season, won the Order of Merit with $113, 315 and finished outside the top ten just once. Elis also qualified for both the U.S. Open and the RBC Canadian Open.

Daniel Im, the International Rookie of the Year, made an immediate impact on the 2008 Canadian Tour. The Irvine, Calif., resident earned his card at the Florida Q-School and won the Riviera Maya Classic in his first Canadian Tour start. After a T-13 at La Loma, Im took the Times Colonist Open in a playoff over James Lepp.

Im also finished 2nd at the Seaforth Country Classic and lost a playoff to Graham DeLaet at the Desjardins Montreal Open. He finished third on the Order of Merit with $82, 954 and qualified for the RBC Canadian Open.

Canadian Rookie of the Year is Kent Eger, who joined the Tour at the California Q-School. Eger had just one top-ten coming into the Seaforth Country Classic and had missed three of his last four cuts. However, everything fell into place at Seaforth. Rounds of 65-64-65-64 gave him not only a Tour record for lowest cumulative score but also his first Canadian Tour title and a two year exemption.

The Most Improved Canadian award will be shared this year by Andrew Parr and Dale Vallely. Parr joined the Canadian Tour at the Spring 2007 Q-School but finished 121st on the Order of Merit, necessitating a trip to the Fall School. Having regained his card, he finished second at both Modesto and Edmonton and picked up additional top tens in Montreal and Seaforth. Parr also earned a berth in the RBC Canadian Open and Monday Qualified for the Houston Open and finished his Canadian Tour season ninth on the Order of Merit.

Fighting injuries in 2007, Dale Vallely slid to 150th on the money list but returned with a vengeance in 2008. Starting the year on a partial medical exemption, Vallely finished 4th at the Saskatchewan Open where he opened with a 62 and he also earned a T-6 at the Tour Championship. His consistent play saw him jump 129 spots on the Order of Merit to 21st.

Meantime, a group of 17 Canadian Tour members and alumni is teeing it up at the Nationwide Tour Championship this week just outside Dallas.

Only the Top 60 on the money list earned a spot in the elite tournament, which will determine who earns one of the coveted top 25 spots and a PGA TOUR card for 2009.

Joe Daley played the Canadian Tour in the early 1990s, is 60th on the money list and needs a win or a top-three finish to have any hope of moving inside the Top 25. He has two Nationwide Tour victories on his resume and played the PGA TOUR in 1996 and 1998.

Fran Quinn, 56th on the money list, was a PGA TOUR member in 1992 and has spent the past decade on the Nationwide Tour where he has won twice.

Chris Anderson played the Canadian Tour in 1996 and 1997 as well as from 1999 - 2002. The California native competed on the PGA TOUR in 2003 and 2005 and is currently 42nd on the Nationwide money list.

Guelph, Ontario's Bryan DeCorso won the Canadian Tour's 1996 Morningstar Classic and took the South Georgia Classic earlier this season on the Nationwide Tour. He is 37th on the money list coming into the Tour Championship.

One spot ahead of DeCorso is Scott Dunlap. The globetrotter has two Canadian Tour wins and spent the past dozen years on both the Nationwide and PGA TOUR's. He earned his second Nationwide win earlier this year in Panama.

Bryce Molder played the Canadian Tour in 2004 and captured the Nationwide Tour's 2006 Miccosukee Championship. He is currently 32nd on the money list as he tees it up in Texas.

Roger Tambellini - twice a winner on the Nationwide Tour - played the big tour in 2004 and 2006 and at No. 29 on the money list coming into Texas, is in prime position for a return.

David Branshaw is in 27th spot, just $,5000 below the Magic 25.

Chris Tidland is the bubble boy at No. 25. The Canadian Tour graduate is less than $1,000 ahead of Hunter Haas for the last ticket.

Scott Gutschewski was part of the big show from 2005 to 2007 and is on the cusp of a return with his 24th place standing. The Nebraska football fan played the Canadian Tour in the early part of this decade.

2007 Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year Spencer Levin (pictured) started slowly this year but with four top tens in his last six starts, the Elk Grove, Calif., native is at No. 21 and on a roll. Three times a winner on the Canadian Tour, Levin was the second ranked amateur in the world before turning pro.

Matt Weibring has toiled on the Nationwide Tour since 2005 and at No. 20, could go either way this week.

Peter Tomasulo has played the Nationwide Tour the last three years after winning the Canadian Tour's Montreal Open and the Nationwide's Alberta Classic in 2005. Tomasulo is 16th on the money list and set to advance.

One step ahead of him is D.A. Points who captured the Miccosukee Championship two weeks ago for his fourth Nationwide title. Points played the PGA TOUR in 2005 - 2006 and is guaranteed a return trip.

In 13th spot is 2008 BMW Charity Pro-Am winner David Mathis, another Canadian Tour alumnus.

Also certain to jump to the big tour is 2008 Oregon Classic winner Matt Bettencourt who is in 12th spot. Bettencourt was a Nationwide Tour member in 2004 and 2005 and played the Canadian Tour the following two years before moving back up.

At 40, Rick Price will realize his PGA TOUR dream in 2009. Price played the Canadian Tour in the early 1990s and has since taken his game around the world in pursuit of his goal. He has been a Nationwide member since the early part of the decade and at No. 9 on the money list, is a lock for a PGA TOUR card.

Action continues through Sunday when the Top 25 receive 2009 PGA TOUR membership.