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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, July 25, 2013 | 22 HALTON TRANSMISSION 559 SPEERS RD., #UNIT 3 905-842-0725 www.haltontransmission.com Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" It's not easy being one of Canadian Open's final qualifiers Love him or hate him, everyone wants to see Tiger Woods back at Glen Abbey to re-live his famous fairway bunker shot on the 18th hole in 2000. And who wouldn't want to see Phil Mickelson sweep the Scottish, British and Canadian Open in succession? While those marquee players won't tee it up at the RBC Canadian Open in Oakville this week, there is no shortage of star power. Bubba Watson, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Dustin Johnson, Brent Snedeker and Matt Kuchar will all draw galleries over the next four days. Canadians Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn will have their countrySports Reporter men rooting for them. Oakville Beaver But if you're one who prefers the ultimate underdog, you can't go wrong cheering for the Monday qualifier. Three days before most PGA Tour events, while most of the established players are playing in pro-ams or working on their game on the range, many others are scratching and clawing for one of the final four spots in the tournament field. This year, 57 players played at Heron Point Golf Links in front of next to no one, except maybe a few friends and family. The field included everyone from a PGA Tour winner (Ted Purdy) to amateurs looking to get a taste of the PGA. Most are players on developmental tours looking to take the next step. "That's a tough job," said Scott McCarron, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour who played his way into the 1995 Canadian Open through the Monday qualifier. "You gotta go for it. The scores are always low so you have to be aggressive." It's such a difficult task that among golfers, Monday is not a day of the week, it's a verb. "It's probably harder to Monday into a tournament than it is to play in it," said Hearn, who narrowly missed his first PGA victory two weeks ago when he lost in a playoff at the John Deere Classic. Emerging from the group of Monday dream chasers was 30-year-old Peter Laws, who learned the game at Hornby Glen Golf Course, just east of Milton. Laws bogeyed the first hole Monday and then started drawing circles on his card, with birdies on four of the next five holes. He capped the round with three straight birdies, chipping one in from off the green, to finish with a round of 64, tying South African Andrew Georgiou for the low round of the day. Canadians Jesse Smith (65) and Eric Banks (66) also qualified. "I haven't played much this year," said Laws, who last competed in a PGA event a decade ago as an amateur. "I've run out of money to play." He's earned just $1,140 on the Great Lakes Tour despite finishing no lower than 11th in the three events he's played. That didn't make it an easy decision to plunk down the $400 entry fee for the qualifier, with no guarantee of making the field, much less earning a paycheque. "I couldn't be happier for Pete," said DeLaet, now in his fourth season on the PGA Tour. "It's not easy when you're not flush with money and you're going week to week." A payday at a PGA event can have a huge impact for a player like Laws. McCarron squeaked through right on the cut line in 1995 and wound up tied for 29th, earning $8,450. Today, with an increased purse, a similar finish would earn close to $35,000. Simply making the cut would guarantee a player close to $10,000. The reigning `Mr. Monday' will be at Glen Abbey. Patrick Reed Mondayed six times last year and converted three of them into top- Manic Mondays Herb Garbutt Milton resident Peter Laws hits a shot Tuesday during a practice round at Glen Abbey Golf Club. The 30-year-old was one of the final qualifiers for this week's RBC Canadian Open, earning his spot in the tournament three days ago. | photo by Nikki Wesley -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog 25 finishes. He earned more than $300,000 for the year and earned his PGA Tour card this season. The key to success for the Monday men, says Jason Bohn, is to not get overwhelmed by the situation. "The stage scares a lot of guys," said the two-time PGA winner. "You have to realize it's the same 8-iron on Monday as it is here. You have to embrace where you are and not get so worked up. Execute your shots. A lot of guys build it up and that's when you don't see a lot of success." That's exactly the game plan Laws has in mind. "Just play the shot," he said. "I'm looking forward to doing some damage." Insurance advice for your life. And everything in it. 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