By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Kaleb Gorbahn earned conditional status at last week’s PGA Tour Canada qualifying school in California, but the Smithers native was in no mood to celebrate. Gorbahn knows conditional status and a couple of dollars will buy you a cup of coffee.

He’s not guaranteed any starts this summer. Maybe he gets some, maybe he doesn’t. Gorbahn acknowledges the grind of chasing his pro golf dream has been difficult. “It has been hard,” he says. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I have had doubts about whether I should be doing this or not.”

Gorbahn finished his collegiate golf career at the University of Nevada in 2018 and turned pro not long afterwards. Gorbahn hits the ball a mile and has had some success along the way. He had a nice stretch in 2020 culminating in his win at the Vancouver Open. 

But he has been plagued by inconsistency, which also bit him again at Q-school last week. “After the 2020 season I was feeling so good,” he says. “It’s just like I am on an emotional roller-coaster because one day you feel great and the next day you don’t. Every day you wake up and are optimistic it is going to change and it doesn’t. It has been a really long 18 months for me where I don’t feel like I am playing up to my potential and it really weighs down on you.”

At Q-school, played at Soboba Springs Golf Course in San Jacinto, Calif., Gorbahn opened with a four-under 68 and was inside the top 10. But he had a disastrous front nine that included a nine on his ninth hole of the day. He ended up shooting 79 and digging himself a huge hole.

He rebounded nicely the final two days and finished tied for 17th to earn middle-of-the-road conditional status. “I made mistakes all week,” Gorbahn says. “My second day was the biggest example of that. I am happy to walk away with some status and hopefully I will get some starts and if not I will just Monday (qualify) and get in through the reshuffle.” 

Gorbahn got married last summer and credits his wife Lauren and his parents with helping him persevere. “I am so lucky to have my wife being super-supportive and not letting me quit. And also my parents, who are still helping me chase this dream. It is a strain on them and it is a strain on me as well. 

“There is so much stuff that weighs down on you when you are a mini-tour player or a developmental tour player. It’s hard. My job is really fun, I do generally like getting up in the morning and practising all day. I love it and it’s so much fun and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else, but it’s hard because of the emotions. You are so emotionally invested in your score and performance and even when you are swinging well but scoring bad you feel really, really crappy.” 

Gorbahn does feel like he is making progress with his game. “I have said to my wife I think something special is going to happen this summer. I don’t know what it is, but I do feel something good is going to happen and I am just going to stay optimistic and wake up every day and try and think that way.”

HEADING HOME: The sixth of seven PGA Tour Canada Q-schools goes April 19-22 at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash. The field includes British Columbians Chris Crisologo of Richmond and Lawren Rowe of Squamish. The final Q-school goes April 26-29 at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay

EWART WINS AGAIN: Coquitlam’s A.J. Ewart won again and did it in style as he eagled the final hole to edge Barry University teammate Felipe Alvarez by one shot and capture the Battle of the Shores event in Miami. It was the fifth win of the season and eighth of his collegiate career for Ewart, who is the top-ranked player in NCAA Division II. Ewart closed with a pair of three-under 68s after opening the tournament with a 72. Barry, which is the top ranked Division II team, won the team title by 14 shots over Nova Southeastern.

TOP-FIVE FINISH: Vancouver’s Leah John continues to play well for the University of Nevada. John, the 2021 B.C. Women’s Amateur champion, registered a solo fifth-place finish at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. She finished the 54-hole tourney held at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz., at two-over par. John’s Nevada team tied for fourth, finishing six shots behind the winner from Santa Clara.

EIGHT STRAIGHT: The University of B.C. women’s team won the Pacific Invitational at Pumpkin Ridge in Forest Grove, Ore. The event, hosted by Pacific University, was cut to 18 holes due to weather. Grace Bell led the way with a tournament-best 71 as the UBC women won their eighth straight event. They are currently ranked third in the NAIA. The men’s side of the tournament got in 36 holes and UBC finished second, six shots behind Pacific Lutheran.

MAYFAIR MAGIC: Troy Bulmer of Predator Ridge closed with a six-under 65 to win the Vancouver Golf Tour’s Gatekeeper Systems Open at Mayfair Lakes in Richmond. Bulmer’s 36-hole score of two-under was two shots better than Michael Caan of Coquitlam. Isaac Lee of Meadow Gardens was third at one-over. Bulmer earned $3,000 for the win.

CAROLINA CALLING: The British Columbia foursome of Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, Roger Sloan and Adam Svensson are all in the field for this week’s RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. Hadwin takes a streak of three straight top-10 finishes into the event. He and Taylor both missed the cut there last year. The Korn Ferry Tour resumes this week in Arlington, Tex., for the Veritex Bank Championship. Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald is in the field. 

ACE NO. 9: Bryn Parry of Seymour Creek in North Vancouver fired a five-under 67 that included a hole-in-one on Point Grey Golf & Country Club’s par 3 13th hole to win a G&G Tour event. It was Parry’s ninth career ace. “It was a five-iron from 177 yards with the wind in from the left,” Parry said. It was the ninth career ace for Parry, who is one of British Columbia’s busiest teaching pros.