PGA Tour Canada tee marker
American Daniel Miernicki fired a final round 64 to claim medalist honours at PGA Tour Canada's California Qualifying Tournament over the weekend.
Miernicki, a teammate of two-time PGA Tour Canada winner Eugene Wong at the University of Oregon, carded eight birdies and finished 15-under total to win by two over three players.
A total of 44 players finished 1-over or better to earn status for 2014, with 18 players earning exempt status.
Miernicki said he's looking forward to playing in Canada this summer, especially alongside his old Ducks teammate.
"Planning a schedule when you don't have status anywhere is tough, so to be able to look at 12 events and know you'll be in is great," said Miernicki, who along with Wong led Oregon to the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament. "Eugene and I had similar careers and we really pushed each other so hopefully we can do the same in Canada. We had some really great teams."
Two shots behind Miernicki were Quebec City resident Aléxis Anghert, England's Greg Eason and American Sam Ryder.
Among the notables to earn exempt status were former NEC Series – PGA Tour Latinoamérica winner Alan Wagner and Hunter Hamrick, a three-time All-American at the University of Alabama.
Justin Kim of Hamilton, Ont. shot a final round 73 to finish at even par for the tournament and was the only Canadian to finish among the top 44 and earn any kind of status. The former PGA Tour Canada member, who made one of four cuts in 2013, will have conditional status for 2014.
J.P. Brown needed an eagle at the par-5 ninth, his final hole of the day, just to get into a six-way playoff for three exempt cards. He made the most of it by hitting his approach from a fairway bunker in the playoff to tap-in distance, securing his exempt status for 2014 along with Hunter Hamrick and Devin Daniels who also birdied the first playoff hole.
Three amateurs earned Tour status – University of Central Florida senior Greg Eason, University of Arizona grad Trent Redfern and 16-year old Kristian Caparros all earned PGA TOUR Canada status. Eason, the 21-year-old who claimed his seventh collegiate win on Sunday with the University of Central Florida, finished in a tie for second. He plans to turn pro following the NCAA Regional and National Championships later this spring.
Another 18 exempt cards will be up for grabs later this week at the second of three Qualifying Tournaments in Florida.