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Hamilton Spectator

What's next for David Hearn?

David Hearn finds himself caught between a rock and hard place. At age 45, he's not quite old enough to seriously think about a second professional golf career on the PGA Champions Tour, where a birthday cake with 50 candles is required. But what he has right in front of him might be the dying embers of a solid PGA Tour career, where he is getting fewer and fewer opportunities to tee it up. 'It's very difficult for me at my age right now to compete on the PGA Tour the way I once did,' Hearn said last week before firing rounds of 75-82 at the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, where he missed the cut in the RBC Canadian Open. 'What I'm good at in golf isn't being rewarded the way it once was 10 or 15 years ago. The speed game is dominating tour life these days and that's not what I was good at. I hit it far enough but I relied on a good short game and grinding it out.' Consequently, Hearn doesn't have full status on the PGA Tour anymore. He's categorized as a 'veteran member.' Which, in Hearn's case, means he made at least 150 cuts in his career. And veteran member status isn't what it used to be. 'When I got on tour in 2005, I played with guys who had achieved 150 cuts and at that point they were getting eight to 10 starts a year,' said Hearn, who played in the Canadian Open on a sponsor's exemption from Golf Canada and RBC. So far this year, he's had just one start as a veteran member and may only get a couple more. 'A category that at one time people aspired to doesn't really give you much access in today's game,' says Hearn. 'It's the growth of the tour and the money and the fact that more players are playing more often. Guys used to pick and choose their schedule a lot more and now, because the money has grown, guys don't take as many weeks off.' So, where does that leave Hearn? 'That's a very difficult question to answer because the last two years have been like this,' he said. 'I'll try and get through this summer and re-evaluate.' One good thing about not playing in many tournaments this summer is that Hearn has been able to spend more time with his family. 'My kids are 12, 10 and eight and they are all active in activities at school and it's been great to be around for a lot of that,' said Hearn, who lives in Delray Beach, Fla. during the golf season. The family returns to Brantford, where Hearn was raised, in the summer months. 'The Champions Tour is something I'm thinking about, absolutely, but it's a little too far away to pin down where my head will be at. My game needs to be competitive at that time and you really need to keep playing tournaments and events to keep competitive.' Another option is the lower-tier Korn Ferry Tour, which allows 48- and 49-year-olds to access events based on their career earnings. 'When I get to that age, I would absolutely take advantage of those spots if they are still there,' says Hearn, who has two runner-up finishes in his PGA Tour career and $11,049,672 in earnings. 'But there a lot of changes coming in the tour, and I don't know what impact that's going to have on the Korn Ferry Tour.' Hearn, who was born in Brampton, honed his golf game at Brantford Golf and Country Club — a course he still calls home. In fact, the club even put the long-term member to work this year, serving on one of its committees. Hearn will be remembered by most Canadian golf fans for his play in the 2015 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, where he fired rounds of 69-64-68 and led the tournament heading into the final day. He had a workmanlike round of 72 on Sunday, but Australian Jason Day carded a 68 to win the title. Hearn finished third. The individual winners from the HWDSB middle school golf championship at Oak Gables are Kay Lynn Hoo of Sir William Osler (left) and Drew Douglas of R.A. Riddell. Whole-in-One: Drew Douglas fired an even par 33 on the Pine nine at Oak Gables to claim boy's medallist honours in the 19th Hamilton Middle School Golf Championship. The R.A. Riddell golfer also lead his team of Liam Hisey , Sammy Pridmore and Gordie Stevenson to the team championship. Kay Lynn Hoo of Sir William Osler captured the girls individual title with a 36. Hoo and Vida Wilson combined to win the girls team title for Osler … Sam Welch and Carson Bellchamber each fired 72s on the Martin Course at Chedoke to share medallist honours in the junior division at the Hamilton Halton Junior Golf Tour Qualifying tournament. Oliver Ion Young was the low bantam with a 77 and Aditi Namblar was the girls winner with an 85. The seven-event tour begins June 27 at 11 a.m. at Port Dover Golf Club … Aces in the area include Mike Kasoian on the 160-yard 12th hole at Burlington Springs with a mid hybrid.