In the end, the bonanza wasn't there last Sunday for Canadians Bryn Parry and Chris Baryla, who found themselves in a four-man playoff for the Nationwide Tour's Henrico County Open in Richmond, Va. But it was still a feast for the diminishing number of Canadians who watch The Golf Channel, which isn't available on nearly as wide a basis as last year.
One place Canadians were definitely watching was in Vancouver, where Parry, a 35-year-old rookie on the Nationwide Tour, maintains a role as a teaching professional at the Seymour Creek Golf Centre. Baryla, like Parry, was going for the biggest win of his career. Canadians are more familiar with Baryla, who is 24, was born in Calgary and lives in Vernon, B.C., because he qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open and finished 51st on last year's Nationwide Tour to retain his card for this season.
Golfers and staff at Seymour were following the Henrico closely, as Parry shot four-under-par 32 on the front nine, at one stage taking a four-stroke lead. The club's head teaching pro, Fraser Mulholland, had been on the range, coaching. At their home in North Vancouver, Parry's wife, Debbie, was so nervous she could hardly watch. The game was on. Trouble soon followed.
Parry pulled his second shot on the 10th hole well to the left of the green and bogeyed the hole. He came up short of a front pin on the par-3 11th and was in the water. That led to a double bogey.
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Parry and Baryla were soon tied for the lead. Nick Flanagan, a talented Australian who won the 2003 U.S. Amateur, was near the lead, as was Roland Thatcher, a 30-year-old from Virginia with two years of PGA Tour experience. They would end up in the playoff.
"Everybody's watching here," Mulholland said, having come in from the range. Mulholland followed Parry in the final stage of last fall's PGA Tour qualifying school. "I'm sure he's as nervous as we are," he said. "But he's very focused."
Parry fell one stroke shy of making this year's PGA Tour, but qualified for the Nationwide. Having dominated pro golf in the Vancouver area - Mulholland, by the way, is behind the new developmental Vancouver Golf Tour - Parry felt good about how far he had come and where he was headed.
The Canadian Professional Golfers' Association's manager of business development, Jeff Dykeman, was familiar with Parry's journey, and recently invited him to blog on the CPGA's website. Dykeman remembered when Parry drove a Zamboni at a rink to make some money.
"Bryn is the real deal," Dykeman wrote in an e-mail message during the final round last Sunday. "Some of the shots I've seen him hit at our events make your jaw drop."
But now Parry needed some putts to drop. He holed out from six feet and 12 feet to save par on the 16th and 17th holes. Baryla and Flanagan were finished, at 13 under. Parry was playing with Thatcher, and both were 13 under. Parry holed a nervy four-footer for par on the final green to remain 13 under. Thatcher had missed a birdie putt from 15 feet, so the four-way playoff was on.
"This is good stuff," two-time PGA Tour winner Richard Zokol said from Vancouver. He's advised Parry on some matters, played with him and said that by nature he can focus on the present. He also likes Baryla. "He's a great talent," Zokol said. "He's willing to pay the price. He'll make it."
But Flanagan, not Baryla or Parry, won. The Canadians will move on to this week's Nationwide Tour event in Fort Smith, Ark. Meanwhile, Parry's new blog is at the relaunched http://www.cpga.com. Parry did write a blog last week, but it wasn't posted then because of this week's relaunch.
"The event will be on the Golf Channel and hopefully I can play well and get some quality time on TV," Parry wrote of the Henrico tournament.
Parry's quality golf got him quality time. He and Baryla both won $33,600 (U.S.). Parry moved to 31st place from 149th on the money list, while Baryla went to 25th from 75th. The top 25 at year-end will win 2008 PGA Tour cards.
"Chris and I were saying when we walked on to the tee in the playoff that it was pretty cool that we were in it," Parry said.
Baryla sent Parry a few text messages after the playoff. "He said we'll have to do it again," Parry said.
His many friends in Vancouver, and his new fans across Canada (and Baryla's as well), would like to see that happen.
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