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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 22, 2004 Allred making his mark on Canadian Tour By Tim Trower For the Tidings Did it seem overstated that British Open long shot Todd Hamilton was hailed as an inspiration to lower-level golf pros the world over? Maybe to some. Not to Jason Allred. The 24-year-old Ashland High product is near the end of a terrific season on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour. It's the same tour Hamilton, 38, played for three years, ending in 1991. In fact, Allred was in the midst of a dazzling final round at the Telus Edmonton Open Sunday and wasn't able to watch the end of the British Open, in which Hamilton defeated Ernie Els in a playoff. "The walking score guys and other people were pulling hard for him," says Allred. "They watched him play for a couple of years, and they were saying, 'That could be you guys in a couple of years.' "That was fun. It gave the Canadian Tour a little credibility." Allred finished the day with a 5-under-par 66, matching his low scoring round of the year - he'd done it three times before - and vaulting him to fifth place. In his second year on the tour, Allred has five top-10 finishes in 11 events, is 10th out of 158 players on the earnings list with $33,886 and ranks 11th in scoring average at 70.59. As thrilling as his season has been, today marks a major opportunity when he tees off in a Nationwide Tour event, the Canadian PGA Championship in Cambridge, Ontario. The Nationwide is the feeder circuit to the PGA Tour. In Monday qualifying, Allred shot 69 to become one of 14 players to advance from a field of roughly 200. A low score this week could mean high times for the former Pepperdine All-American: The winner gains entry to the Nationwide for the remainder of the season; a top-25 finish brings entry to the following week's event; a top-20 placing on the Nationwide sends the player to the PGA. "Usually every year, a couple of guys earn their way out there like that," says Allred, who now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. He played a Nationwide event last year and another in Eugene when he was 18. The top players on the Canadian Tour compare favorably with those on the Nationwide, he says, but the talent pool runs much deeper in the latter. "It's definitely the most desirable tour to be on," says Allred. This weekend's event will be televised on The Golf Channel at 11:30 a.m. today and Friday, 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. TV gave Hamilton a lot of face time last week. He, in turn, gave others hope. "All my life," says Allred, "I've had this passionate dream to play professional golf, be in all the majors and stuff. It's hard to be patient with that, but at the same time, you hear stories about guys like Hamilton. It's encouraging, and if I keep working my hardest and God's willing, it'll all work out eventually." Allred, whose wife, Kimberly, caddies for him, began the Canadian Tour this season off a nondescript rookie campaign. He made the cut five times in seven events in 2003 and was 43rd on the money list with $11,012. This year, he placed seventh and ninth in the first two events and appeared to be off and rolling. "I was so excited to have a new year to play golf," he says. Then he missed a cut. And another. And a third. That, he says, is the reason for his fine play of late. The failures helped him put golf in perspective. "That's a continual challenge for me, not to define my identity by my performance in golf," says Allred. "... It was a good lesson to go through that and come out OK." In his last five tournaments, comprising 24 rounds, he has 13 scores in the 60s and is 39 under. Not bad, especially considering the past three tourneys were on par-71 layouts. He has a third and two fifths in his past four events. "I want to win on the Canadian Tour," says Allred, noting there are two events left. "I feel like I'm ready to win one of these times. I've been close." Winning there isn't his ultimate goal, however. Steeling himself for another crack at PGA qualifying school is. There are three stages. In his first attempt two years ago, Allred missed advancing out of Stage 1 by one stroke. A year later, he made it to Stage 2. "If the trend continues, I'll be set," he laughs. The top players from Q-School finals go straight to the PGA. The rest go to the Nationwide. The first stage is in late October. "With that overriding goal of qualifying for the PGA Tour, you take both the good and bad experiences and learn from them," says Allred. "It feels great to play well, and the more times I put myself in position for a chance to win, the greater the learning opportunity." And maybe, just maybe, the walking score guys will one day be pulling for him. 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