BANDON, Ore. – Riley Wheeldon has a chance to accomplish something Wednesday that has never been done: The director of instruction at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania can earn a berth into this year’s PGA Championship at his home club in the final round of the PGA Professional Championship.
The top 20 players after Wednesday’s final round at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort qualify for the PGA Championship on May 14-17. As the afternoon breezes picked up across the Bandon Dunes course at the resort in Tuesday’s third round, Wheeldon fired a 3-over 75 that was better than the score sounds. He climbed five spots on the leaderboard and enters the final round at 1 over par total in a 12-way tie for 12th place.
Under a sunny sky, the winds gained momentum throughout Tuesday afternoon at the seaside course that’s famous for views, golf architecture and weather. Austin Hurt, who has led after each of the first three rounds, shot 5-over 77 and still hung onto a share of his lead in the wind. Hurt was at 3-under total and tied for first place with former full-time PGA Tour player Charlie Beljan, who managed a 2-over 74 Tuesday. Birdies were hard to come by in the gusts.
“Yeah, it was a battle,” Wheeldon said of his third round. “Battle all the way around.”
Wheeldon, a Canada native from British Columbia, is a past winner on the Canadian Tour. He played college golf at Louisville and was named the 2009 Big East Freshman of the Year and the 2010 Big East Player of the Year.
Wheeldon opened the tournament with a 3-under 68 on the resort’s Pacific Dunes Course, then shot 1-over 73 in the second round at the Bandon Dunes course. His third round included a 1-over 37 on the front nine, then a 2-over 38 on the back nine as the winds continued to gain.
The winds were enough to have putts swinging in strange directions, and it was particularly difficult for all players to gauge downhill-downwind putts. Wheeldon missed a short par putt that spun around the cup on No. 18 in the third round, but he made three birdies in a round that also included four bogeys and a double bogey on the uphill, par-4 seventh hole on Bandon Dunes.
“It was a lot,” Wheeldon said of trying to making putts in the wind, “and there was no such thing a good, easy putt.”
The PGA Professional Championship began with 312 players, all vying for a coveted spot in the PGA Championship. The event was founded in 1968, and for golf professionals who remain competitive despite the obligations of their jobs, it has become a massive goal to be one of the 20 players who advance to the major championship. Wheeldon, however, said he couldn’t focus on that prized tee time at Aronimink after the grueling third round at Bandon Dunes.
“It would mean a lot,” Wheeldon said, “but I mean, it's so difficult that I can't even think that far down the road right now.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Aronimink teaching pro has shot to play his way into PGA Championship