Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Sports
Mulling over playing another season at the amateur level or making the jump to pro, Austin James decided to go all-in.
The 21-year-old Bath native officially turned pro on Thursday, just before he teed off at the PGA Tour Canada-Mackenzie Tour National Capital Open, held at the Hylands Golf Club in Ottawa.
He showed he was ready to play at the pro level, making the second round cut and finished tied for 64th at 285 for the tournament.
“It was nice to feel some pressure and perform the way I wanted to down the stretch,” James said of his first pro event. “Overall I was happy I made the cut and hopefully after getting my feet wet this weekend I can start to improve a bit and do a little more damage moving forward.”
Earlier this month James had a strong showing at the Canadian Open, which gained him the exemption into Ottawa’s tournament.
The decision to turn pro wasn’t one he made lightly, though it did come as a bit at the spur of the moment.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay amateur or turn professional,” said James. “The timing felt right, I had exemptions into these last three PGA Canada events so I thought I’d take advantage of them. Instead of playing them as amateur you might as well get going and get your feet wet and adjust to pro golf. I thought it was a good opportunity I didn’t want to waste it and decided to turn pro.”
He didn’t need to look far for advice as his sister Augusta turned pro a few years earlier.
“Having my sister go through the process, she’s been really supportive helping me out with a lot of different things that go along with professional golf,” said James. “It’s great to have her and my parents. It’s great to have their support to help me make this dream a reality.”
He’ll now play the last two events, one in Cape Breton, the other in Barrie, as a professional to close out the golf season.
He’ll look to build on that experience in the offseason and come out strong for his first full season next year. He hopes by getting a few tournaments in at the end of this year, he’ll be that much further ahead next spring.
Napanee’s Josh Whalen also took part in last weekend’s tournament in Ottawa. Playing as an amateur, he missed the second round cut by just two strokes, finishing at 141 over 36 holes.