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By Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

Funny how quickly fortunes can change in the dog-eat-dog world of professional golf.

Craig Kanada fired rounds of 67-70 to make it to the weekend in the Buick Open. (WireImage)

It can happen over four spectacular days.

Doubters should ask Jay Williamson, formerly of the Nationwide Tour who currently resides on the PGA TOUR after finishing second in a playoff at The Travelers, where he got into the field on a sponsor's exemption.

Or it can happen in a heartbeat, in approximately the time it takes for a forgotten swing thought to go whistling through the caverns in a player's mind.

Doubters can question Craig Kanada, a 2006 Nationwide Tour graduate who is playing on the PGA TOUR in 2007 for the third time in his career. And it looks like this time, he is charmed.

There is hard and fast evidence underlining what happened to Williamson. Simply look at The Travelers scoreboard.

It takes a little explaining to tell the tale of Kanada, 38, who had reached the end of his long pro rope back in September of 2005. A professional for 14 nondescript seasons at that juncture, Kanada was faced with the stark reality a career in something other than golf might be in the offing. But he wasn't sure what his next move would be or that it would provide for his wife and their three children.

One thing Kanada did know. His bank account was dwindling rapidly after he sold his last piece of property and the generous cash gifts from his and his wife's families had evaporated.

"Basically, we were down to our last dollar,'' Kanada said recently. "It all was coming to an end. My game wasn't progressing and I wasn't producing.''

While waiting to play on the 17th tee of the 2005 Idaho Open, Kanada was approached by a young professional playing in his group. Justin Lee asked a simple question: What does it take to make it in pro golf?

"That took me by surprise,'' Kanada said.

But the query made him think. Soon he provided an answer.

"Find a shot you can rely on in the clutch,'' Kanada told Smith.

Curious for more information, Smith then asked Kanada to give him his reliability shot.

More thought.

"A baby fade,'' Kanada finally said.

Now here's the irony. Kanada hadn't hit single one in 2005. Not one little baby fade.

Kanada celebrates after chipping in on the 18th green in the Nationwide Tour Championship last year. (WireImage)

When it came time for Kanada to play, he selected a 3-iron on the 211-yard par 3, knowing all too well that stick wasn't the friendliest club in his bag. In fact, he doesn't even carry a 3-iron any more.

So Kanada played his tee ball, putting his bit of advice to Lee into the mix. He hit a baby fade to within 12 feet of the hole. Birdie. He played another baby fade on his approach to 18. This time it pulled up six feet away. Birdie.

Get the picture?

The 3-iron might be gone, but the baby fade is still in Kanada's bag.

"I got the confirmation that I should keep going,'' Kanada said.

And has he ever.

Kanada muddled through the first three quarters of the 2006 season on the Nationwide Tour then baby-faded his way to the finish line in grand fashion. He rallied from three strokes down in the final round to win the Utah Energy Solutions Classic in early September.

It was his first victory in 15 years as a professional and got him into the Nationwide Tour Championship at The Houstonian in November, when he produced the highlight of the season, two pure "Oh Kanada!'' moments that catapulted him to the PGA TOUR.

Six strokes behind at one point during the final round, Kanada closed with a breathtaking rush, chipping in for birdies on the 71st and 72nd holes to score an improbable victory that rendered him speechless. The $135,000 paycheck was the largest of his career. It moved him to 11th on the Nationwide Tour season ending money list and onto the PGA TOUR.

Kanada, who had made just 17 cuts in 58 starts in The Big Show with a career best of a tie for 20th, started 2007 in style, earning $130,000 for a tie for 10th in the Sony Open in Hawaii. Had he finished one stroke better, he would have eclipsed his prior PGA TOUR earnings in four days.

"Talk about a great start,'' said Kanada, who has followed with steady performances including five top 25s, has made $642,955 (94th on the official money list) and ranks 87th in the FedExCup points race after finishing tied for 12th at the AT&T National on Sunday.

An older and wiser Kanada is able to appreciate his surrounding more this time around. He also feels he is better prepared to succeed thanks to the work he has done with Tom Blair, a retired doctor from Houston.

Kanada is slightly built at 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds and, until he started seeing Blair, was in a constant search for ways to hit the ball longer. He credits Blair for explaining the intricate ways the human body works.

"He really helped me answer all the questions I ever had about what muscles to use, how to swing correctly and get the most out of my swing,'' Kanada said of Blair. "Now I know what to do and I know my limitations. It has made golf easier and a lot more fun to play.''

Kanada laughed at that.

"The first two times I was out (on the PGA TOUR), I was really expecting a lot of myself,'' he said, continuing. "As a result, I put to much pressure on my game and I tried too hard. But I was young. Now I just want to enjoy it so much more than I did in the past. It has been a fantastic year, a lot of fun ... almost like a rebirth.''