Hearn more prepared for second stint on TOUR

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Hearn's best tournament of the year was in April when he finished runner-up at the Fresh Express Classic.

When it comes to Canadian golfers, the casual fan likely will point to Mike Weir, the winner of the 2003 Masters, as that country's most famous.

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But David Hearn, another Canadian, hopes to at least get close to what Weir, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner, has accomplished.

"Mike has certainly set the standard and shown the young Canadian players going forward how to be a professional," said the 31-year-old Hearn. "Who knows if we'll ever see another Mike Weir come out of Canada because he's certainly a world-class player."

And Hearn will be joining Weir on the PGA TOUR in 2011 after finishing 21st on the Nationwide Tour money list last year. He's hoping the second time around will be better.

In his first stint on the TOUR in 2005, Hearn admits he didn't handle the grind very well. He wound up playing in 24 tournaments that season but made just 10 cuts to earn $197,000 that ranked 196th on the money list.

"Everyone has a story on their road to the TOUR and for me I kind of got there pretty fast," said Hearn, who had turned pro in 2001 after leaving the University of Wyoming. "I won on the Canadian Tour then on the Nationwide (in 2004) and was on the PGA TOUR in '05. It wasn't that I didn't feel I was ready but looking back there was just a lot of little things and attention to detail that I didn't take into account."

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For the last year-and-a-half, Hearn has been working with well-known Canadian teaching pro Ralph Bauer and he sees their collaboration as a key factor in his outstanding 2010 season. Bauer also works closely with the Canadian National Team that has turned out several top players like Nick Taylor and Matt Hill since its inception a decade ago.

One of the many things Hearn and Bauer have worked on is preparation for tournaments. As a result, Hearn thinks he's better equipped for his return to the PGA TOUR.

"I feel like obviously I'm a better player now," Hearn said. "Now I have experience on how everything works, which tournaments I'll probably get into and things like that. Travel is important as well and it's really just the little stuff that I'll be better prepared for ... I feel like I'm more balanced."

Hearn said that Bauer has been a great sounding board on and off the course.

"He's definitely helped me with keeping a good perspective on the game and he's really helped me focus on my practice," Hearn said, "He's been a good influence."

Of all that Hearn accomplished on the Nationwide Tour this past season he's most proud of leading the scrambling category which helped him make 16 cuts in 25 tournaments. He also had two pivotal top-five finishes in the final three events that helped him maintain his place on the money list.

"It just shows that I'm focusing on the right things with my short game," said Hearn, who in 2009 ranked a distant 48th in scrambling on the Nationwide Tour.

The 2010 campaign was Hearn's fifth full season on the Nationwide Tour and he said that the experience he gained was invaluable. Finding a comfort zone on the Nationwide Tour certainly gave him an advantage which he hopes to carry over into 2011.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity," Hearn said. "My game is a lot better and I feel like I'll be more prepared especially week in and week out for what's expected."

Due to a lingering elbow problem Hearn opted to skip the final stage of q-school where several of his fellow Nationwide Tour graduates played in an attempt to improve their status. He said he probably could have competed but didn't want to risk aggravating the injury.

"It would have been six straight days so I just thought it would be best to rest it and get ready for next year," Hearn said.

When Hearn was a rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2005 he filled out a form for his bio in the media guide. One of the questions was about something interesting in his background. Hearn didn't know how to answer so he said he grew up about five blocks away from where Wayne Gretzky lived in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

He laughs about that answer now. "Todd Fischer gives me grief and he tells me 'Yeah, I grew up three states over from Michael Jordan," Hearn said. "So he has fun with that a lot."

Hearn hopes to run into Weir a little more this year since they'll both be out on TOUR. When the Nationwide Tour made stops in Salt Lake City, where Weir lives, the former Masters champ has invited Hearn over.

"Hopefully I'll see him in some of the big tournaments," Hearn said.

This time, though, Hearn says his mindset will be different than in 2005.

"My goals starting out the year will be to continue to play well and keep my head down and keep working," he said. "I know have the ability to get the results and it's now just a matter of doing it."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 17 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.