Chris Baryla
While competition will be fierce at this week’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open, Nationwide Tour golfer Chris Baryla is aiming to play for the greater good. Baryla announced today he will donate $1,000 plus 50 percent of his earnings in the tournament to the Canadian Red Cross in support of the relief efforts in Japan.
“I believe it’s important to use my position as a professional athlete to give back,” said Baryla. “While we might be thousands of miles away, this terrible tragedy has affected us all, and I encourage everyone to do what they can to support the people of Japan.”
A Calgary, Alberta, native, Baryla grew up in Vernon, British Columbia, where he was the two-time British Columbia Junior champion. Baryla’s first Nationwide Tour victory came in 2009 at the Chattanooga Classic. His best finish in a PGA TOUR event was in 2009 when he tied for eighth at the RBC Canadian Open.
In 2009, he also finished 19th on the Nationwide Tour money list, which allowed him to earn his 2010 PGA TOUR card. He currently holds the course record at the Crooked Cat course at Orange County National Golf Center in Winter Garden, Florida, where he shot an 11-under 61 on the second day of PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in December 2010.
