Brandon Hoelzer graduated from Lourdes University knowing one thing; he wanted to continue his golf career.  The 2018 graduate has done just that, making the cut in back-to-back events on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada, including a tie for 28^th at the Windsor Championship.
 
Hoelzer earned exempt status on the tour for the first six events of the season after finishing in a tie for third place at the qualifying school in Florida this past April.  Now, his performance on the course will dictate how much more he is able to play this season.
 
"After six events the tour goes through a reshuffle, based upon how play has gone during the first half of the season," Hoelzer said.  "I think I should be good to keep playing if I have another solid week coming up."
 
This week's stop is outside of Toronto, for the Osprey Valley Open, one week after playing as close to his Fremont, Ohio home as possible, in Windsor.
 
"Last week my dad and step-mom along with 10-15 friends came up to see me play," Hoelzer said.  "The weekend crowds at the events have been awesome.  It has been something I have had to adjust to, but it has been a lot of fun."
 
While Windsor was relatively close to home, Hoelzer has also played across Canada, with stops on the west coast in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, along with a trip to Alberta among the locations for the various events.
 
"It has been an adjustment flying across the country to events, booking flights, rental cars, hotel rooms, etc.," Hoelzer added.  "However, I have a caddy, Jordan Hakim, who I met in Florida that travels with me.  He keeps me loose and gives me someone to hang out with."
 
Each week on the tour is packed for Hoelzer, as he prepares for the new competitions.  He will arrive in town on Sunday evening or Monday, hit some balls, get in some practice, and maybe play nine holes the first day.  Tuesdays are typically practice days, as the course is closed for the Pro-Am events, before Wednesday gets serious with a final practice round.
 
"I spend the day before the tournament trying to learn the greens, working on my short game, and determining where I want to leave the ball on the various holes for my greatest chances at success," Hoelzer stated.  "Thursday morning we tee it up for real and hopefully I'm playing in the tournament through the weekend."
 
Hoelzer, a Second Team All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference selection in 2016-2017 for the Gray Wolves, seems to be more comfortable as the weeks move along.  In Windsor, he entered the final round tied for 10^th place, and was just one shot off the lead midway through the third round.  He finished with a final round 70 to finish the 72-hole event at 14-under par, 270, just six shots off the pace.
 
"I went into Sunday with a chance to win, and that is all you can ask for," he added.  "It was my best event so far and I'm looking to build off of it."
 
With the top-30 finish, Hoelzer moved into 95^th on the tour's Order of Merit, with earnings of just under $2,000CAD for the season.
 
"There are so many good players out here, one of the biggest things for me was just getting comfortable early," Hoelzer said.  "Most of the guys have been playing at big schools (NCAA Division I) and in high-level amateur events so it took me a bit to get used to this stage.  If you can win out here, you can win on the PGA Tour."
 
One of Hoelzer's playing competitors from earlier in the season, Doc Redman nearly proved that earlier this season.  A Monday qualifier at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, he finished second in the event, earning temporary membership on the PGA Tour for the remainder of the season. 
 
Hoelzer, Lourdes' single season record-holder with a 73.21 stroke average in 2016-2017, hopes that he may be next in making the jump to the big tour.  In the meantime, he will continue to take it one shot at a time, and one week at a time, as he knows anything can happen.
 
"This is what I envisioned for myself," Hoelzer concluded.  "To get to this tour has been really good for me and the biggest step in my career so far.  Now I have to figure out what my goals are over the next couple of years."