What makes players gruel through five or six rounds of tournament play against hundreds of competitors for a virtually non-existent purse?
A dream.
A dream of playing on “the big tour.” Of walking the courses of the LPGA and PGA Tours from inside the ropes, and with clubs in hand. That’s right: the final state of the PGA Tour’s “Qualifying School” or “Q-School” starts today.
Though the winner pockets only $50,000, the payoff cannot be measured in terms of money. The top 30 and ties earn PGA Tour cards for 2005. Players landing in spots 30 through 80 earn full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour for 2005. The remaining players “earn” non-exempt Nationwide Tour status.
This year’s final field features 170 players and is being held at both the TPC Stadium Course and the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West in La Quinta, CA. The field includes 21 past PGA Tour champioins, a former US Open winner in Scott Simpson, two former US Amateur champions in Bubba Dickerson and Jeff Quinney, and three former Ryder Cuppers: Simpson, Ken Green, and big Jim Gallagher, Jr.
The field also includes one son of a golfer: Jay Haas’ offspring Bill. Failing to earn a card through sponsors exemptions in 2004, Haas finished well in his second stage qualifying at Black Horse on the Monterey Peninsula. If he qualifies for the Tour, the Haas duo will be the first father-son combo since Jack and Gary Nicklaus in 2000.
One black player, Tim O’Neal, is also in the field. O’Neal nearly got his card five years ago at 17 when, with two holes to play, he held a two stroke advantage. He bogeyed 17 and played miserably on 18, driving into a hazard, taking a drop, hitting into a bunker, and then blasting over the green before chipping and two-putting for a triple bogey.
Mathias Gronberg, the 2004 Q-School winner, was so confident that he’d place in the top 125 that he didn’t send in a Q-School application. Instead, he finished 132nd on the money list and will enjoy only conditional status on the 2005 PGA Tour.
LPGA Tour
The final stage of LPGA Tour Q-School also starts Wednesday. This marks the first year LPGA hopefuls will go 90 holes. They’ll be doing so at the Legends and Champions courses at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL.
The field of 138 includes a Sorenstam – Charlotta – and Beth Bauer, LPGA Rookie of the Year for 2002. The story this year, though, belongs to two teenagers: Paula Creamer and Brittany Lincicome.
Television coverage is as follows:
Saturday 12/4 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM TGC Saturday 12/4 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM TGC (Replay) Sunday 12/5 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM TGC Sunday 12/5 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM TGC (Replay) Monday 12/6 3:30 PM - 7:00 PM TGC Monday 12/6 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM TGC (Replay)