While the top names in golf are picking up some extra spending cash for Christmas at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and Tiger’s World Challenge in California, golf’s lesser known players are trying to earn their playing cards for the 2013 PGA Tour.
172 hopeful golfers teed it up on Wednesday at PGA West in La Quinta, California in the final stage of the PGA Q-School. The Top-25 will earn tour cards for next year.
Six gut wrenching and grueling rounds in Q-School always yield some of the best drama and surprises of the entire year. There are veterans trying to get back to the big stage one more time and young players who have talent but nerves and the pressure of the moment overtake their ability and are forced to put their dreams on hold.
This will be the last year for the PGA Q-School as a direct ticket to the PGA Tour. In the future players will only earn their PGA Tour playing privileges via the Web.com Tour.
After three rounds are in the books how are some of the better known names faring?
In 2011 Robert Karlsson had three top-10 finishes, earned $1.8 million, and finished No. 45 on the FedEx Cup ranking. In 2012 he missed six cuts, made only $393,000 and finished No. 158 well outside the safety of the Top-125. He is now 43-years-old and has 11 wins on the European Tour.
Karlsson is currently in second place in Q-School with rounds of 66-68-65 for 17-under par. He trails the leader, 20-year-old Meen Whee Kim by one shot.
Vaughn Taylor is two shots back of the leader and in good position to retain his PGA Tour playing card. Taylor has two PGA Tour wins the 2004 and 2005 Reno-Tahoe Opens. He has three runner-ups, made 156 cuts, and won over $11 million on the PGA Tour. He turned in a three-under par 69 in the third round on Friday and fell back two spots to T-4. Still he is in good shape heading into the final three rounds.
Heath Slocum attended the same high school as Bubba Watson and Boo Weekley. He has played on the PGA Tour since 2001 when he won three events on the Nationwide Tour to earn an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour. He has four wins on the PGA Tour and has won over $15 million.
At 5’8” and only 150 pounds Slocum does not overpower too many golf courses. When his game is right he can hit fairways and greens very efficiently to give him birdie chances. Currently at 13-under par he is T-9 heading into the final three rounds.
Ross Fisher has four wins and has played on the European Tour since 2005. He has been on two Seve Trophy teams and was a member of the 2010 European Ryder Cup Team that beat the USA at Celtic Manor.
Fisher has a home in Florida but has not performed that well in the states. He is T-9 at 13-under par and in good shape.
Perhaps one of the biggest names at Q-School this year is Camilo Villegas. He has three PGA Tour wins and nine career professional wins world-wide.
In 2008 Villegas won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship both FedEx Cup Playoff events. He is a fitness freak and even though he is only 5’9” and 160 pounds can hit it long and has a variety of shots in his arsenal.
After three rounds he is also T-9 at 13-under par and will looking to be back on the PGA Tour in 2013.
The most unbelievable story in Q-School is Erik Compton. Diagnosed with a heart defect at age 9 he had his first heart transplant at age 12. In 2008 he was forced to undergo a second heart transplant. He is unable to practice as much as he would like and his endurance on hilly long golf courses is a concern.
Compton earned his card by finishing the 2011 season No. 13 on the Web.com Tour. In 2012 he missed 9 cuts, only had one Top-25, and finished No. 137 on the FedEx Cup Ranking.
Everyday on the golf course is a bonus for Compton. At 11-under par he is T-17 and in the hunt to retain his card for next year. Will he have the endurance to make it through the last three rounds?
Other big names in Q-School are:
Matthew Goggin T-20
Nicholas Thompson T-20 (Lexi Thompson’s brother)
Steven Bowditch T-20
Jeff Gove T-20
Billy Hurley III T-44
Arjun Atwal T-44
Len Mattice T-66
Daniel Chopra T-66
Tim Petrovic T-75
Patrick Sheehan T-75
Paul Stankowski T-96
Patrick Cantlay T-108
Todd Hamilton T-132