Baddeley edges closer to dream
IN: News | Nationwide | Monterey Peninsula Classic (2002) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 07 Oct 2002
Aaron Baddeley has suffered the scrutiny and, at times, criticism of many over the last two years by plugging away in the US rather than taking advantage of full exemption status on the European Tour.
I have felt that he would have been much better off to focus in Europe where he could develop and build his game, gaining confidence as he goes. But it may just be that Aaron has the last laugh. His second place finish at the Bank of America Monterey Classic this weekend has leapfrogged him into seventeenth place on the Buy.Com Tour money list and with just three more events on this season's schedule he is now within sight of gaining one of the fifteen 2003 USPGA Tour cards that are available to Buy.Com Tour players at season's end.
Baddeley was one of only three players to finish under par at the appropriately named Bayonet course on the Monterey Peninsula. Many fell on their sword this week that's for sure.
The tournament winner was twenty five year old Roland Thatcher who has no doubt agonised for most of this year over a last hole triple bogey at last year's USPGA Tour school when a par would have got him a card. He is leaving his run a little late this year to get access via the Buy.Com Tour but at 33rd on the money list he is not yet out of it. This win was not exactly expected however as he had missed his previous six cuts and in twenty four starts this season he had made only nine cuts. Still golf offers strange turnarounds at times and this may yet be the catalyst for a big finish to the season for Thatcher.
Anthony Painter is yet another Australasian who is in with a chance of adding to Gary Edwins team on the US Tour next season. Painter's fifth place finish here has him in 21st place on the money list and a real chance to join other members of the Edwin stable in Lonard, Gow and Pampling.
Mark Hensby was 26th and New Zealander Steve Alker 41st. Hensby at 28th and Alker at 13th are both candidates for the USPGA Tour next season, Hensby needing a big finish and Alker needing to find a couple of reasonable finishes.
Gavin Coles missed the cut by a mile but in tenth place it is hard to see him missing out on his USPGA Tour card.
Final Round - Australasian Scores
2 -3 Aaron Baddeley (73-71-70-71)
T5 1 Anthony Painter (73-73-68-75)
T26 7 Mark Hensby (72-76-74-73)
T41 10 Steven Alker (74-75-75-74)
*** Missed Cut ***
Nathan Green (77-74)
Ben Ferguson (78-78)
Gavin Coles (80-81)
