The agony and the ecstasy of the USPGA Tour School
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2002 USPGA Tour Q-School - Final Stage | Wrap | 10 Dec 2002
The agony and ecstasy of the USPGA Tour qualifying school has again been highlighted in the performances of several of the Australians going through the endurance test in California this week.
James McLean, who played collegiate golf at the University of Minnesota, and has gone about his business on the secondary tours since turning pro in 2000 finished in a tie for second here, a ranking that will give him plenty of early season starts. He finished 84th on this season’s Buy.Com Tour but now that he has made it to the big time look for rapid improvement in this very talented 24 year old.
Scott Laycock has made it to where many felt he would be earlier. His success in Japan this year has given him that extra belief in himself to take his game to the level it is now at and he may well blossom in 2003. He was 11th.
Anthony Painter has done extremely well. Yet another pupil of Gary Edwin, Painter has shown what patience can bring. He has battled away on the Nike then Buy.Com Tour since 1997, winning in 1998 there but never getting close, until this year, to securing his PGA Tour card. His 21st place on the Buy.Com Tour this year has shown that his game is maturing late, as at the age of 37, he is no youngster. He finished 19th.
Mathew Goggin, despite a struggle today which included a triple bogey in his round of 75, staggered across the line and is back on the tour with the full playing privileges he had in his rookie season of 2000. Still a bit inclined to get too agitated on course, he has the game to succeed if he can continue to work on that aspect.
Those on the other side of the equation and who went agonisingly close to getting a card but missed were Mark Hensby and Stephen Leaney, who both missed by one shot. Hensby was not able to secure the birdie he needed over the last eight holes, eight straight pars ending his campaign. One imagines he will get there eventually. Leaney came close with two late birdies but a miss is as good as a mile in this and he will no doubt return to Europe to take advantage of the standing he has there via his 15th place on the Volvo Order of Merit.
Steve Allan produced a last round 66 but that was not good enough to complete what would have been a great three weeks for the Victorian following his win at the Australian Open. He must now rely on starts where he can get them on the USPGA Tour, which could amount to, fifteen or more and take full advantage of them when he can. His 147th placing on the 2002 money list allows that.
Michael Long (123rd) now faces another year back on the Nationwide Tour and the same for Bradley Hughes (135th).
The medallist at the tour school was Jeff Brehaut who at the age of thirty-nine gets another chance at the USPGA Tour. Chris Anderson tied Mclean for second along with Germany’s Alex Cejka.
