First of many hurdles safely negotiated at Australasian PGA Q-School
BY Bruce Young | Australasian PGA Tour | 2002 Australasian PGA Tour Q-School - Final Stage | Wrap | 19 Dec 2002
The final round of qualifying for the 2003 Australasian PGA Tour has been run and won with all forty nine players who made the cut after four rounds on Tuesday, securing playing privileges for next season, the final two rounds only necessary, however, to secure a ranking.
If history is any guide the top twenty or so will be eligible for a start at the first event of the season, the 2003 New Zealand Open, starting January 16th. The list may go further down but there will be the opportunity to pre-qualify if a player does not make it on ranking.
Most will struggle to get starts at the co-sanctioned European events such as the Heineken, the Johnnie Walker and the ANZ Championship but will perhaps have a slightly better chance at the co-sanctioned Nationwide Tour (ex- Buy.com) events in Adelaide and Christchurch.
They will all, however, be likely starters on the newly formed Von Nida Tour, which consists of five of the lesser events in terms of prizemoney that will be held throughout the year. Their success at the end of those series of events will determine their eligibility for the bigger events late in 2003.
Michael Pearson, a member of the Georgia Tech team in the US in his collegiate days, has now created the opportunity to advance his game by taking out the top honours at the Australasian Tour School by one shot from West Australian Dean Alaban, with Swede Jens Nilsson in third one behind Alaban. Nilsson’s was a massive effort having shot 81 in round one of qualifying. He had two reasonable finishes at the PGA and Australian Open last month and appears to be a player of some promise.
Top amateurs Adam Groom and New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson, who both played in the World Amateur Teams Championship in October, have safely negotiated their way through qualifying, as has another well-regarded amateur in Steve Bowditch, who turned pro earlier in the year.
