Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
PEOPLE
|
||||
|
It was an impressive showing by Southern California professionals at the finals of the PGA Tour Qualifying School held last month at PGA West’s Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses. Of the 40 people who earned their tour cards for 2007, eight of them have ties to the Southland. Tom Johnson, who lives in La Habra Heights, began the final round at PGA West tied for 29th and was nervous until a buddy gave him a solid game plan. “I talked to my friend who lives out here,” Johnson said. “He really calmed me down. I had a great game plan. It sounds like a cliché but it really was one shot at a time. If I started thinking ahead, I just tried to block it out.” Johnson reached the 16th hole at 12-under par — safely above the cut line for playing privileges — but a bogey dropped him to 11 under. He made par at 17 and walked to the tee box at the finishing hole thinking his PGA Tour card was firmly in his pocket. But he blocked his drive right and chunked a wedge two shots later and negative thoughts began creeping into his head. “I didn’t know what the number was,” Johnson said. “I was thinking I could double bogey and miss by a shot. I just wanted to play smart, get my bogey and see where I was at.” He made bogey, beat the number by two strokes and started celebrating in the clubhouse. Former La Habra resident Bob May was 39th when the day began and finished the tournament 8 under. May, who is coming back from major back surgery, played some on the PGA Tour last season and finished second at the B.C. Open. He earned enough money to get conditional status, but was at Q-School trying to earn full playing privileges. He was walking to his car with his coach, Tom Sargent, the head professional at Mesa Verde Country Club, thinking he had missed the cut. But enough players came back to the field that the number moved from 9 under to 8 under par, meaning that May will be back on the PGA Tour in 2007. John Merrick, who lives in Long Beach, already had status. He finished 21st on the Nationwide Tour money list and had earned his tour card but wanted to improve his standing. He did that with a tie for fourth. Merrick is coached by Virginia Country Club head professional Jamie Mulligan, who also had another student earn his card. John Mallinger, who lives in Escondido, tied for 13th. Other players with area ties to qualify were Anthony Kim of La Quinta (who, at 21 years old, will be the youngest member of the PGA Tour as the 2007 season gets under way), Charlie Wi of Ventura, Paul Stankowski, who was born in Oxnard, and Chris Tidland, who grew up in Placentia. SG |
||||
RSS Subscribe
