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The high stakes at pga tour q-school are illustrated in the fates of John Merrick and Peter Tomasulo John Merrick and Peter Tomasulo are good friends who have a lot in common. They were both born in Long Beach, five months apart. They've competed in dozens of the same tournaments as high schoolers, undergraduates and professionals. They even have the same swing coach, Jamie Mulligan, who was able to recite 12 additional shared traits for the duo on the fly. Despite all the similarities, a one-stroke difference between them at last month's final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School has created noticeably dissimilar scenarios. "This is the only sport really where one shot is going to dictate your life for a year," said Mulligan, who has taught the duo at Long Beach's Virginia Country Club since they were adolescents. At Q-School, the threshold for success is as stark as any other North American sporting competition - after six rounds, only the top 25 and ties in a field of over 150 earn PGA Tour cards. The horror stories at such a high-stakes event are inevitable. Tomasulo, who emerged as one of the top young players on the Nationwide Tour after a successful collegiate career at UC-Berkeley, was in position to get his card at the 2005 final stage before his ball landed on a loose divot on the 10th hole during the last day. What he thought could have been a birdie turned into a bogey, and the turn of events zapped his momentum and led to a 75 that left him on the outside. That nightmarish situation occurred on the Panther Lake course at Orange County National in Winter Garden, Fla., which happened to be the site for the 2007 final stage. This time, on the Crooked Cat layout, no odd circumstances confronted the 26-year-old down the stretch. Starting the day one shot off the magic number, he fired a 2-under-par 70 in windy conditions to finish at 13 under. "We had a game plan for the last day. He followed [it] to the button," Mulligan said. The cutoff for tour cards, however, was 14 under. "It's as disappointed as I've ever been," Tomasulo said. "It's a little tough to swallow when this happens." Merrick, who fell short of the number along with Tomasulo in 2005, also was back at Q-School this year after finishing 129th on the PGA Tour money list. After beginning the final round at 9 under, he reached 13 under after six birdies and two bogeys through 13 holes. Though Mulligan encourages his students to forget about the qualifying number during competition, Merrick couldn't help himself. "I think the number crept into my head the last few holes," Merrick said. "You try not to think about it but it's always kind of in the back of your mind." Merrick, who teed off on the 10th hole in the final round, birdied the short par-4 ninth to post a 67 and finish at 14 under. He was one of only six players to jump inside the cut after starting the final round from behind. "He stepped right up to the plate," Mulligan said. "Even if he hadn't birdied the last hole, it would have been an amazing performance." As soon as Merrick finished and met Mulligan off the green, he was more curious about the fate of his friend Tomasulo, who had finished only a few minutes earlier. "I thought there was no doubt that we'd get through," said Merrick, who played golf at UCLA. "It was a tough feeling to see him come so close like that on the last day." Merrick, who finished ninth on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation in 2007, is looking to improve his putting this season. He has enlisted the help of Lost Canyons instructor Tony Kewal for that purpose. As for Tomasulo, despite two disappointing finishes at the final stage in three years, he has an optimistic outlook for 2008 on the Nationwide Tour. "Next year's going to be a lot better year for me," he said. "I'm moving on and I'm trying to be the best player that I can be and not worry about anything else." Waldorf, Demsey also qualify In addition to Merrick, two players who jumped inside the cut line on the last day of the final stage were four-time PGA Tour winner Duffy Waldorf and former NCAA champion Todd Demsey. Waldorf, a 45-year-old Los Angeles native, combined to shoot 13-under par in his last two rounds to regain full-time status. Demsey, who starred at Del Mar's Torrey Pines High School before a stellar career at Arizona State, posted an 8-under 64 in the final round to jump all the way from a tie for 31st to eighth place. Southland natives who came up short include Lyn-wood's Bob May, who finished one shot off the number. Former Ryder Cup competitors Chris Riley (San Diego) and Steve Pate (Westlake Village) could never generate any momentum and finished outside the top 100. SG |
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