No, I am not referring to the Burt Reynolds movie of many years
ago, one of my favorites I might add.
No, I am not referring to the Burt Reynolds movie of many years ago, one of my favorites I might add.
I am talking about the yearly survival test, otherwise known as the PGA Tour Qualifying School. One of the first-stage events was held last week at San Juan Oaks Golf Club. For those of you not familiar with the process of how one becomes a card-carrying member of the PGA Tour, lend me your ear.
Golfers aspiring to get to “The Show” must endure a marathon of competitive golf. They must enter a first-stage event and play some of the best golf of their lives for four rounds.
Usually about 80 players enter and the PGA Tour will take about 24, 27 players. There were 28 who made it here at San Juan Oaks and it took a score of 282 or 6-under par.
But hold on. They only earned the right to go on to a second-stage event, where they will be asked once again to play four of the best rounds of their lives against an even better field.
Imagine as sports teams in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball navigate through the playoffs. The competition gets better and better each step and one miscue can mean your season is over.
In Q-School, one bad hole, one bad decision in any of these rounds can “cook” the player.
So the player has just completed another four rounds of sub-par golf and once again is one of the top 20 players in the field.
Tiger Woods, here I come! Nope, not so fast grasshopper, you must snatch the pebbles from my hand one more time at the final stage.
Here is where the best of the best gather. Players that have made it through the first two stages and players exempt from both the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tours who have lost their playing status.
Another four rounds you say! Not this time. Saddle up for six rounds of the most intense golf one can endure.
One bright spot is that players that make it through to the final stage will earn some sort of playing privilege on either the PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour for the following season.
And so it started for 28 players last week. The low score for the week at San Juan Oaks was 19-under par by John Mallinger of Long Beach. He shot 64 the last day to leapfrog some of the leaders. A great last round.
He and all the others that continue their journey will need that type of round in the coming weeks. San Juan Oaks held up well against some fine players. The scoring average for the week was 71.58. Just a shade under par.
The course was and still is in great condition so come on out and see how you fare at San Juan Oaks, where dreams begin for PGA Tour hopefuls.
Steve Janisch, a guest columnist of South Valley Newspapers, is the head PGA professional at San Juan Oaks Golf & Country Club. You can reach him at (831) 636-6113.
