Tag: Monday qualifier

Teen Monday qualifies into first PGA Tour event at course designed by his idol, Tiger Woods

Dylan Brack continues to do things to impress his childhood idol, Tiger Woods.

Dylan Brack continues to do things to impress his childhood idol, Tiger Woods.

Brack, an 18-year-old from Riverside, California, shot 8-under 64 at Palmilla Golf Club in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, at the Monday qualifier for the World Wide Technology Championship. He’ll make his PGA Tour debut this week at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, the first course designed by Woods to hold a Tour event.

Brack, who started swinging with a plastic toy set at 2 ½ and joined the First Tee – Greater Pasadena at age 4 ½, participated in the TGR Learning Lab’s Player Development Program from age 7 to 12. He also won the inaugural TGR JR Invitational in 2022.

On his personal web site, Brack explained at a young age his parents purchased a right-handed putter and clubs and cut them down since they were still too big for him. But his parents noticed he would regularly turn the clubs around to imitate the pros he’d see on TV. Much like Phil. Mickelson before him, he began playing left-handed even though he’s right-handed.

Brack, who is half-Japanese and half-English, also has some family history in the game. His great-grandfather Yutaka “James” Ihira was a champion golfer in Hawaii, and he counts Tadd Fujikawa as a distant relative.

For a young golfer who has had his share of ties to Tiger, Brack adds another to list as he makes his Tour debut as an amateur.

Ryan Gerard, who earned his Tour card for next season via the Korn Ferry Tour money list, shot 65 along with Zach Bauchou, and William Moll nailed down the final berth in the field by winning a 3-for-1 playoff after posting 66.

No more Monday qualifiers? It could happen at these seven PGA Tour events

Five golfers since 1980 have won a PGA Tour event as a Monday qualifier.

Among the many issues brought up in a letter that was shared by the PGA Tour with its players was the potential cancellation of seven Monday qualifiers. This topic will be among those voted on in November by the Board of Directors.

Golfweek was first to report that these changes were in the works in June. The proposal, a copy of which Golfweek has obtained, indicates that maximum field sizes will be reduced. It has become a growing concern that field sizes of 144 and 156 are causing too many occurrences of failing to make a cut on Friday, and shortening fields should rectify that but it also removes playing opportunities for the membership.

Who stands to lose a Monday Q?

Monday qualifiers would no longer be held at the Sony Open, WM Phoenix Open, Mexico Open at Vidanta, Cognizant Classic, Puerto Rico Open, Corales Puntacana Championship and Myrtle Beach Championship.

The Phoenix Open qualifier earlier this year drew 104 golfers after more than 600 signed up for one of the eight pre-qualifiers. Only the top three finishers in that Monday Q advanced to TPC Scottsdale.

The qualifiers at the Valspar Championship, Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open would survive but would be reduced from four spots to two spots available.

Five golfers have won as Monday qualifiers

There have been five golfers since 1980 who won a PGA Tour event after Monday qualifying earlier in the week:

  • Corey Conners, 2019 Valero Texas Open
  • Arjun Atwal, 2010 Wyndham Championship
  • Fred Wadsworth, 1986 Southern Open
  • Kenny Knox, 1986 The Honda Classic
  • Jeff Mitchell, 1980 Phoenix Open

The Tour’s Policy Board is scheduled to meet ahead of the RSM Classic on Nov. 18.

Mark Hubbard dropped phone into cold plunge, missed deadline to enter Procore Championship, got in by winning Monday qualifier

The first funny gaffe of the fall goes to Hubbard.

The FedEx Cup Fall starts this week at the Procore Championship (previously the Fortinet Championship and before that the Safeway Open) and the first Monday qualifier for the fall is in the books.

Also, the first funny gaffe of the season goes to Mark Hubbard.

Hubbard is one of four golfers, along with Sangmoon Bae, Cole Sherwood and Sam Choi, to get through via the Monday qualifier. Hubbard, in fact, won the Monday Q but things didn’t need to be this complicated as he could’ve gotten in the field by simply entering on time.

“Short answer: I missed the commitment deadline Friday by about 23 minutes,” he said Monday, adding that he “had some technical difficulties with my phone. I dropped it into a cold plunge on Thursday.”

He admitted he should have entered well before last week but said he was frustrated about how he played in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He said after that he “checked out” of golf for a while and that break was good for him.

Hubbard won the Monday after a 7-under 65 at Yolo Fliers Club about an hour away from Silverado Resort and Spa, the longtime host of the PGA Tour.

He finished 69th in the FedEx Cup points and made the playoffs so he has full status for the 2025 season but only the top 50 earned entry the signature events next season. A win in any of the eight fall events would punch someone’s ticket to those big-money tournaments.

Golfer downs three beers before Rocket Mortgage Classic Monday qualifier playoff, then advances to his first PGA Tour event

Bienz, who works for Golf Galaxy, will have to find someone to cover his shifts this week.

One of the better follows on golf social media is Monday Q Info, powered by Ryan French. In his latest hunt for great content, he brings us Nick Bienz, who survived a playoff in the Monday qualifier for the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Bienz was one of five golfers to post a 7-under 65 at The Orchards Golf Club in Washington, Michigan, but there were only four spots available, so off to a 5-for-4 playoff they went. It was Bienz gunning it out alongside Danny Guise, Angelo Giantsopoulos, Brandon Berry and Beau Breault.

But before the playoff started, Bienz, in attempt to calm his nerves, pounded three cold ones.

The eight-hole playoff finally ended when Breault was odd man out, coming up short against two birdies on the final hole.

As for Bienz, he has never played in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Now he’ll be one of 156 golfers in the field at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday morning. He’ll find out his grouping Tuesday afternoon.

Pro golfer Bo Van Pelt even made a plea to Bienz’s employer, Golf Galaxy.

“I have to call my boss and call off work tomorrow for sure,” Bienz told French after his round. “I’m supposed to be there at 7:30 in the morning [Tuesday] and I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Among those who came up short in the Monday qualifier were Robert Garrigus, Ryan Palmer and Michael Gligic.

WM Phoenix Open Monday qualifier features 18 golfers with a combined 32 PGA Tour wins

Only the top three finishers Monday will earn a spot in the field at next week’s PGA Tour stop.

There are currently 104 golfers in the Monday qualifier for the 2024 WM Phoenix Open. This after more than 600 golfers tried to navigate one of the eight pre-qualifiers this past week.

Only the top three finishers Monday will earn a spot in the field at next week’s PGA Tour stop at TPC Scottsdale.

It’s probably too late to get anyone to do a live stream but you’d have golf fans interested in watching because once again, the field for this is loaded, maybe even Korn Ferry Tour-level good.

There are 18 golfers who have earned 32 PGA Tour wins combined playing Monday:

  • Billy Mayfair, 5
  • Ryan Palmer, 4
  • J.J. Henry, 3
  • Sangmoon Bae, 2
  • James Hahn, 2
  • Jonathan Kaye, 2
  • Tom Pernice, 2
  • DJ Trahan, 2
  • Eric Axley, 1
  • Charlie Beljan, 1
  • Wesley Bryan, 1
  • Austin Cook, 1
  • Robert Garrigus, 1
  • Patton Kizzire, 1
  • Ted Purdy, 1
  • Martin Trainer, 1
  • Kevin Tway, 1
  • Bo Van Pelt, 1

Kaye is a past tournament champion. Other notables in the field include: Ricky Barnes, MJ Daffue, Harry Higgs, Morgan Hoffman and Hayden Springer.

The WM Phoenix Open is Feb. 8-11 at TPC Scottsdale.

Held for years at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, this year’s Monday qualifier will be contested at Pinnacle Peak Country Club in Scottsdale.

Monday qualifier Katherine Muzi top 10s in first LPGA start in Texas

“For me, it was just like an eye-opener,” said Muzi.

Katherine Muzi turned pro last June and shot 69 in a Monday qualifier one week ago to earn a spot in her first LPGA event. What followed was a shock to mostly everyone, including Muzi, who called making the cut at the Ascendant LPGA a “holy cow” moment.

Muzi, however, didn’t just make the cut. She shot 73-69-69-68 to finish in a share of seventh and earn $45,658.

“For me, it was just like an eye-opener,” said Muzi, “like, I can play at this level. Like it was just kind of crazy.”

After graduating from USC with a degree in business administration, Muzi traveled east to another USC – South Carolina – where she worked on a graduate degree and finished up her final year of eligibility. Over the summer, she played in the first stage of LPGA Q-School but missed the cut.

2023 Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America
Katherine Muzi reacts to her birdie on the ninth green during the final round of the 2023 Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas. (Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Muzi became one of the first players to benefit from the new Annika Development Program at Old Barnwell in Aiken, South Carolina. To be eligible, players must be a recent graduate of a four-year college program in South Carolina, North Carolina or Georgia or a resident of one of those states who recently graduated from a four-year college program.

Muzi was joined by Krista Junkkari, Lauren Walsh and Lois Kaye Ko as first-year recipients of the program.

Benefits Muzi and others received from Annika Sorenstam’s foundation include access to Old Barnwell’s golf amenities for three years, a $10,000 stipend to help cover tournament fees and travel as well as free housing for the first year in Aiken.

“It’s just been a huge deal,” said Muzi of the Annika program’s impact. “Just by me going to South Carolina, it really opened the door.”

Last year the LPGA changed its regulations to allow a non-member who finishes in the top 10 in designated events to tee it up the next week. Unfortunately for Muzi, her top-10 in Texas won’t get her into this week’s event in China because it’s a limited-field event. Nor will it get her into the next domestic stop on the schedule – The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican – because that Florida field is filled using the CME points list.

Muzi has signed up for the Monday-qualifier at Pelican next month, but there’s also a possibility that she will receive a sponsor exemption.

“The whole thing has been surreal,” said Muzi, who felt a little out of place at the Old America Golf Club with her carry bag. “Especially this being my first ever LPGA event. Like ever. And then I just a happen to be a pro just playing in it. It’s crazy.”

Monday qualifier and 19-year-old LPGA rookie Chanettee Wannasaen wins 2023 Portland Classic

Wannasaen had missed her last nine cuts entering this week in Portland.

Women’s golf is loaded with young, rising talent as yet another teenager has won on the LPGA in 2023.

Five players were within four shots of the lead as the final group made the turn to the back nine on Sunday at the 2023 Portland Classic, but none of them caught Chanettee Wannasaen.

The 19-year-old rookie was a Monday qualifier for this week’s event at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Oregon but left with the trophy after a memorable week in the Pacific Northwest. Wannasaen shot her season-low round of 66 on Friday and went one better with a Saturday 65 before a blistering bogey-free 9-under 63 on Sunday sealed the deal at 26 under for her first LPGA win, the 10th player to accomplish the feat this season.

A native of Chiang Mai, Thailand, Wannasaen last won in June of 2022 at the Trust Golf Links Series – Ramside Hall on the Ladies European Tour Access Series after a pair of wins earlier in the year on the Thai LPGA Tour at the Singha Pattaya Ladies Open and Thai LPGA Championship. She made the cut in her first two LPGA starts in February and March of this year at the LPGA Drive On Championship (T-57) and Honda LPGA Thailand (T-51), respectively, but hadn’t made a cut in nine starts since.

“I miss cut about like nine events in LPGA tournament this year,” said Wannasaen on Saturday. “That get me more confident.”

That confidence showed on Sunday as the teenager played the final round with ease and handled the pressure with the confidence of a multi-major champion. After a par-par start, Wannasaen caught fire with a five-hole stretch of birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie on Nos. 3-7 to take a three-shot lead with nine holes to play. Wannasaen added three more birdies on the back at Nos. 13, 14 and 17 to cruise to a four-shot win.

Wannasaen is just the third player to Monday qualify and then win the same week on the LPGA, joining Laurel Kean at the 2000 State Farm LPGA Classic and Brooke Henderson, who also Monday qualified for the Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club and went on to win the event in 2015. Yealimi Noh almost joined Kean, Noh and now Wannasaen at the 2019 Portland Classic, but the then-18-year-old blew a three-shot lead on Sunday as Hannah Green went on to win by a single shot.

Ranked No. 367 in the world, Wannasaen is the third-lowest ranked player to win on the LPGA. The previous two, Rose Zhang (482) and Alexa Pano (402), happened earlier this summer.

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The Bryan brothers, Wesley and George, battle in Wyndham Championship Monday qualifier

What a day for the Bryan family.

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Monday was an interesting day for the Bryan family.

The youngest, Wesley, is a PGA Tour winner — 2017 RBC Heritage — and has made 14 starts this season. His brother, George, on the other hand, plays most of his golf on YouTube these days.

That isn’t to say he isn’t a stick, because he absolutely is. He carries a +6 handicap.

And after shooting a bogey-free 4-under 67 at a pre-qualifying event at Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda Run, North Carolina, on July 27th, George earned himself a spot in the Wyndham Championship Monday qualifier.

Both Bryan brothers shot 5 under at Bermuda Run Monday, putting themselves in a six-for-three playoff.

Unfortunately, Wesley made it out of the playoff and into the Wyndham field while George did not.

“Well, one of us had to win and one of us had to lose. Well, I guess theoretically, both could have won, both could have lost, six-for-three playoff. Unfortunately, George did not make it through, fortunately, I did make it through. Sorry, George, still love you, but I’m always going to try to beat you until the day I die. In everything,” Wesley said on his Instagram Monday.

Although this one didn’t fall George’s way, he recently announced he signed up for PGA Tour Q-School. Through the program, he has a chance to earn a Tour card.

In four previous appearances at the Wyndham, Wesley has missed three cuts.

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Caddie who Monday Q’d into 3M Open shares special moment with boss on final hole

“It was a dream.”

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BLAINE, Minn. — Erik van Rooyen’s eyes welted with tears as he stood next to his caddie in the interview area.

Alex Gaugert was holding his daughter in his left arm while trying to find words to describe what his past few days had been like. Gaugert’s family stood behind a handful of reporters watching as he detailed his week.

Gaugert, who Monday qualified into the 3M Open, is van Rooyen’s full-time caddie. This week, however, he played alongside his boss for the first two rounds at TPC Twin Cities.

“It was a dream,” Gaugert said. “It happened fast. Monday qualifiers, you know, never done one and to get through was pretty cool. Then the Tour allowed us to play together. That was really memorable and something we’ll never forget.

“I know after I qualified there was definitely a few tears shed and it was really, really cool. And all the support, all the caddies and even the players, it was nice to get that feeling where everybody’s kind of trying to — everyone’s lifting you up and telling you ‘good job.’ It was cool to kind of have the light shine on you for a week, so it’s fun.”

Added van Rooyen: “I was talking to a few people earlier in the week, when we were playing college together, this was what we were all talking about. Oh, man, we’re gonna play the PGA Tour together, we’re gonna room together, play practice rounds together. We get to share that a little bit with him on the bag, but with him playing a tournament, it was really, really cool.”

The duo were teammates at Minnesota from 2010-13. Gaugert became van Rooyen’s full-time caddie in 2019.

Gaugert finished at 6 over for the week, following an opening 6-over 77 with an even-par performance on Friday. Meanwhile, van Rooyen shot 3-under 68 on Friday and sits at 3 under for the week, right on the projected cut line as the afternoon wave gets underway.

On their final hole Friday, the duo embraced, celebrating an incredible week.

“You don’t get these special moments every single week,” Gaugert said. “This game’s hard and it was — it’s cool to share that with my best friend, something I’ll never forget.”

The moment was also special for van Rooyen, as it makes him appreciate playing on the PGA Tour even more. As far as Gaugert’s job security down the road?

“Oh, yeah, his job’s safe,” van Rooyen said. “Trust me, we’ve been through some highs and we’ve been through some lows together. Nothing can shake us, so we’re all good.”

This 15-year-old Monday qualifier made the cut in her first LPGA start

“I mean, it’s my first tournament, it’s the best experience, I’m just excited to be here.”

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On Monday, Mia Hammond was playing in a Monday qualifier, trying to get into her first LPGA event. By day’s end, she won that Monday qualifier and has plans for Thursday and Friday.

Come Friday afternoon, her weekend was booked: playing in the 2023 Dana Open.

Hammond shot consecutive rounds of 68 at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, to make the cut in her first LPGA start. The 15-year-old, who is not in the field at next week’s U.S. Girls’ Junior in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will play the weekend in a professional event instead.

“It’s so amazing, it’s honestly a dream come true,” Hammond said. “I’ve put in a lot of work over the winter and beginning of the season this year, and it’s so great to see it finally pay off. I had a few rough tournaments here and there so just so relieving.”

Not only will she make the cut, she walked off the course inside the top 20 on the leaderboard.

A reminder: Hammond is 15, Monday qualified and is making her first professional start. Not bad.

“I would say for now I’m going to set a goal as top 20,” she said of her goals this weekend. “If it happens to be better than that, then that’s great. I’m just here for the experience more than anything else. Playing on the LPGA Tour is a dream of mine in the future. So just getting a feel for what it’s actually like to be out here is more important to me.”

Hammond has hit 28-of-36 greens and also missed only six of the 28 fairways. She’s averaging 265 yards off the tee.

Now, it’s time to prepare for the weekend.

“I’m just going to take it all in,” Hammond said. “Spend time with the people that are here, make the best of it. I mean, it’s my first tournament, it’s the best experience, I’m just excited to be here.”

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