Robert Gamez – Syndication Server

PGA Tour Champions dives right into Q School, where some interesting names dot the tee sheets

The names include a Hall of Fame baseball player, an ex-NFL QB and the man who slugged it out with Tiger.

Just two days after crowning Steven Alker as the season-long champion, the PGA Tour Champions started its 2025 Q School.

There are three locations for the First Stage, with two of them getting underway Tuesday. The third starts next week. Final Stage is in December.

Five golfers from this year’s Q School will earn a card for 2025. Last year’s Q school winner, Cameron Percy, finished in the 36th and final spot in the Schwab standings and will return with a card next season. Shane Bertsch won a card last year and finished 31st this year, so he’ll be back in 2025 as well.

Where is PGA Tour Champions Q School?

There are three locations for the First Stage:

Buckhorn Springs Golf & CC, Valrico, Florida, Nov. 12-15
Grand Bear Golf Club, Saucier, Mississippi, Nov 12 – 15
Soboba Springs Golf Club, San Jacinto, California, Nov. 19-22

The final stage will be Dec. 3-6 at the Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. [Note: the WM Phoenix Open is played on the Stadium Course; the Epson Tour played on the Champions Course in 2024).

There are 198 players in the three fields of First Stage. There will be others who will advance directly to Final Stage based on various qualification criteria.

Notable names at PGA Tour Champions Q School

Buckhorn Springs Golf & CC

Todd Demsey, a former teammate of Phil Mickelson at Arizona State who likes to use persimmon clubs

Robert Gamez, who in 1990 as a 21-year-old rookie holed out for eagle on the 18th hole to beat Greg Norman by a shot at the Nestle Invitational at Bay Hill

Frank Lickliter II, the medalist at the 2007 PGA Tour Q School. He played 17 Champions events in 2020 but hasn’t had status since

John Smoltz, who won 213 games over a 21-year career as a pitcher, won a World Series ring with the Atlanta Braves in 1995, was National League Cy Young award in 1996 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. This is his fifth attempt at Q school.

Grand Bear Golf Club

Tag Ridings, who has two professional wins, both on the Korn Ferry Tour, which came 19 years apart

Omar Uresti, who made nearly 400 starts on the PGA Tour, where he played 11 seasons. He qualified for the PGA Championship five times between 2015 and 2021. In March, he had a cancerous lump removed from his leg.

Soboba Springs Golf Club

Jim Carter, the first individual NCAA NCAA champion at Arizona State in 1983. Has one Korn Ferry Tour win and one PGA Tour win. Joined Champions tour in 2011.

Mathew Goggin, who has five KFT wins, all coming after he lost his PGA Tour card in 2009. His mother was a golfer (she lost to Juli Inkster in the was a horse trainer

Bryan Hoops, who claims 19 holes-in-one. He’s one of 12 amateurs at First Stage.

Tommy Maddox, who was an NFL quarterback for four teams, most notably the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the league MVP in the XFL’s only season.

Bob May, who famously traded blows with Tiger Woods in an epic PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2000

Details on arrest of Robert Gamez emerge; three-time PGA Tour winner said he ‘does not remember anything’

Gamez was lying on a medical stretcher after being grabbed around the neck by a male who witnessed the alleged incident.

Details surrounding the arrest of three-time PGA Tour winner Robert Gamez were released Tuesday.

Gamez, 54, was allegedly seen touching the buttocks of an unidentified female victim late Saturday evening at a pool party in the 5600 block of Masters Boulevard, located in the Bay Hill neighborhood. When officers arrived on the scene, Gamez was lying on a medical stretcher after being grabbed around the neck by a male who witnessed the alleged incident. Gamez allegedly fell to the ground and was admitted to Dr. Phillips Hospital, according to an incident report from the Orange County Corrections Office.

Earlier in the evening, Gamez was allegedly in the pool when he “reached up from the pool and grabbed” the victim’s top, which resulted in exposure. Gamez allegedly asked the victim to join him in the pool “and began making kissing faces,” the report stated.

The victim confirmed to officers that she was not related to Gamez or in a relationship with the professional golfer.

Law enforcement questioned Gamez, who was intoxicated, according to the report. Gamez stated that he “does not remember anything.”

Gamez was released from the hospital early Sunday and arrested on misdemeanor battery charges.

Bay Hill is also where Gamez achieved one of his greatest achievements on the PGA Tour. At the 1990 Nestle Invitational (now the Arnold Palmer Invitational), Gamez holed a 7-iron for eagle on the 72nd hole at Bay Hill to defeat Greg Norman by one shot. A plaque commemorates the achievement on the 18th fairway. Gamez also won the Northern Telecom Tucson Open earlier in 1990 and waited another 15 years to win his third event at the 2005 Valero Texas Open.

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Three-time PGA Tour winner Robert Gamez arrested at Bay Hill on misdemeanor battery charges

Gamez was released from the Orange County Jail on Sunday.

Three-time PGA Tour winner Robert Gamez was arrested early Sunday morning on misdemeanor battery charges.

The alleged incident occurred late Saturday at a residence inside the Bay Hill neighborhood in Orlando, where Gamez, 54, achieved one of his greatest achievements on the PGA Tour. At the 1990 Nestle Invitational (now the Arnold Palmer Invitational), Gamez holed a 7-iron for eagle on the 72nd hole at Bay Hill to defeat Greg Norman by one shot. A plaque commemorates the achievement on the 18th fairway. Gamez also won the Northern Telecom Tucson Open earlier in 1990 and waited another 15 years to win his third event at the 2005 Valero Texas Open.

The charge, according to online court records, is under battery statute: 784.03(1)(A)(1), which Florida Statute describes as, “Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other.”

Gamez was released from the Orange County Jail on Sunday. Details are not yet available on the incident.

Contributing: Doug Stutsman, Augusta Chronicle

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Rules of golf: Slow play, a missed re-start, bad advice and even fire ants highlight 2021

Some rules violations hit harder than others, while others just make you scratch your head.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all on the golf course, something else comes along to baffle fans, players, and rules officials alike.

The rules of golf can come up and bite you (pun intended: see fire ants below), if you’re not paying attention. Other times, weird things just happen. Further still, sometimes golfers simply don’t know a particular rule.

New rules of golf were rolled out on Jan. 1, 2019, but most of what trips golfers up continues to be of the tried-and-true variety.

As we get set to close out the year that was 2021, here’s a rundown of some of the memorable moments that involved rules violations.

Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio, Beth Ann Nichols, Adam Schupak and Adam Woodard contributed to this article.

About that 92 that Robert Gamez shot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

In case you missed it, Robert Gamez posted a 92 on Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then got disqualified.

He opened the tournament with a 79 so his week didn’t get off on the best foot. On Friday, things just got worse.

He started on the first hole and went bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-double bogey before finally making par on the 7th. He finished his front nine at Bay Hill bogey-double bogey for a 47. He then triple-bogeyed the 11th, doubled the par-5 12th, bogeyed the 14th and doubled the 15th. He shot a 45 on the back for a 20-over 92 on a course where he earned one of his his three PGA Tour victories.

In 1990, the then 21-year-old rookie holed out for eagle on the 18th hole to beat Greg Norman by a shot at the Nestle Invitational at Bay Hill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2w3l0WZtHw

It was the second win of his rookie campaign, as he also captured the Northern Telecom Tucson Open in his first pro start after leaving the University of Arizona.

After his round on Friday, Gamez, 52, was DQ’d because he didn’t sign his scorecard.

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