2007 Q School in the books
After two 72 hole stages, and a 108 hole final stage, 26 players were “left standing”, and earned their PGA Tour cards for the 2008 season. What an ordeal! The six round final was contested at Orange County National in Winter Garden, FL. on their two fine courses, Crooked Cat, and Panther Lakes. Orange County National is also home of the Phil Ritson Golf Academy. The courses are about a 40 minute drive from Orlando, and are must plays. They are amongst the best public venues in all of the U.S.
Some familiar names earned their tour cards for 2008, including the Q School winner, Frank Lickliter II. Lickliter has played on the tour for many years (over 360 PGA tournaments), and certainly has “game.” But, he also has a lot of demons in that brain it seems, which has made his career pretty tumultuous. Other familiar names earning their 2008 card include Kent Jones, 45 year old Duffy Waldorf (glad we’ll be able to again see those Hawaiian shirts and funny hats on tour), 4 time PGA Tour Winner Carlos Franco, and Jim McGovern who has over 350 PGA tournaments under his belt.
So just how do you feel when you miss your card after this truly grueling event by one stroke? Just ask Bob May (who battled Tiger in an epic playoff at the 2000 PGA), Peter Tomasulo, Greg Chalmers, Bubba Dickerson, David McKenizie and M.A. Carballo. These gentlemen have probably had some long conversations with themselves in the past week. The aforementioned group and 47 other final stage players earned exempt status on the Nationwide Tour for 2008. A number of known PGA Tour names are in that group, including Harrison Frazar, Skip Kendall, Grant Waite, Esteban Toledo and Jeff Gove.
23 year old Spencer Levin from the Sacramento area, and the 2004 California State Amateur Champion, is also exempt on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, missing his PGA Tour card by three shots.
Many other familiar names got expelled from the Q School (ie didn’t qualify to move on), and don’t have a committed job in 2008. Tommy Armour III, Nolan Henke, Len Mattice, Tom Scherrer, Garrett Willis, Neal Lancaster, Dicky Pride, Robert Damron and Greg Kraft are included in this fraternity.
It was another great Q School in 2007, with the proverbial “thrill of victory and agony of defeat.” This event certainly tests the medal of any golfer to focus and persevere, things that are totally necessary for success on the PGA Tour, or any tour to truly make playing golf one’s money making job.
