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PGA TOUR: Notes: Holmes posts six rounds in the 60s

/noticias.info/ By Todd Budnick
PGA TOUR staff

•John B. Holmes was the only player in the field to post six rounds in the 60s and became just the fifth player to do so at the final stage of the Qualifying Tournament since 2000. The others -- Steve Allan and Brian Wilson in 2000 and Bob Burns and Ben Crane in 2001.

•Holmes, who left the University of Kentucky after his senior season this summer, became the first college player to leave school and win the Qualifying Tournament in the same year since Willie Wood left Oklahoma State University in 1983 and finished as the Q-school Medalist.

•By the numbers: 32 players finished 11-under-par or better to receive their 2006 PGA TOUR card. The next 46 players (4-under-par cutline) receive fully-exempt status on the Nationwide Tour, while the remaining 89 players who teed it up will be conditionally exempt on the Nationwide Tour next season.

•Of the 32 graduates, eight made it through the Final Stage of Q-school in their first attempt at finals – John Holmes, Nicholas Thompson, Daisuke Maruyama, Jeff Overton, Henrik Bjornstad, Matt Hansen, Michael Connell and B.J. Staten. Of those, Holmes, Thompson, Maruyama, Overton and Bjornstad were making their first appearance in a TOUR Qualifying Touranment.

•Alex Cejka finished second for the second time at Q-school finals. In 2002 at PGA West, he finished tied for second. This was his third trip to final stage – 2001, 2002 and 2005.

•Three 2005 PING All-America players will be spending the 2006 season as rookies on the PGA TOUR after making it through Q-school. Medalist John Holmes from the University of Kentucky, Nicholas Thompson (T3) from Georgia Tech University and Jeff Overton (T13) from Indiana University.

•Ten players who made it though all three stages of Q-school this year – John Holmes (1), Nicholas Thompson (T3), John Engler (T13), Jeff Overton (T13), Henrik Bjornstad (T13), Ron Whittaker (T13), Matt Hansen (T18), Alex Aragon (T18), Michael Connell (T26) and B.J. Staten (T26).

•Nine players came from outside the top 30 through five rounds to jump inside after the sixth and final round and earn their PGA TOUR cards for 2006 – Marco Dawson (T31 to 12), John Engler (T35 to T13), Jeff Overton (T31 to T13), Ian Leggatt (T42 to T18), Ryan Hietala (T35 to T18), Brian Bateman (T35 to T18), Alex Aragon (T65 to T18), Danny Ellis (T35 to T26) and Michael Connell (T35 to T26). Aragon had one of the best rounds of the day posting a 7-under 65 at Panther Lake (Kevin Stadler, 65, Crooked Cat).

•Danny Ellis chipped in for eagle on the 18th hole at Panther Lake to earn his card on the number Monday. Ellis has been successful at Q-school’s final stage in four of his last five trips (2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005). He was unsuccessful in 2004.

•After finishing 126th on the PGA TOUR money list by $2,545 behind No. 125 Nick Price, Briny Baird missed earning his TOUR card via Q-school by just a stroke. Baird bogeyed his second-to-last hole (No. 8, Panther Lake) then came back with a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole to finish the day at 2-under 70 and the tournament at 10-under 422.

•Bill Haas redeemed himself after missing out on two previous opportunities to earn his initial PGA TOUR card for the 2006 season by finishing on the number at 11-under (T26). Last year, he missed his TOUR card by two strokes at the 2004 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in his first visit to Q-school after graduating from Wake Forest University earlier that year. He then played on the 2005 Nationwide Tour and finished 23rd on the money list, two spots outside the graduating class. He had entered the Nationwide Tour Championship in the last spot (No. 21) inside the number to graduate.

•Fourteen players made it through the final stage of Q-school to become rookies on the PGA TOUR in 2006. They will join the 10 rookies who made it through the Nationwide Tour money list and the two rookies who made it via the non-member list and the Presidents Cup Team. The rookies from Q-school – Alex Aragon, Henrik Bjornstad, Michael Connell, Bubba Dickerson, John Engler, Robert Garrigus, Bill Haas, Matt Hansen, Ryan Hietala, John Holmes, Daisuke Maruyama, Jeff Overton, B.J. Staten and Nicholas Thompson.

•Mathias Gronberg, the medalist at the 2003 Orange County National Golf Center with a score of 24-under 214, needed a birdie on the 108th hole to secure his card this time around on the number (11-under 421).

•Ron Whittaker will return to the PGA TOUR for the first time since the 1996 season after finishing tied for 13th. He had been to Q-school every year since 1995, made it to finals in 1995, 1996 and 2005, and it has been 10 years (1995) since he was last successful in earning his TOUR card through Q-school.

•Just three bogey-free rounds were posted Monday, upping the total this week to 34. Two on Panther Lake – Will MacKenzie and Alex Aragon and one on Crooked Cat – Steve Collins.

•Neal Lancaster withdrew during the final round after 10 holes. notas_de_prensa_archivo