Q-School Quadrigeminal: Fourth round moving day
For the next few days, we'll be updating you on how PGA Tour Q-School is going. Our focus will be on some of the big names, but we will be sure to tell you who made a big move up the leaderboard each day, and who struggled to keep it going. Join us, and the golfers, as we try to keep our wits about this whole process as 162 golfers battle for 25 coveted spots.
Normally a golf tournament ends after four rounds, but PGA Tour Qualifying School is anything but normal. There are 25 men (well, 26 with ties) that wish that was the case right now, but that's why Q-School is crazy ... because just when you think you're inching towards the finish, you realize there are two more nasty rounds ahead of you.
That's the case with a lot of these players. Sure, some have played well enough through 72 holes to get themselves in a position to be full-time PGA Tour members next season, but as we've seen with a few guys, especially at Saturday's moving day, a good round can jump just about everyone.
Take Justin Hicks for example. A 36-year-old two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour, Hicks had played three rounds of marginal golf, never breaking 70 but never scoring about 72. He was in a position to make a move, the key to this chess game that is the third stage of Q-School.
What did Hicks do on Saturday? Just what he needed to do. The former Michigan Wolverine started on the 10th hole of the Crooked Cat Course, and made one birdie as he made the turn, posting a 35 on his outward nine holes. Then, Hicks caught fire, making five birdies in his first five holes of his second nine, adding another on his 18th hole, and jumped from 48th to 21st with his 7-under 65.
Hicks isn't the only one to make such a move. Scott Stallings was outside the top 25 when the day began, but his 65 moved him to a tie for fourth place at 12-under.
How are some of the big names at the event doing?
Ty Tryon needed to make something happen on Saturday, but his 1-over 73 dropped him to 92nd place. Erik Compton also hasn't had much success this week, posting his fourth straight round in the 70s to tie for 113th.
