Q-School second stage: Closing 62s, near disaster, heartbreak
The reimagined path to the PGA Tour continues.
Three of the five second-stage sites for PGA Tour Q-School wrapped up on Friday with 47 players punching their tickets for next month's final stage in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where at least five PGA Tour cards will be up for grabs.
By just advancing to final stage, players receive, among several perks, conditional Korn Ferry Tour status and exemptions through pre-qualifiers for PGA Tour Monday qualifiers next year. The medalists for second stage, beginning this year, are guaranteed the first eight starts on the KFT next season.
There are two tournaments remaining in second stage:
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 – Valencia (California) Country Club
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 – Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, Valdosta, Georgia
Here is a breakdown of the second-stage sites that have already been completed:
Savannah, Georgia
The Landings Club (Deer Creek), Nov. 14-17
Top 15 and ties advanced
Medalist: Bryson Nimmer (-15). The former Clemson standout missed 13 of his last 14 weekends on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. He began Friday’s final round right on the bubble before firing a 10-under 62 to medal and earn eight guaranteed KFT starts for next year.
Headed to final stage: Luke Long (-14), who played his final season of college golf at Arkansas before turning pro last year, also closed in 62. … Brandon Crick (-14), who ended up No. 76 in KFT points this year. … Noah Goodwin (-11), an SMU alum and junior star (2017 U.S. Junior champ, two-time AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year), missed final stage last year at The Landings Club due to illness. He managed just one top-10 this past season on KFT. His final-round 64 Friday pushed him well inside the number. … Daniel Summerhays (-11), the 39-year-old PGA Tour veteran (215 starts, two runners-up) who retired a couple years ago to become a teacher only to return to pro golf. He made 23 KFT starts this year with four top-25s. … Reid Davenport (-10), who ended his five-year career at Vanderbilt this past summer and finished No. 70 on PGA Tour Canada. … Andre Metzger (-9), the 41-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona, native and son of a Hall of Fame wrestler who has worked as a club caddie and pizza-delivery driver while cutting his teeth mostly on the mini-tours. He shot 65 on the final day to advance by two shots. … Tain Lee (-8), a former D-3 national champ who didn’t play after June on the KFT because of injury. He canned a 40-footer for birdie on his final hole to advance on the number. … Connor Howe (-8), a member of Georgia Tech’s NCAA runner-up squad this past season. … Zach Bauchou (-8), Viktor Hovland’s teammate at Oklahoma State closed with a triple-double and hung on by a shot.
Failed to advance: Dan McCarthy (-7), a 38-year-old from La Moyne College who won four times in Canada in 2016 and had been out on the KFT since then. … TJ Vogel (-6), a KFT winner two seasons ago who is most famous as a pro for Monday qualifying into eight PGA Tour events in 2017-18. … Former Vanderbilt standout and 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein (-5). … George Cunningham (-4), an Arizona alum who had two thirds on the KFT in 2020-21 but last played on the circuit in 2022, when he had just two top-25s in 21 starts. … Nicholas Thompson (-1), the oldest brother of LPGA player Lexi Thompson who has 229 PGA Tour starts to his name. … Speaking of career PGA Tour starts, Shawn Stefani (-1) has 196 with two runners-up. … Jack Maguire (+1), who starred at Florida State, was No. 79 in KFT points this past season as he posted three top-10s in 16 starts. … Joe Neuheisel (+17), son of former college and NFL football coach Rick Neuheisel.
Dothan, Alabama
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail (Highlands/Marshwood), Nov. 14-17
Top 15 and ties advanced
Medalists: Connor Burgess and Mark Goetz (-19). Burgess is a 24-year-old Virginia Tech product who turned pro last year. Goetz played his college golf at West Virginia, also turning pro in 2022, and was the stroke-play medalist at the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont.
Headed to final stage: Steven Fisk (-18), who won nine times at Georgia Southern, including six during his senior season in 2018-19, which he capped with a runner-up finish at Matt Wolff at the NCAA Championship. … Chad Hambright (-10), a 28-year-old Riverside City College product who used a third-round 65 to help solidify his first trip to final stage. … Oklahoma alum Garett Reband (-10) has just three top-25s in 29 KFT starts since turning pro as a PGA Tour University graduate in 2021. … Alex Schaake (-9), an Iowa product who this past summer got through an eight-hole playoff to qualify for the U.S. Open, shot 66-66 to advance by three shots. … Mickey DeMorat (-7), the nephew of comedian Daniel Tosh, birdied two of his final three holes to advance by a shot. … Marcus Byrd (-7), a conference individual champion in 2019 at Middle Tennessee who won four times on the APGA Tour this year.
Failed to advance: Julian Perico (-6), who turned pro out of Arkansas this past summer and had been competing mostly in his native Peru prior to Q-School, bogeyed his final hole to miss by a shot. … Benjamin Shipp (-5), a 26-year-old out of N.C. State who was diagnosed with Tourette’s 11 years ago. … Cody Proveaux (-4), who was the 2011 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year and recently had gotten back into pro golf following a brief stint as a college golf coach. … Blayne Barber (-1) opened in 82 before rallying with rounds of 71-70-64. The veteran (105 career PGA Tour starts) out of Auburn is likely to retire now. … Zack Fischer (+6), a two-time final-stage medalist, including most recently in 2021. … Travis Vick (+15), an AJGA and college standout who made the winning putt for Texas at the 2022 NCAA Championship.
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Tesoro Club (Palmer), Nov. 14-17
Top 15 and ties advanced
Medalists: K.K. Limbhasut and Danny Walker (-11). A teammate of Collin Morikawa at Cal, Limbhasut turned pro in 2019 and played mostly on the KFT before losing his card and spending much of the last two years in Asia. Walker was the final-stage medalist in 2018 shortly after graduating from Virginia. He made 15 starts in the KFT this year with one top-25.
Headed to final stage: Davis Shore (-9), an Alabama alum who played on the Tide’s 2018 NCAA runner-up squad with Wilson Furr, who graduated from the KFT this year. … Speaking of the 2018 NCAA Championship, Kristoffer Ventura (-9) was on the winning Oklahoma State team with Viktor Hovland and Matt Wolff. The Norwegian also spent two seasons on the PGA Tour before losing his card in 2021. … Two years ago, Van Holmgren (-9) lipped out a putt at second stage to miss by one. This year the FGCU alum used a third-round 66 and advanced comfortably, by six. … Alvaro Ortiz (-7), the Arkansas product who won the 2019 Latin America Amateur and this past year split time between the KFT and PGA Tour Latinoamerica. … Erik Compton (-7), a 44-year-old with 168 PGA Tour starts under his belt, was arrested back in August on charges of strong-arm robbery and domestic battery. … Cooper Dossey (-6), a former All-American at Baylor who has played each of his first two years as a pro in Canada. … John Pak (-5), the 2021 Haskins Award winner at Florida State who has struggled on the KFT but this year won in Canada. … Dylan Meyer (-4), another college standout. Meyer turned pro out of Illinois in 2018, immediately top-20’d at the U.S. Open but since then has failed to find a ton of success at the highest levels. … Shun Yat Hak (-4), a former No. 1 junior who had a brief stay in college at Georgia Tech before turning pro in 2013.
Failed to advance: Braden Bailey (-3), a two-time All-American at Baylor, was one of six players to miss by one, but not until after he played his final five holes in 4 under. … Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (-2), the most recent Latin America Amateur champ who was a standout at Arkansas. … Willie Mack III (-2), the mini-tour legend who made half of his 20 cuts with only one top-25 in his rookie KFT season this year. … Bo Hoag (+3), who was medalist at last year’s final stage. … Matt Hill (+5), who won eight times, including the NCAA Championship, in 2009 while at N.C. State. … Michael Sweeney (+6), the 27-year-old part-time rapper who has been homeless for periods of his pro career. … Ryan Ruffels (+14), former Aussie prodigy who had battled injuries in recent years. … Steve Marino, the 43-year-old PGA Tour veteran (222 starts, five runners-up) who was disqualified in the third round for signing for an incorrect score.
