News >> 2nd Stage Q-School Update

61 Former Players Advance Past Second Stage
 
Longs, SC (November 23, 2009)…The NGA Hooters Professional Golf Tour continues to prove year after year to be the #1 developmental tour in the United States for aspiring professionals to begin their careers. The National Golf Association is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours.

This was never more evident than in the recent second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School held over the past week at six sites across the country.
 
Brooksville, Florida…Former Hooters Tour member Jay Williamson took home medalist honors, while 2009 Hooters Tour Player of the Year Ted Potter Jr. continued his magical season this past week at the Second stage of PGA Tour Q-school. The Silver Springs, Florida native fired all four rounds under par to finish tied for third at fifteen-under par with fellow alum Major Manning.
 
Joining Potter and Manning were 2009 members Scott Stallings, Jesse Hutchins, Blaine Peffley, Chris Wilson and Keegan Bradley.  All told, eleven of the twenty-one spots advancing to final stage started their careers on the Hooters Tour.

Brooksville, Florida-Southern Hills Plantation Club
Jay Williamson- Medalist
Ted Potter jr. T-3
Major Manning T-3
Scott Stallings 5th
Jesse Hutchins 6th
Keegan Bradley 7th
Chris Wilson 8th
Blaine Peffley T-9
Jay McLuen T-9
Marco Dawson T-14
Matt Borchert T-18
 
 
Panama City, Florida…2007 Hooters Tour Player of the Year Casey Wittenberg headed up the Hooters Tour contingent at the Panama City stage to advance to the finals. The former amateur standout posted four rounds in the sixties to finish in second at sixteen-under par, one clear of former Hooters Tour player Josh Broadaway. Joining Broadaway and Wittenberg, were former “Big Break” winner Justin Peters, Brent DelaHoussaye, DJ Brigman, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, Gary Christian, Ty Harris, Kris Blanks, Ben Bates, Skip Kendall and 2009 member Grant Leaver. All told, Hooters Tour alumni took home twelve of the twenty spots.
 
Panama City, Florida-Hombre Golf Club (Bad/Ugly)
Casey Wittenberg- 2nd
Josh Broadaway- 3rd
Justin Peters-4th
Brent DelaHoussaye- 5th
DJ Brigman- T-6
Shaun Micheel T-9
Ty Harris-T-12
Gary Christian T-12
Kris Blanks-T-12
Ben Bates-T-12
Skip Kendall T-12
Grant Leaver T-12
 
 
Pine Mountain, GA…Former Hooters Tour member Kevin Kisner (Aiken, SC) took home medalist honors in impressive fashion with a seven stroke victory over nearest competitor and former player Scott Brown. Kisner started the week off with an eight-under 64 and never looked back, posting rounds of 67-66-66 for a four day total of twenty-five-under par 263.
 
Kisner and Brown weren’t the only former players to find success in Georgia during the Second stage of Q-school as an impressive fifteen of the twenty-three players to advance to the final stage began their careers on the Hooters Tour.
 
The list included 2009 members Bronson La’Cassie, 2009 Most Improved player Joe Affrunti and Bobby MacWhinnie as well as former players Matt Davidson, Chris Kirk, David Robinson, Alex Hamilton,  Mark Anderson, Rob Oppenheim, Chris Rogers, Ted Brown, Kyle Thompson and Robert Damron.
 
  
Pine Mountain, GA-Callaway Gardens (Mountain View Course)
Kevin Kisner-Medalist
Scott Brown- 3rd
Bronson La’Cassie T-5
Matt Davidson T-5
Joe Affrunti T-5
Chris Kirk T-7
David Robinson T-10
Rob Oppenheim T-13
Mark Anderson T-13
Chris Rogers T-16
Ted Brown T-16
Alex Hamilton T-16
Bobby MacWhinnie T-20
Robert Damron T-20
Kyle Thompson T-20
 
 
Kingwood, Texas…2009 Hooters Tour member Emmett Turner (Augusta, GA) took home medalist honors for the Kingwood site after firing a four day total of fifteen-under par 273 that included rounds of 68-67-67-71. The former Augusta State standout finished two ahead of former Hooters Tour member Neal Lancaster.
 
While Turner’s week was impressive, Andrew Sovoboda had the biggest turnaround of the 2nd Stage. The former St. John’s golfer opened with 78 but got through to the Finals thanks to rounds of 68-69-68 to finish T-12 at five-under par 283.
 
All told, the Hooters Tour took ten of twenty-two spots that advanced to Final stage.
 
Kingwood, Texas-The Deerwood Golf Club
Emmett Turner-Medalist
Neal Lancaster 2nd
David Mathis 4th
Brian Duncan 6th
Stephen Poole T-10
JP Hayes T-10
Andrew Svoboda T-12
Nick Beach T-12
Nathan Smith T-12
Andrew Dresser T-17
 
 
 
McKinney, Texas…2009 Hooters Tour member Martin Flores finally got over the hump and captured medalist honors at the McKinney, Texas 2nd stage site. Flores, who has lost three playoffs while a member of the Hooters Tour over the last four seasons, fired rounds of 69-66-66-68 to finish at fifteen-under par 269.
 
Twelve of the twenty-three spots to advance to the Final stage were taken by current or former Hooters Tour players.
 
McKinney, Texas-TPC Craig Ranch
Martin Flores -Medalist
Kyle Reifers 3rd
JJ Killeen T-4
Tommy Gainey T-4
Scott Gutschewski T-7
Luke List T-7
Keoke Cotner 11th
William McGirt T-12
Adam Meyer T-16
Kelly Grunewald T-19
Michael Connell T-19
Travis Bertoni T-19
 
 
While these players had to fight their way past Second Stage into the Finals held December 2-7, 2009 at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, a handful of former Hooters Tour players were exempt into Q-school’s Final Stage thanks to successful seasons on the PGA and Nationwide Tours. This list includes Brendon De Jonge, Bubba Dickerson, Cliff Kresge, Spencer Levin, Jeff Maggert, Tom Pernice Jr., Aron Price, Chris Riley, Dave Schultz, Darron Stiles, Brian Stuard and Vance Veazey.
 
All told, of the 170 players that will be playing in the Final Stage of PGA TOUR School, an impressive 72 (42%) players have started their careers on the NGA Hooters Tour.
 
Qualifying school is not the only way former NGA Hooters Tour will gain exempt status on the PGA Tour for 2010. This past season, 11 other former players earned their PGA Tour cards by finishing in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour’s money list.

The following are the 11 former NGA Hooters Tour players who finished in the top 25 on the 2009 Nationwide Tour money list: Chad Collins, Blake Adams, Derek Lamely, Tom Gillis, Josh Teater, Matt Every, Justin Bolli, Garrett Willis, Craig Bowden,Vance Veazey and Fran Quinn.
 
The Hooters Tour would like to congratulate these ten players for their successful season’s on the Nationwide Tour and offer their support to the seventy former and current players that will vying for one of the twenty-five spots granted at the Final Stage.
 
The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2009 British Open Champion Stewart Cink, 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 US Open Champion Jim Furyk, 2003 British Open Champion Ben Curtis, British and PGA Champion John Daly, Two-time US Open Champion Lee Janzen, British Open Champion Tom Lehman as well as PGA Champion David Toms, Tour Championship winner Chad Campbell and back to back Reno Tahoe Winner Vaughn Taylor to name just a few. In all told, the NGA Hooters Tour alumni have an incredible ELEVEN MAJOR championships to their credit. The NGA Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 golf professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide and Champion’s Tour cards. In fact, 32% of the players that earned their 2009 PGA Tour cards and 41% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the Hooters Tour.
 
For more information about NGA Hooters Professional Golf Tour, check out our website at www.hooterstour.com or contact our Tour office toll free at 800-992-8748.