News >> 86 Final Stage Participants Gear Up For Grueling 108 Hole Finale

Eighty-Six Final Stage Participants Know “You Can’t Practice Experience”

By:  Paul Warner

             POY Michael Thompson 
Myrtle Beach, S.C.—Monday, November 29, 2010—The final stage of PGA Tour Q-School starts this Wednesday, Dec. 1, in Winter Garden, Fla., at Orange County National Golf Center & Lodge, and continues thru Monday, Dec. 6, and there’s no shortage of NGA/Hooters Tour alumni in the field.

 Of the 164 players competing this week in the PGA Tour’s Final Stage of Q School, 86 (53%) are current or former NGA/Hooters Tour players. That’s over half the field that has competed in an NGA/Hooters Tour event in the past that are hoping to punch their ticket to the PGA Tour; once again proving former US Open Champion and one time NGA/Hooters Tour Player Of The Year Lee Janzen’s exclamation.

 “You need experience that closely simulates the PGA Tour life, the Hooters Tour gives you that. The travel, playing 4 days, 36-hole cuts, walking, etc. You Can’t Practice Experience,” said Janzen of his time on the NGA/Hooters Tour.

They’ll be trying to put that experience to use over the grueling 6-day, 108-hole challenge that is the Final Stage of the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School. Those that are up to the challenge and place in the top 25 after the conclusion of the six rounds of stroke play will have their 2011 PGA Tour Cards awarded and will be present on golf’s biggest stage for next season. All participants outside of the top 25 will have some sort of status on the Nationwide Tour for the upcoming 2011 season, either fully or partially exempt.

And, while many NGA alumni have PGA experience, there are plenty of current NGA/Hooters Tour stalwarts trying to make the leap straight to the PGA Tour. Four of the top 10 in the 2010 NGA/Hooters Tour point standings have made their way to final stage.

Michael Thompson, the NGA/Hooters Tour Player of the Year and points leader, continued to show the form that netted him over $100,000 in winnings this season, finishing T11 at Southern Hills Plantation Club to advance to final stage. Thompson picked up one regular season win and won the Q-School Prep Series event at the Auburn University Club en route to POY Honors. Thompson won't be the only NGA/Hooters Tour Player of the Year in the field.

Janzen, the 1989 NGA POY, has conditional status on the PGA Tour next season after finishing 147th on the money list, but the 2-time 'Major' winner is hoping to grab fully-exempt status with a top-25 finish in final stage. Former NGA/Hooters Tour Player of the Year Will MacKenzie will also be a participant in final stage. MacKenzie, who has three NGA wins and two PGA victories, missed gaining conditional status on the PGA Tour by $7,000 and needs a top-25 effort to regain his PGA Tour card.

NGA/Hooters Tour veteran Todd Bailey, of Spanish Fort, Ala., will also be in the final stage field. A veteran of more than 100 NGA/Hooters Tour events, Bailey finished third on the points list in 2010 by making an incredible 17 out of 18 cuts and came home T15 in the second stage to advance to final stage.

Patrick Nagle, who won the ComSouth Classic, finished the season ninth in the point standings this season on the NGA/Hooters Tour. Nagle finished T18 in Panama City Beach, Fla., to qualify for the final stage.

Jim Renner, a two-time NGA/Hooters Tour winner, looks to continue his most successful season in professional golf. Renner finished inside the top 10 on the money list this season and finished T9 in second stage to make it to the finals.

NGA/Hooters Tour Advisory Board member Casey Crain finished T11 in Humble, Texas, to advance to the final stage. Crain, a four-year NGA veteran, made 13 of 16 cuts on the NGA/Hooters Tour season, but he may be playing his best golf of the year at the right time.

NGA veterans Danny Wax, Scott Weatherly, Billy Hurley, Scott Brown, and Tommy Biershenk all advanced to the final stage by being medalists at their respective second stage sites.

Wax, a 2010 NGA/Hooters Tour member, shot a 17-under-par 271 and took home medalist honors at the Bayonet course at Bayonet and Black Horse; Weatherly, a 2010 NGA/Hooters Tour participant, finished at 13-under 275 to win co-medalist honors at Redstone Golf Club; Billy Hurley, a 2010 NGA/Hooters Tour member and winner, joined former member Scott Brown as co-medalist at the second stage event at Southern Hills Plantation Club; and six-time NGA/Hooters Tour winner Tommy Biershenk, the 2006 Most Improved Player, finished at 18-under 270 to take medalist honors at TPC Craig Ranch.


             Joe Affrunti 
Former NGA/Hooters Tour member Elliot Gealy also advanced to final stage. Gealy finished T8 in McKinney, Texas. NGA member Joe Affrunti, who was voted the 2009 Most Improved Player, secured his PGA Tour card after finishing 22nd on the Nationwide Tour money list this season. But the former NGA winner is hoping to increase his status for the 2011 PGA Tour season and is entered in 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 an impressive list of alumni.

Stewart Cink, the 2009 British Open Champion; Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open Champion; Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion; Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Champion; Ben Curtis, winner of the 2003 British Open; Jim Furyk, winner of the 2003 US Open; Lee Janzen, a two-time US Open winner; John Daly, a British Open and PGA Champion; Tom Lehman, winner of the British Open; David Toms, a past PGA Champion; Chad Campbell, the 2003 Tour Championship winner; Vaughn Taylor, a two-time Reno Tahoe Open winner; and Craig Perks, winner of the TPC, tested their mettle on the NGA/Hooters Tour before tasting success on golf’s grandest stage.

All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour’s alumni have an incredible 12 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped hundreds of professionals acquire their PGA, Senior PGA, and Nationwide Tour cards. In fact, 48% of the players that earned their 2010 PGA Tour card, and 53% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA/Hooters Tour.

For more information, visit www.NGAHootersTour.com.


Past and Present Players at Final Stage:
 

  1. Pablo Acuna
  2. Joe Affrunti
  3. Ryan Armour
  4. Todd Bailey
  5. Chris Baker
  6. Andy Bare
  7. Brian Bateman
  8. Camilo Benedetti
  9. Travis Bertoni
  10. Tommy Biershenk
  11. Craig Bowden
  12. Jimmy Brandt
  13. David Branshaw
  14. Scott Brown
  15. Ted Brown
  16. Roberto Castro
  17. Will Claxton
  18. Erik Compton
  19. Casey Crain
  20. Matt Davidson
  21. Brent Delahoussaye
  22. Chris Epperson
  23. Todd Fischer
  24. Martin Flores
  25. Stephen Gangluff
  26. Dustin Garza
  27. Elliot Gealy
  28. Matthew Giles
  29. Travis Hampshire
  30. Jim Herman
  31. Justin Hicks
  32. Jason Hill
  33. Billy Hurley
  34. Lee Janzen
  35. Shawn Jasper
  36. Brandt Jobe
  37. Kent Jones
  38. J.J. Killeen
  39. Jeff Klauk
  40. Jason Kokrak
  41. Grant Leaver
  42. Tyler Leon
  43. Michael Letzig
  44. Edward Loar
  45. Brock MacKenzie
  46. Will MacKenzie
  47. Ben Martin
  48. Scott McCarron
  49. William McGirt
  50. George McNeill
  51. Matt McQuillan
  52. Garth Mulory
  53. Patrick Nagle
  54. James Nitties
  55. Eric Onesi
  56. Blake Parks
  57. Scott Piercy
  58. Aron Price
  59. Clayton Rask
  60. Jim Renner
  61. John Riegger
  62. David Robinson
  63. Alexandre Rocha
  64. Mike Ruiz
  65. James Sacheck
  66. Jason Schultz
  67. Michael Sims
  68. Nathan Smith
  69. Scott Stallings
  70. B.J. Staten
  71. Darron Stiles
  72. Will Strickler
  73. Zach Sucher
  74. Brett Swedberg
  75. Michael Thompson
  76. Chris Tidland
  77. Blake Trimble
  78. Ty Tryon
  79. Martin Ureta
  80. Dawie Van der Walt
  81. Brian Vranesh
  82. Danny Wax
  83. Scott Weatherly
  84. Ron Whittaker
  85. Daniel Woltman
  86. Gary Woodland