TURNESA EARNS SPOT ON NATIONWIDE TOUR
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (December 5, 2006) - Overcoming a first-round 83 was probably not the plan for Marc Turnesa when he teed it up that first day at the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., on November 29. After a successful season on the Grey Goose Gateway Tour in Florida, a 2007 PGA Tour card was likely the only thing on Turnesa’s mind when he began the six-round qualifying tournament.
But of the many stories to emerge from this year’s tournament, Turnesa’s recovery from an 11-over-par 83 in the first round to earn a spot on the 2007 Nationwide Tour is one of the better ones. After the disappointing 83, Turnesa reeled off five sub-par rounds to finish t-46 and earn full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour next year.
Turnesa, the son of Rockville Links Club head professional Mike Turnesa, improved his first-round score with a one-under 71 in the second round. That turnaround sparked four days of golf where Turnesa carded scores of 70-68-67-68 to finish the tournament at five-under-par. He will join former Met Area pros Jim McGovern and Chris Nallen on the 2007 Nationwide Tour.
Ron Philo Jr., the 2006 Met PGA Player of the Year, also did not earn his PGA Tour card. Philo was never able to gain momentum after a four-over 76 in the first round. However, Philo received exemptions into six PGA events and the 2007 PGA Championship by virtue of his victory in the PGA Professional National Championship this year. The three predetermined venues will be the Mayakoba Classic at Riviera Maya in Mexico in February, the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in July and the Reno Tahoe Open in August in Reno, Nev.
A total of 40 players earned their 2007 PGA Tour cards and the next number of players closest to 50 received full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour.
On the LPGA Tour, Meaghan Francella of Port Chester, N.Y., finished fifth on Duramed Futures Tour Money List which earned her a 2007 LPGA Tour card. Jean Bartholomew of Garden City, N.Y., failed to earn her 2007 LPGA Tour card at the LPGA Tour’s Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. Liz Janangelo, the 2006 Connecticut Women’s Open champion, was also unable to earn her Tour card. The final exemption status for these players on the Duramed Futures Tour is yet to be determined. Fifteen players received their 2007 cards at the LPGA Qualifying Tournament, with an additional 41 players earning conditional non-exempt status. Click on the links below for full coverage of the qualifying tournaments on the PGA and LPGA Web sites.
