Locals advance in Web.com Tour Q-School
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 23, 2015) – Over a three-week span in October, 12 sites around the country hosted the First Stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School, and the Met Area is well represented with 10 area players advancing to the next stage in the quest for membership.
Related: Web.com Tour Q-School Results & Schedule
David Pastore of Greenwich, Conn., recorded the best finish of the locals. The 2014 MGA Player of the Year tied third at ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Neb., firing 15-under 273.
Former St. John’s teammates Ryan McCormick of Middletown, N.J., and Mike Ballo Jr. of Stamford, Conn., both successfully advanced out of Firewheel at Garland Bridges in Garland, Texas. McCormick, the 2012 Met Amateur winner, tied seventh with an 11-under 277 total, while two-time Ike champion Ballo Jr. wasn’t far behind at 9-under.
Mike Miller of Brewster, N.Y., finished tied 12th while competing at The Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis, N.C. The two-time MGA Player of the Year shot 5-under 279. Miller also recently advanced to the second stage of the European Tour’s Q-School, which takes place Nov. 6-9 at four different sites across Spain.
Four area players advanced out of The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Fla., led by another former St. John’s golfer, 2010 Met Amateur winner Evan Beirne. Now residing in Jupiter, Fla., Beirne finished tied 14th at 5-under 283. Meanwhile, 2013 MGA Player of the Year Max Buckley of Rye, N.Y., and Tarik Can of Manhasset, N.Y., tied 18th at 4-under. Additionally, 2005 MGA/MetLife Boys champion Sunny Kim of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., took one of the final qualifying spots, tying 23rd at 3-under 285.
Also moving on is former Carter Cup champion Chris DeForest of Daniel Island, S.C., after tying 14th at Callaway Gardens Mountain View in Pine Mountain, Ga., with an 11-under 277. Brian Bartow, another Rye, N.Y., native, punched his ticket to the second stage as well, tying 23rd at Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, Fla. Bartow tallied a four-day total of 9-under 279.
There are five locations for the Second Stage of Web.com Tour Q-School. Three will take place Nov. 10-13 with two locations in Texas and one in Florida. The remaining two are played Nov. 17-20, one being contested in California and one in Florida. Finals are then set for Dec. 10-13, taking place on PGA National’s Champion and Fazio courses in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
