Journeys begin in European Tour, Web.com Tour Q-Schools
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (October 14, 2016) – As many professional golf tours ready for the next season, so begins the journey for professional players seeking a consistent home to compete. Once again, many golfers with Met Area ties have taken their games to qualifying schools, some already successfully advancing from the first stages for both Web.com Tour and the European Tour.
Qualifying Schedules: Web.com Tour | European Tour
October 14 marked the end of the Web.com Tour’s First Stage of qualifying, which took place at 12 sites across the country beginning in late September. Former MGA Player of the Year winners Michael Miller (2011, 2012) of Brewster, N.Y., and Cameron Wilson (2009) of Rowayton, Conn., easily advanced out of their qualifying sites, in which typically the top-25 and ties advance to the Second Stage. Miller finished tied 17th at 16-under (68-68-66-66) at SunRiver Golf Club in St. George, Utah, while Wilson finished 9-under (72-64-70-73) to tie for fifth at ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Neb. They move on to stage two, where another former Player of the Year, David Pastore (2014) of Greenwich, Conn., is likely to begin his quest for exempt status thanks to his performance on the Mackenzie Tour (PGA TOUR Canada) in 2016.
Deepdale assistant professional and 100th Met Open champion Ben Polland also advanced from the Utah site, tying for 13th following rounds of 64-69-66-67 (-18). Meanwhile, 2012 Met Amateur champion Ryan McCormick of Middletown, N.J., joined Wilson by advancing from Nebraska, finishing tied for 11th with a 7-under total (72-68-71-70). Staten Island, N.Y.’s Sean Kelly, who also competed on the Mackenzie Tour this summer, grabbed one of the final advancing positions out of West Palm Beach, Fla., at The Breakers Rees Jones Course—a site where play was pushed back a day and the 72 holes completed in three days, Oct. 12-14, due to Hurricane Matthew. Kelly finished tied for 22nd at 2-under.
One of the first locals to advance out of Web.com Tour First Stage was Sunny Kim, the 2004 MGA/MetLife Boys champion who now resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Kim finished tied for sixth at Dayton Valley Golf Club in Dayton, Nev., carding rounds of 70-70-66-69 for a 13-under total.
The Second Stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School will continue on Nov. 1-4, when play will be conducted at two sites. Three more sites of Second Stage will be played Nov. 8-11. The Finals will take place Dec. 8-11 at Orange County National in Winter Garden, Fla.
The First Qualifying Stage for the European Tour began in mid-September and included nine sites. Both Miller and McCormick were also successful moving forward in their international play, doing so prior to their success in the opening round of Web.com qualifying. McCormick advanced from Fleesensee Golf and Country Club in Fleesensee, Germany as he finished ninth at 8-under. Miller competed at Frilford Heath in Abingdon, United Kingdom, recording a 4-under total to tie for 12th. New Jersey native Kevin Foley, who claimed the 2008 Ike Championship, joined McCormick in advancing out of Fleesensee as he tied for 19th at 3-under, while 2006 Carter Cup champion Christopher DeForest moved on from Ribagolfe in Lisbon, Portugal were he tied fifth at 6-under.
European Tour’s Second Qualifying Stage will take place Nov. 4-7 at four different sites across Spain.