McCormick earns Asian Tour membership for 2017
UPDATE (January 14, 2017) - Ryan McCormick secured his membership on the Asian Tour for 2017 on Saturday, carding a 2-under 70 in the final round of the Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School at Suvarnabhumi Golf & Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand. While fellow Met Area competitor Mike Miller closed with a final round 67, the Brewster, N.Y., native narrowly missed the top-35 finish required for membership.
Related: Final Results
McCormick, the 2012 Met Amateur Champion, entered the final round tied for 13th and started strongly with birdies on Nos. 2-4. While he added a pair of bogeys on the way out, he tallied one birdie to eight pars on his inward nine to solidify his card. The Middletown, N.J., native finished tied for 19th for the week at 16-under. McCormick has performed steadily throughout his time in Thailand, registering just six bogeys over his eight rounds of play.
Beginning the final day tied for 58th, Miller made a quality run at earning membership himself. The two-time MGA Player of the Year scored seven birdies on the day to two bogeys, finishing at 13-under and tied for 37th. For 2017, Miller does have status on the Mackenzie Tour (PGA TOUR Canada), thanks to his top-60 finish on its Order of Merit in 2016.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE (January 13, 2017) - Following three rounds of the Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School, Ryan McCormick maintained pace with another sub-par round, while an even-par round from Mike Miller dropped his position on the leaderboard.
Related: Asian Tour Q-School Leaderboard | Miller, McCormick taking on Asian Tour Q-School
A 3-under 69 places McCormick tied for 13th at 14-under through 54 holes. The Middletown, N.J., native once again avoided squares on his scorecard, registering his second straight bogey-free round at Suvarnabhumi Golf & Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand.
Miller's even-par 72 dropped him into a tie for 58th. The two-time MGA Player of the Year is now in a similar position to what he faced in the previous stage, needing a quality sub-par round to earn an advancing position. Then, Miller showed his capability of going low, firing a course record 62 at Windsor Park Golf Club to secure his spot in the Final Stage.
The top 35 finishers and ties earn Asian Tour status for 2017.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE (January 12, 2017) - Ryan McCormick and Mike Miller posted sub-par scores for the second straight day at the Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School to easily make the 36-hole cut and keep sights on finishing in the top 35 to gain status on the Tour for 2017.
McCormick followed up his opening round 67 at Suvarnabhumi Golf & Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand, with a bogey-free 6-under 66 and sits tied for 11th entering the final 36 holes of competition. McCormick's game has been steady throughout his time in Thailand, having tallied two bogey-free rounds during the previous stage of qualifying.
Miller carded a 3-under 69 in the second round, tallying four birdies to one bogey, and is tied for 29th. Miller has been particularly strong on the first 12 holes, playing those in 9-under par.
A total of 121 competitors made the cut thanks to a packed leaderboard. The top 35 finishers and ties earn Asian Tour status for 2017.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (January 11, 2017) - Ryan McCormick and Mike Miller are among 223 hopefuls competing in the Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School at Suvarnabhumi Golf & Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand, where both competitors began play on Wednesday with matching rounds of 5-under 67.
The 5-under score places the Met Area duo tied for 19th, though just three shots off the opening round pace, in a field that features players from 30 countries and includes 12 former Asian Tour winners. Middletown, N.J., native McCormick balanced a pair of bogeys with two birdies on his opening nine before reeling off five birdies over his last eight holes en route to his 67. Meanwhile, Brewster, N.Y.'s Miller registered a torrid start by playing his first 11 holes in 6-under, with one bogey over his final seven holes leading to his 5-under tally.
After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the leading 100 players and ties who will then play a further two rounds. At the conclusion of 72 holes, the leading 35 players and ties will be ranked accordingly for the 2017 Asian Tour season.