Hope Joy Golf
  • Welcome Home!
  • Cathy's Blog
    • Tees2Greens Archive Posts >
      • Masters 2020
      • Ryder Cup 2016 Blogs
  • Shop Golf
    • Holiday Gift Ideas for Golfers
    • Product Reviews
    • It's a Deal!! Great Golf Sales

Welcome to the 2013 PGA Tour!!

1/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Posted Dec 04 2012, 12:39 PM by Cathy Erickson
Well, it's the day after the FINAL Q-school process as we know it, and while I failed to keep up to date here (sorry about that!), I did try to follow along when I had a chance (darn work has kept me busy!).  Is it okay if I just get to the giddy parts right now?
 
As you know, I'm a fan follower of all Minnesota Q-school participants - there have been some moderate successes, but since I've been following Q-school, no Minnesota golfer has made it into the Top 25 to earn their card...that's not to say no Minnesota golfer has ever made it (think Tom Lehman!), but we've had dry spell for awhile.  Last year, Clayton Rask was looking poised to make a move after successfully passing through the first 2 stages, but the best he could do was get some status on the Nationwide (not Web.com) tour.  But in what feels like a little golf gift to me, a Minnesotan has broken through and will have a PGA Tour card in 2013.
Let me introduce you to Donald Constable - a former Golden Gopher (and Texas Longhorn) golfer, Constable was the Minnesota Boys State Champion in both 2005 and 2006 according to his bio on the Texas Longhorns site.
 
Constable had to start at the Pre-qualifying stage and then through stages 1 & 2 (where many golfers get to start, being exempted through the other stages).  At Pre-Qualifying, Constable finished at T-11, with the top 37 and ties advancing to the first stage, despite a final round 77.  The Class Club course in Palm Desert, California, was where Constable ended up for Stage 1 qualifying.  With only the top 19 and ties advancing, Constable shot 4 rounds under par (70-67-68-70), with only 5 bogeys and 1 double in 72 holes, to take end place and move on to Stage 2.
 
November 14-17, 2012, at Southern Hills Plantation, was where Constable competed in Stage 2.  At this point in the journey, many current PGA Tour players along with other successful golfers have been exempted to this stage of the completion, and getting into the top 19 and ties is just that much more difficult.  A few of the notable players in the field included Robert Karlsson, Arjun Atwal, Patrick Sheehan, and former major winner Lee Janzen.
 
Struggling out of the gate with a +1 (73) compared to the field, Constable found himself in the bottom half of the leader board.  His 2nd round 70 (-2) moved him up the standings when the course dealt out several over par rounds.  His low round of the weekend came on Saturday with a 4-under par 68 that put him tied for 25th, but only one shot out of where 24 players were at T19 or better.
 
As he had done in his previous 3 rounds, Constable played the front nine under par with a -3 (33).  But the back nine had been more challenging with two +2 38's in his first 2 rounds and an even par 36 in the third.  After pars on the first 4 holes on the back side, Constable carded a bogey on the 507 yard par-4 14th to drop back to -2 for the day.  But he followed up the bogey with 2 birdies on 15 and 16, with the 16th hole being the 2nd toughest hole on the course.  A par came on the par-3 17th and he headed to the 18th, which he had birdied, parred, and bogeyed in each of the first 3 rounds, at -4 for the day.  A bogey on the par-4 18th gave him a 3-under 69 for the final round and a total score of 280 (-8) for the week.
 
As only the 4th group out starting on the front for the day, a group that included 2007 Q-school medalist Frank Lickliter III, Constable would have to wait for the final 8 groups on each side of the course to finish to find out if his -8 was good enough to earn a PGA Tour Card.  Six players that had been within top 19 and ties after 3 rounds moved outside of the mark, and 3 players, including Constable, Daniel Chopra, and Niklas Lemke from Sweden, were able to move up into the coveted 19th place or better, with Constable finishing right on the cut line with a T19 finish.
 
With a great finish, and the help of a few players not finishing as strong, Constable found himself heading to LaQuinta, California, home of the PGA West courses that would be hosting the 6-round final stage of Q-school, with the first round starting on Wednesday, November 28.
 
Some have called the final stage of Q-school the toughest test in golf.  I might argue that just getting to the final stage for some might be the bigger test.  Constable has endured 3 rounds at Prequalifying and 4 rounds each at the 1st and 2nd stages, advancing to the final stage on the cut number, and now is about to face the challenge of trying to get into the top 25 in a field of over 160 players. (Note: I don't have access to the hole by hole scores of Donald via http://www.pgatour.com/ - his profile page does not exist, darn it!, so I can only go by round by round final scores from here)
 
With an opening round of -5 (67), Constable found himself inside the top 10 after the first round.  You can't win Q-school after one round, but going low early can help in case of struggles in the next 5 days of golf.  A solid -2 (70) in day two was respectable, but with so many players shooting in the 60's in the 2nd round, a 70 moved him back in the pack a bit.  Round 3 was another fine 67, and according to press releases by http://www.mngolf.org/, Constable found himself tied for 14th after the 3 days.
 
The 4th round was another round under par at -1 (71), but put him at T93 for scores for the day.  Thanks to his great play for the first 3 rounds, the  71 only moved him down 6 spots for a tie for 20th after 4 rounds and inside the qualifying line for PGA Tour Cards.
 
Constable carded another 71 (-1) in the 5th round, and for the first time in the tournament he found himself 1 shot out of the top 25 and ties.  At T30, Constable was grouped with 8 other players one shot back and there were 7 more players just 2 shots back.  Another 15 players were within 4 shots of the score that was the current top 25 and ties.
 
Monday's final round would result in 6 players falling out of the top 25 and ties and 5 players who were on the outside looking in after the 5th round now holding 2013 PGA Tour Cards.  Losing their opportunity to get cards were Edward Loar who was T3 after 5 rounds and dropped to T32 after a 78 that included a double and a bogey in the last 2 holes.  Nicholas Thompson also dropped to T32 after starting the final round in a tie for 15th.  Vaughn Taylor and Tom Pernice Jr. who both looked solid all week started the final round T17, but Taylor finished T43, and Pernice ended up at T87 with a final round 79 which included 3 doubles, 2 bogeys and only a single birdie.  In Pernice's first 5 rounds he only had 6 bogeys and 1 double compared to  19 birdies.  Finally, Heath Slocum, started the final round on the qualifying number but ended up at T32, 2 shots from qualifying.
 
Those that made their move into the Top 25 and ties included Si Woo Kim, a 17 year old from South Korea who will not be able to use his Tour card until he turns 18.  He will have to rely on sponsor exemptions or Monday qualifiers to compete on Tour until June 28.  Bobby Gates, Henrik Norlander, and Patrick Reed all shot a final round 67 (-5) to land in the Top 25 and ties on the number.  Gates was a current Tour player who had a rough fall, missing 6 cuts, and Norlander and Reed are both Augusta State golfers who won a National Championship.
 
And FINALLY, once again qualifying right on the number (as he did in the 2nd stage) was Donald Constable.  He also finished his final round here with a -3 (69) just as he did in the final round of the 2nd stage.
 
Here is what was from AP writer Doug Ferguson's report on the final round:
 
The list also includes Donald Constable of Minnesota, who had to go through a pre-qualifier and then three more stages of Q-school to reach the PGA Tour. Constable sweated it out to the very end. Needing a par on the 18th hole of the Stadium Course, he hit his tee shot into an area of thin sand in a bunker, found the far end of the green and lagged a 45-foot to within 5 feet of the cup. Facing the most meaningful putt of his life, he poured it right in the middle.
 
How would he have felt next year if that putt only meant a spot on the Web.com Tour?
 
"It's hard to say," Constable said. "Obviously, this is something you're working toward your whole life. It makes it tougher, knowing it's right there and you're so close and one shot can make a difference. It would probably be easier if you were only playing for the Web.com Tour."
 
Constable is a throwback in other ways. He finished his college eligibility at Minnesota a year ago, but stayed an amateur an additional year so he could complete his degree. He graduated in the spring with a degree in sociology.
 
Similar to one of my favorite players, Matt Kuchar, Constable decided to finish his degree before moving into the professional golf world, and they also share the title of being the champion of the Terra Cotta Invitational.
 
I can't wait to follow his journey on the PGA Tour next year and I am going to be rooting for him every week he tees it up.
 
I know this got a little long (I do then when I'm excited about a story!), but I can't leave Q-school without also giving a shout out to Erik Compton, who shot 6 sub par rounds of 67-70-68-71-67-67 to finish in a tie for 7th.  While not having the most standout year with his first year on Tour in 2012, I'm hopeful that we'll see some continued great play from Compton in 2013.
 
This was a fraction of the journeys and stories that could have been told about the journey through Q-school...over 1,000 guys found themselves on at least a part of the Q-school journey this year...whether it was climbing out of the trenches at the pre-qualifying stage, or being forced to play for their livelihood in the final stage after not making the Top 125 on the PGA Tour this fall.  All of the stories will include sacrifice, stress, the highs of success, and anything from a bump in the road to a ball in the water on the final hole to rip the card right out of their hands.
 
Today, Donald Constable was the story I wanted to tell, because we Minnesotans root for each other!  But it won't take too much digging to find more great stories from Q-school.
 
I don't care what anyone says, changing Q-school was a mistake.  Q-school is the story of dreamers...the stories I love.  Congratulations to all of the 2013 PGA Tour Card winners...see you on TV!

 
Filed under: Minnesota, Matt Kuchar, PGA Tour, Q-school, Cathy Erickson, Vaughn Taylor, 2012, Donald Constable, Si Woo Kim, Tom Pernice, Heath Slocum, 2013
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    When I found Tees2Greens website and forum I found a happy place.  There were great people there and in 2009 they asked me if I wanted my own blog space.  It was a dream come true!!  The site is down now, but I was able to get all of my posts to be able to post here.  I will always be grateful for all of the Tees2Greens folks!!

    Archives

    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    2008
    2009
    2010
    2011
    2012
    2013
    2016
    2Putt
    Accessories
    Accident
    Adam Scott
    Alvaro Quiros
    Amy Grant
    Andy Paulson
    Angel Cabrera
    Anonymous Pro
    Anthony Kim
    Apology
    Apparel
    Arizona
    Atlanta
    August
    Augusta National
    Azaleas
    Babe Zaharias
    Back Pain
    Believe
    Benchmark
    Bethpage Black
    Betsy King
    Birdie
    Bobby Jones
    Bob Hope Classic
    Bo Van Pelt
    Brandt Snedeker
    British Open
    Bubba Watson
    Cameron Beckman
    Cathy Erickson
    Celebrate
    Chad Campbell
    Champions Tour
    Character
    Chipshot
    Choices
    Christina Kim
    Christmas
    Clayton Rask
    Comparison
    Competition
    Concentrate
    Concentration
    Confession
    Confidence
    Corporate
    Coverage
    Crystal Golf Ball
    Curling
    Dallas Cowboys
    David Toms
    Davis Love III
    December
    Divot
    Donald Constable
    Don Berry
    Dormie
    Doug Barron
    Dream
    Dreamer
    Dream Team
    Dubai Desert Classic
    Dustin Johnson
    Dwan Golf Club
    Eagle
    Easter
    East Lake
    Economy
    Emotions
    Encouragement
    End Of The Season
    Endorsements
    Enthusiasm
    Equipment
    Erik Compton
    Erik Tammar
    Ernie Els
    Europe
    Excitement
    Expectations
    Eye2
    EZ Links
    Fall
    Fall Series
    Family
    Fan Bus
    Fans
    Fantasy Golf
    FedEx Cup
    Floods
    Focus
    Fred Couples
    Friends
    From The Fringe
    Frustration
    Funk
    Geoff Ogilvy
    Georgia
    Goals
    Golf
    Golf Allowance
    Golf Channel
    Golf Digest
    Golf Fever
    Golf Is Like Life
    Golf Now
    Golf Swing
    Golf Talk
    Gonzo
    Good Good
    Grateful
    Greens
    Greg Norman
    Handicap
    Hang On
    Happiness
    Happy Place
    Hazeltine
    Heart
    Heart Transplant
    Heath Slocum
    Hermitage
    Hockey
    Home Course
    Honda
    Honda Classic
    Honesty
    Hot Ball
    Hotel
    Hunter Mahan
    Hybrid
    Incentive
    Increasing Play
    IOC
    Jason Dufner
    Jeff Rude
    Jerry Kelly
    John Atkinson
    Johnson Wagner
    Jon Sauer
    Journey
    Journeyman
    Juli Inkster
    July
    Junk Points
    Justin Leonard
    Justin Rose
    Justin Smith
    Ken Green
    Kenny Perry
    Kerplookee
    Kodak Challenge
    Lee RInker
    Life
    Limited Status
    LPGA
    Luke Donald
    Lung Cancer
    Magazines
    Majors
    Marathon
    Marc Leishman
    Marketing
    Martin Kaymer
    Masters
    Match Play
    Matt Kuchar
    Media
    Mediocrity
    Memorial
    Memories
    Mental Game
    Merchandise Tent
    Michelle Wie
    Mike Gray
    Minnesota
    Mom & Dad
    Money
    Money List
    Mother Nature
    Motivation
    Municipal
    Nashboro
    Nashville
    Nationwide Tour
    New Year
    Niall Turner
    Nick Watney
    November
    Numbers
    October
    Odds
    Olympics
    Online
    OWGR
    Padraig Harrington
    Passion
    Past
    Pat Bradley
    Patience
    Patty Berg
    Paul Azinger
    Pebble Beach
    Peggy Ference
    PGA
    PGA Championship
    PGA Tour
    Phil Bundy
    Phil Mickelson
    Phoenix
    Player Of The Month
    Players Championship
    Playoff
    Play & Stay
    Points
    Policy
    Potatoes
    Practice
    Practice Round
    Predictions
    President's Cup
    Priorities
    Putter
    Putting
    Q School
    Qualifier
    Queen
    Ranking
    Rant
    Rate
    Refrigerator
    Research & Development
    Resolutions
    Retief Goosen
    Rich Beem
    Rory McIlroy
    Rory Sabbatini
    Routine
    RSM McGladrey
    Rules Of Golf
    Ruling
    Ryder Cup
    Ryo Ishikawa
    Sam Johnson
    Sand Trap
    San Fransisco
    Schmooze
    Scramble
    Sectional
    Senior British Open
    September
    Sergio Garcia
    Seve
    Shark Shootout
    Shazbah
    Shopping
    Si Woo Kim
    Slice
    Solheim Cup
    So-Lo
    Solus
    Sony Open
    Spirit
    Sponsor
    Spring
    Springhouse Golf Club
    Stereotype
    Steve Anderson
    Steve Stricker
    Stress
    Stretch
    Summer
    Super Star
    Tees2greens
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Thankful
    The Classic
    The Golf Club Of Nashville
    The Hermitage
    The Legend
    The Quarry
    The Wilderness
    Thomas Campbell
    Tiger Woods
    Time
    Tips
    Titleist
    Tom Gillis
    Tom Lehman
    Tom Pernice
    Tom Watson
    Top 20
    Top Ten List
    Tour Championship
    Tournament
    Travel
    TV
    Under Par
    USA
    USGA
    US Open
    US Women's Open
    Vacation
    Vaughn Taylor
    Vijay Singh
    Vikings
    Visualize
    Waste Area
    Waste Management Open
    Weather
    Web
    Webb Simpson
    Web.com Tour
    Wedge
    Wednesday
    WGC
    Whistling Straits
    White Tees
    Wind
    Windtree Golf Course
    Winter
    Women In Golf
    YE Yang
    Zach Johnson

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Welcome Home!
  • Cathy's Blog
    • Tees2Greens Archive Posts >
      • Masters 2020
      • Ryder Cup 2016 Blogs
  • Shop Golf
    • Holiday Gift Ideas for Golfers
    • Product Reviews
    • It's a Deal!! Great Golf Sales