135 eGolf Tour Players Advance to PGA TOUR Q-School's Second Stage


Chris Gallagher

By Stewart Moore

Charlotte, N.C. – With the Port St. Lucie, FL site finally completed on Sunday afternoon, eGolf Tour players have earned 135 spots over the past two weeks for PGA TOUR Q-School’s second stage, which will begin on November 13th at six separate sites across the country. After claiming 57 spots during the opening week of first stage, eGolf Tour players notched an impressive 78 spots during the second week, thus adding to the tour's overwhelming representation at second stage.

FLORENCE, SC

At Florence Country Club in Florence, SC, eGolf Tour players claimed 18 of the 21 spots awarded at the first stage site. Leading the way was longtime member and 2012 Palmetto Hall Championship winner Brent Delahoussaye of Greer, SC, who posted rounds 69-70-67-68—274 for a T3 finish. The former Clemson standout, who has played the eGolf Tour on and off since 2005, finally capture his first tour win this past February, when he outlasted Canadian Roger Sloan and former U.S. Junior Amateur champion Sihwan Kim for his first win in the season-opening event. eGolf Tour member Sam Beach of Glen Allen, VA had one of the day’s more vanilla rounds, posting one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars en route to a workman-like 70 that left him at 4-under for the week, T8. A veritable plethora of current eGolf Tour members made the cut on the number at 3-under 277, including Stephen Poole, Wes Homan, Chris Gallagher, Chris Baker, Adam Hart, Jon Curran, David Sanchez and David Robinson. The finishing hole at Florence C.C. is a reachable par-5, and a number of eGolf Tour members took full advantage of it in order to finish on the cut line, tied for 11th. Baker, Hart, Curran and Sanchez each birdied the 18th to make it through to second stage on the number. The most dramatic finishes, however, came from Poole, Robinson and Gallagher. Poole, a former Clemson golfer and teammate of Delahoussaye’s, birdied Nos. 4, 5 and 6 on Saturday to move into contention, but bogeyed the par-4 ninth to fall three shots outside the number with nine holes to play. Four pars to open his closing nine did little to inspire the Aiken, SC native, but Poole rallied late with birdies on 14, 16 and 18 to card a final-round 67 – good for a T11 finish on the week. Robinson, the eGolf Tour’s leading money winner in 2008, entered the final round well inside the number on the heels of a 74-63-68—205 start to his week. Needing simply to avoid disaster in order to advance, the Sandersville, GA native played his first three holes in 4-over par to put himself on the outside looking in with 15 holes to play on Saturday. A birdie at the par-5 fifth offset the early blunders, but follow-up bogeys at Nos. 8 and 12 left him at even par for the week. At that point, Robinson blossomed. A birdie at the par-5 14th led to pars on 15 and 16, which in turn gave way to back-to-back closing birdies at 17 and 18 that vaulted him up to 3-under for the week, and on his way to second stage. No story at Florence, however, was better than that of longtime eGolf Tour policy board member Chris Gallagher of West Chester, PA. Gallagher’s 2012 season began in less-than-ideal fashion, with nine consecutive missed cuts that left one of the tour’s good guys questioning whether or not he was on the right career path. Late in the year, however, the Philadelphia sports fanatic posted three top-15 finishes in a five-week stretch entering first stage, and further continued his momentum with opening rounds of 68-66-73—207 at Florence to sit on the cut line with 18 holes to play. A nightmarish start to his final round that featured five bogeys in his in first nine holes, and a front-nine 39, put Gallagher well outside the number with just half a round left to play. At that point, he faced a sink-or-swim crossroads, and thankfully decided to swim. Birdies on 11 and 12 took him to 1-under par, but it was a birdie-bogey-birdie-birdie finish that put the icing on the proverbial cake of a closing 31 that catapulted Gallagher into second stage with a final-round 70 and a 3-under 277 tally.

Florence Country Club
Florence, SC

T3 Brent Delahoussaye 274
T3 Garrett Frank
274  
T3 Justin Smith
274  
T6 Trey Denton
275  
T6 Sam Beach
275  
T8 Vince Hatfield
276  
T8 Alex Coe
276  
T8 Jonathan Fly
276  
T11 Alex Coe
277  
T11 Wes Homan
277  
T11 Chris Gallagher
277  
T11 Chris Baker
277  
T11 Adam Hart
277  
T11 Bruce McDonald
277  
T11 Jon Curran
277  
T11 David Sanchez
277  
T11 David Robinson
277  
T11 Wesley Bryan
277  
Peter MalnatiPeter Malnati

PINE MOUNTAIN, GA

At Callaway Gardens Resort’s Mountain Course in Pine Mountain, GA, David Skinns of England paced all former eGolf Tour players with rounds of 67-67-67-68—269 that left him with medalist honors at 19-under for the week. Three-year eGolf Tour member Adam Mitchell of Atlanta, GA had one of the day’s more roller coaster rounds, posting an eagle, six birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey on his way to a closing 68 that left the former U.S. Walker Cup team member at14-under par, tied for fourth. Longtime eGolf Tour member and former Maryland golfer Bobby MacWhinnie of Charlotte, NC overcame three bogeys in his first seven holes on Saturday to notch a birdie at the par-4 ninth and an eagle at the par-5 11th for a final-round 72 that placed him T9 at 13-under par. Peter Malnati of Dandridge, TN entered the final-round at 7-under 209, bogeyed the first and 18th holes, and notched a closing 70 that left him on the number at 9-under 279, T15 on the week. Malnati, a former University of Missouri, is currently fifth on the eGolf Tour money list with $61,672 in earnings, thanks in part to his win at The Championship at Wintergreen Resort in June. The breakthrough win was one of six top-4 finishes for Malnati on the year, and helped him to secure one of 20 PGA TOUR Q-School bonuses paid by the tour at the conclusion of the NorthStone Open just two weeks ago. All told, nine eGolf Tour players made it through to Q-School’s second stage at Callaway Gardens.

Callaway Gardens Resort (Mountain Course)
Pine Mountain, GA

1 David Skinns 269
3 Andrew Georgiou 273
T4 Blayne Barber 274
T4 Adam Mitchell 274
T7 Jin Park 276
T9 Bobby MacWhinnie 277
T11 Wes Roach 278
T11 Mark Silvers 278
T15 Peter Malnati
279  
Bryden MacphersonBryden Macpherson

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL

Weather effects from Hurricane Sandy caused the postponement of the third round of play at PGA Golf Club, in turn forcing Sunday afternoon to serve as the fourth and final round for the last site to be completed at Q-School's first stage. Former eGolf Tour player Nicholas Lindheim of Melbourne, FL finished T2 at 8-under 280 for the week, while Vince Covello of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL and Ryan Blaum of Champions Gate, FL rounded out the tour's representation inside the top five with matching T4 finishes at 7-under 281. Finishing in solo-sixth place at 5-under 283 was 2011 British Amateur champion and 2012 Masters Tournament participant Bryden Macpherson of Australia. A former SEC “Freshman of the Year” as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs golf team, Macpherson turned pro after his stint at Augusta National, making five appearances on the eGolf Tour and posting a season-best T10 finish at the Cabarrus Classic. Longtime eGolf Tour member Fernando Mechereffe, who finished 90th on the 2012 Web.com Tour money list with over $60,000 in earnings, notched a T10 finish in Port St. Lucie with rounds of 74-71-69-71 that left him at 3-under for the week. The Brazil native bogeyed the third hole of his final round, to fall to 1-under par - flirting with the cut line - but rallied with two birdies and 13 pars to post a 1-under 71 to advance to second stage. Current eGolf Tour member Jon McLean of Weston, FL bogeyed four of his first 11 holes, but eagled the par-5 13th to reach 1-under par for the week, then pared his final five holes to make it through on the number at 287, tied for 16th. A total of 16 eGolf Tour players successfully advanced to Q-School's second stage in Port St. Lucie, FL.

PGA Golf Club (Wanamaker)
Port St. Lucie, FL

T2 Nick Lindheim 280
T4 Vince Covello 281
T4 Ryan Blaum 281
6 Bryden Macpherson 283
T7 Hugo Leon 284
T7 Jimmy Lytle 284
T10 Fernando Mechereffe 285
T10 Sunny Kim 285
T13 Kevin Tway
286  
T13 Jeff Dennis
286  
T16 Gregory O'Mahony
287  
T16 Derrick Bohannon
287  
T16 Sam Osborne
287  
T16 Jon McLean
287  
T16 Jon Mansfield
287  
T16 Alan Wagner
287  

PENSACOLA, FL

At Pensacola Country Club in Pensacola, FL, 11 eGolf Tour players successfully advanced to the second stage of PGA TOUR Q-School, with Erik Flores leading the way at 14-under 266, T2. Longtime eGolf Tour member Brett Stegmaier of Vero Beach, FL made one of the day’s premier moves, posting six birdies en route to a closing 65 that pushed the former University of Florida golfer from outside the number into a tie for 12th at 11-under 269. The day’s most dramatic finish, however, came down to that of former University of Minnesota golfer Josh Persons of Fargo, ND. Cruising along on the heels of a 65-67-68 start to his week, Persons was well inside the cut line entering Friday’s final round at 10-under par. Two birdies and two bogeys in his first 11 holes kept him at even par for the day, but a birdie at the par-5 12th gave him breathing room at 11-under for the week. Persons took his closing round further into the red with a birdie at No. 16, but watched as disaster his at No. 17 when he posted a late-round triple-bogey that dropped him to 1-over on the day, one shot outside the cut number at 9-under par. In true closer fashion, however, Persons posted a dramatic birdie at the par-3 18th to notch a final-round 70 and a 10-under 270 total – good for an on-the-number T14 finish. Persons, a recent Web.com Tour standout, rode a final-round 63 at the eGolf Tour’s Olde Sycamore Open three weeks ago to a career-best finish, then Monday qualified for the Web.com Tour’s Neediest Kids Championship – an event he led through 54 holes before finishing T8 on the week. That top-25 effort led to a start at the following week’s Miccosukee Championship, where he finished T13 to earn yet another start at last week’s Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open. Persons finished T41 in North Florida, and has yet to slow down as he heads off to the second stage of Q-School.

Pensacola Country Club
Pensacola, FL

T2 Erik Flores 266
T4 Blake Sattler 267
T4 Yohan Benson
267
T7 Ty Harris
268  
T7 Mike Welch 268
T7 Seath Lauer 268
T12 Brett Stegmaier 269
T12 Lee Bedford 269
T14 Bryce Ledford
270  
T14 Josh Persons
270  
T14 Kyle McCarthy
270  
Josh PersonsJosh Persons

KINGWOOD, TX

Seven eGolf Tour players successfully advanced to second stage at Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, TX, including current members Jerry Richardson of Cary, NC and Brian Duncan of Mt. Pleasant, SC. Former eGolf Tour members Paul Cormack and James Sacheck finished 14th and T15, respectively, while 2010 Grand Harbor Open winner Scott Weatherly posted a T17 finish – in turn making it through on the number. Richardson, a former N.C. State golfer and winner of the eGolf Tour’s 2011 Willow Creek Open, entered the final round with shots to spare after a 68-69-69 start to his week put him at 10-under 278. An early double-bogey at the par-3 third led to a front-nine 39, which forced the Burlington, NC native to scramble on the closing nine at Deerwood. Birdies on Nos. 10 and 16 gave Richardson a back-nine 35, which left him with a final-round 74 and an 8-under 280 total, good for a T10 finish. Duncan, a longtime eGolf Tour member and one of 20 players to earn the tour’s Q-School bonus in 2012, posted final-round birdies at 14 and 15 to move well inside the cut line at 7-under par, but closed with a double-bogey at the par-4 18th that left him with just one shot to spare. A final-round 72 left the former Clemson standout at 5-under 283 on the week. Cormack, a Scotland native who recently advanced to the second stage of European Tour Q-School, birdied four of his first nine holes on Friday for a front-nine 33, which enabled him to hit cruise control on the closing nine, posting four bogeys on his final seven holes for a final-round 73 that left him in solo-14th place for the week.

Deerwood Golf Club
Kingwood, TX

8 Nick Rousey 278
T10 Hampton Ballard 280
T10 Jerry Richardson
280
14 Paul Cormack
282  
T15 Brian Duncan 283
T15 James Sacheck 283
T17 Scott Weatherly 284

LEWISVILLE, TX

Nine eGolf Tour players made it through in Lewisville, TX, including 2012 members Henrik Norlander of Sweden and Mikel Martinson of Lubbock, TX, who posted T2 and T4 finishes, respectively, at The Lakes at Castle Hills. Norlander, a three-time “All America” selection as a member of Augusta State University’s back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 2010-2011, posted rounds of 72-73-66-74—285 for a 3-under total on the week. Norlander, who played the eGolf Tour full time in 2012, won his first professional title at the Olde Sycamore Open in September – a win that put him inside the top 20 on the tour’s money list, which in turn left him with a free Q-School entry per the tour’s annual season-ending bonus. Martinson, who has played the eGolf Tour full time over the past two seasons, posted the second-lowest round on Friday with a 1-under 71 to vault inside the top five at 2-under 286. Longtime eGolf Tour member and former University of North Carolina golfer Fernando Figueroa of El Salvador breezed through at even-par 288, while Nathan Stamey of Canton, NC overcame a double-bogey, bogey finish to his final round to post a 4-over 76, matching Figueroa at even par on the week.

The Lakes at Castle Hills
Lewisville, TX

T2 Henrik Norlander 285
T4 Mikel Martinson 286
T4 Jason Schultz
286
T4 Derek Tolan
286  
T9 Lucas Main 287
T12 Chris Parra 288
T12 Fernando Figueroa 288
T12 Nathan Stamey 288
T15 Jesse Speirs
289  
Mikel MartinsonMikel Martinson

HOLLISTER, CA

At San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister, CA, former No. 1-ranked amateur Nick Taylor of Canada paced all eGolf Tour players with a final-round 65 and a 15-under 273 tally to finish in solo-third place, in turn advancing to the second stage of PGA TOUR Q-School. Taylor held a share of the 54-hole lead in the eGolf Tour’s Columbia Open this past May, but closed with a 2-under 70 to fall one-shot shy of winner Jack Fields. eGolf Tour rookie Vaita Guillaume, making his first Q-School appearance after a successful college career at Campbell University, posted the low round of the day on Friday, carding an amazing eight birdies in his final 11 holes to come from nowhere for a 9-under 63 that left him at 14-under 274, tied for fourth. All told, seven eGolf Tour players advanced from the Hollister, CA site.

San Juan Oaks Golf Club
Hollister, CA

3 Nick Taylor 273
T4 Vaita Guillaume 274
T6 Creighton Honeck
275
T12 Andrew Putnam
276  
T12 Brady Schnell 276
T14 Wes Heffernan 277
T14 Brett Kanda 277

Due to weather related to Hurricane Sandy, final-round play at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, FL was postponed until Sunday.

Check the eGolf Tour website daily for updates from all first stage sites in week two. For live scoring results from each site on PGATOUR.com, please click here.