Charlotte, NC – October 22, 2009 – This week kicks off the start of the PGA TOUR’s annual Qualifying Tournament, where countless players from around the world will begin the three-stage trek to try and earn their TOUR cards for the 2010 season. As always, the eGolf Professional Tour will be well represented at each site, with a multitude of players using their experiences on the tour to help guide them through the roller coaster known simply as “Q-School.” We will be posting daily results and summaries from each site throughout the entire process as dreams are achieved on one of golf’s cruelest stages. The top 25 eGolf Tour players from each site will be listed in the results.

 

SPRING, TX

First-round leader David Sanchez maintained his lead in Spring, TX with a second-round 70 on Wednesday. Through 36 holes, the Pinehurst, NC resident holds a two-shot advantage over Kyle Ellis and fellow eGolf Tour player Chad Wilfong of Thomasville, NC.

Three shots behind Sanchez is 2009 Walnut Creek Championship winner Chris Rogers of Nashville, TN. Rogers struggled to a first-round 72 before coming back strong on Wednesday with a round of 6-under 66 – matching the day’s low round.

If you are looking for the best up-and-down 36-hole scorecard, look no further than Trae Ely’s. Ely, who sat out for a portion of 2009 with a freak injury resulting from a waterfall jump, has carded rounds of 74-67—141 to sit tied for 12th through two rounds. A closer look at his card reveals that he has recorded a double-eagle, an eagle, nine birdies, 15 pars, nine bogeys and a double-bogey en route to his 3-under total.

Cypresswood Golf Club (Tradition)

Spring, TX

1	David Sanchez	135
T2	Chad Wilfong	137
T4	Chris Rogers	138
T9	Christian Ries	140
T12	Trae Ely	141
T12	Ted Brown	141
T12	Simon Walsh	141
T17	Sergio Acevedo	143
T19	Chris Gallagher	144
T19	Dawie Van der Walt	144

 

MCKINNEY, TX

The second round of stroke play in McKinney, TX was suspended yesterday due to weather. Second-round play is scheduled to begin on time today. Below are the standings from round one.

Stonebridge Ranch Country Club (Ranch)

McKinney, TX

T5	Jess Daley	70
T5	Colin Biles	70
T11	Jacob Rogers	71
T11	Matt Chandler	71
T18	Patrick Damron	72
T18	David Roesch	72
T18	Andrew Giuliani	72

FLORENCE, SC

Nowhere is the eGolf Tour more represented than Florence, SC, where a stunning total of 20 players in the top 25 are past or present tour players. Leading the way is Adam Hart of Blythewood, SC, who took Florence Country Club to its knees with a round of 8-under 62. Hart carded eight birdies and 10 pars en route to the first-round lead.

Tied for second are past eGolf Tour winner Jonathan Fricke and Hart’s brother Luke. Both players opened with rounds of 7-under 63 on a day when any score resembling par left a lot to be desired. Fricke, who has spent the majority of the past two years on the Nationwide Tour, is looking to move up to the PGA TOUR after playing 2009 on conditional status and never knowing for sure where his next start might be.

2008 Leading money winner David Robinson and 2009 Tour Championship winner Matt Davidson are tied for fourth after rounds of 6-under 64. Robinson’s conditional status on the Nationwide Tour this year only netted five starts and $3,625 in earnings. For Davidson, one-week removed from his season-ending win, a trip back to the PGA TOUR has been in the plans since losing his TOUR card after earning it as a rookie in 2005.

Florence Country Club

Florence, SC

1	Adam Hart	62
T2	Jonathan Fricke	63
T2	Luke Hart	63
T4	David Robinson	64
T4	Matt Davidson	64
T7	Kevin Kisner	65
T7	Blaine Peffley	65
T7	Jon Turcott	65
T11	Ramiro Goti	66
T11	Justin Walters	66
T11	Chris Mundorf	66
T16	Brent Delahoussaye	67
T16	Frank Adams III	67
T16	Fernando Mechereffe	67
T16	Peter Karmis	67
T16	Stephen Poole	67
T16	Willard Hurley	67
T24	Ben Duncan	68
T24	Chris McCartin	68
T24	Mark Silvers	68

 

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL

Billy HorschelFormer University of Florida star Billy Horschel grabbed the opening-round lead in St. Augustine, FL with a 6-under 66 at St. Johns Country Club. Horschel, who captured the eGolf Tour’s Columbia Championship in August, suffered a bogey on the par-5 16th but more than made up for it with a quartet of birdies on Nos. 2-5. This week marks Horschel’s first trip to PGA TOUR Q-School after a UF career in which he was named SEC Player of the Year twice and was named a First-Team All American three times.

Tied for second is Chris Devlin of Panama City, FL. Devlin fired a round of 5-under 67 with the help of an eagle at the par-4 first.

Australian David Lutterus, who captured the eGolf Tour’s Bolle Classic in May, opened with a round of 3-under 69 as he attempts to play his way back on to the PGA TOUR, where he was a full member in 2008.

St. Johns Country Club

St. Augustine, FL

1	Billy Horschel	66
T2	Chris Devlin	67
T4	Zack Byrd	68
T8	David Lutterus	69
T8	Jay Haas Jr.	69
T13	Mario Tiziani	70
T13	John Arnette	70
T19	Vince Covello	71
T19	Chip Deason	71

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL

The annual South Florida site for the first stage of Q-School was more populated than usual by eGolf Tour players. Many players from that area migrated North to the eGolf Tour when the tour they were playing went out of business.

Leading the way from that contingent was Hugo Leon of Tequesta, FL, who scorched the Wanamaker Course at PGA Golf Club with a first-round, bogey-free 62. Trailing Leon by just two shots is longtime eGolf Tour player Jeremy Pope of Pawleys Island, SC. Pope, by far one of the most likeable players on tour, carded six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys en route to his round of 64. Pope had three top-6 finishes on the eGolf Tour this season, including a playoff loss at the Southern Open in July.

Former Golf Channel “Big Break” winner Justin Peters and Canadian Keven Fortin-Simard round out the eGolf Tour’s representation in the top five. Both players opened first stage with a round of 5-under 67.

Kyle Dobbs, a two-time winner on tour this season, returned to his home in South Florida and carded a 4-under 68 in round one. Dobbs sits tied for 10th through 18 holes along with fellow eGolf player Peter Wilson.

PGA Golf Club (Wanamaker)

Port St. Lucie, FL

1	Hugo Leon	62
T2	Jeremy Pope	64
T4	Justin Peters	67
T4	Keven Fortin-Simard	67
T10	Kyle Dobbs	68
T10	Peter Wilson	68
T14	Pierre Henri-Soero	69
T14	Ryan Cobb	69
T14	Bobby Collins	69
T23	David Ladd	70
T23	Lee Stroever	70

 

AUBURN, AL

Scott WeatherlyWith a substantial number of former Auburn Tigers on the eGolf Tour, there was sure to be a plethora of players inside the top 20 at the Auburn University Golf Club site – being used this week for the first time in Q-School. An astounding five eGolf players sit inside the top three through 18 holes. Leading the way is Scott Stallings, who opened with a round of 5-under 67 and sits tied for the lead through round one. Stallings leads fellow eGolf Tour players Brian Duncan, Scott Weatherly, Nathan Stamey and Hank Kim by two shots heading into today’s second round.

Weatherly, a former Nationwide Tour player who has played the eGolf Tour for the past two years, returned to the scene of many college battles as the former Auburn Tiger standout carded four birdies and a lone bogey in round one. Weatherly narrowly missed earning his PGA TOUR card in 2004 when a final-round 76 at the final stage of Q-School left him just outside the cut line and in a tie for 36th.

A total of 14 eGolf players are tied for 15th or better through 18 holes in Auburn.

Auburn University Golf Club

Auburn, AL

T1	Scott Stallings	67
T3	Brian Duncan	69
T3	Scott Weatherly	69
T3	Nathan Stamey	69
T3	Hank Kim	69
T10	David Skinns	70
T10	David Medley	70
T10	Clay Ogden	70
T10	Zach Sucher	70
T15	Jon Rusk	71
T15	Kevin Messer	71
T15	Lee Williams	71
T15	Will Claxton	71
T15	Emmett Turner	71
T24	A.J. Elgert	72

DAYTON, NV

The furthest West site in this opening week of Q-School is in Dayton, NV. Through 18 holes, Jeremy Anderson, Terry Pilkadaris and Todd Murphy lead a handful of eGolf Tour players inside the top 15 through round one.

Murphy, a former PGA TOUR caddie for two-time TOUR winner Will MacKenzie, is looking to join his former boss on golf’s big stage next year. “Murph,” as he is known, birdied his first two holes and turned at 2-under 34 before birdying Nos. 1, 2 and 3 (his 10-12) to get to 5-under on his round, where he would later finish.

Dayton Valley Country Club

Dayton, NV

T5	Jeremy Anderson	67
T5	Terry Pilkadaris	67
T5	Todd Murphy	67
T14	James Drew	68
T14	Ross Bain	68