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Post by misternic on Nov 30, 2014 15:38:11 GMT -5
Mount Yeti – As the sun sets on the Mount Yeti Golf Links, excitement is slowly building around the 2014 Q-School field. Many of the almost 700 golfers have already arrived, and the crowd is beginning to gather for the kickoff of Q-School tomorrow morning. What’s at stake? For some this tournament will be no more than a warm up for the PGA (or European Tour), for others this will be the start of a daily and weekly grind to survive as a professional golfer.
“We have a lot of amazing talent gathered in one place for the first time”, said Scott Doyley. “Normally we allocate only a few places on the tour each year. This year it is a fantasy draft of talent with hundreds of spots up for grabs.” Who those “hundreds” will be will be determined over the next couple of weeks.
With this large number of participants of all skill levels, the goals will vary from player to player. Unlike most tournaments, the 125th, 250th, and 450th spots may be more important than the top 10. With 250 players (plus ties) qualifying for the top PGA leagues, the race will be on to avoid the big number and drop enough putts to keep that dream alive.
The stories are as varied as the swings as backgrounds collide on the course starting tomorrow. Certainly college players and professional players abound in the locker room. But you are just as likely to see a group of insurance agents, construction workers or IT professionals hoping to start a new profession in January with a PGA card. One players resume was rumored to include “circus juggler”.
Certainly the next few days will be key to many hoping to make the PGA tour, but it will take a couple of weeks to determine the allocation of the players. As we progress we are sure to find many more stories of triumph and tragedy as one stroke will be the difference for many of those gathered here at Mount Yeti Golf Links. Join TGCTOUR: Live at Q-School as we share these stories with you over the next two weeks.
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Post by karma4u on Dec 1, 2014 0:04:43 GMT -5
nice job......
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Post by misternic on Dec 1, 2014 15:58:31 GMT -5
Mount Yeti - Monday 12/1 - The morning kicked off in aggressive fashion with the field anxious to get out on the course. Currently on day one we have seen scorecards for over 25% of the field. While there are certainly premier rounds to be had (12 scores -10 or better), the real focus will be the middle of the pack in this field. As Q-School is a sprint to a PGA card, the first round can be a real barometer on how individuals will stand after 14 days of tribulation.
If the small sample of players I have gotten to talk to is any indication, it is going to be a stressful tournament for the masses. Lots of head shaking, "what if's" and talk of renewed focus coming out of the press tent after round 1. After a quarter of the field hits the scorer’s tent, where do things stand for a PGA/Euro card (250th place)?
Currently the field is set at 708 participants. While several additional players may show up to give it a go, some will certainly miss the tournament due to travel issues and inclement weather. If 625 players tee it up during Q-School, the top 40% will qualify for PGA/European Tour cards. That puts our current "cut" line at -4 (tied for 61st). While that number is certain to move throughout the next few weeks it does add some humanity to the quest to become a professional golfer at the highest level.
One such story belongs to Kevin O’Neall who expects to be in the top 250, if just barely. Kevin started slower than expected, and posted a -3 one shot outside the current projected “cut” of 250. Will he have to forever face the missed putts early on, or can he find his rhythm in the upcoming rounds?
Or Chris Burger who expected to be close to the line after his first day’s work. Chris found a new gear and posted a staggering -9 to ease his stress levels over the next few rounds. Certainly as the rounds build so will the stress, but this reporter is looking forward to getting to the stories behind the scores as one stroke, one putt, or one bounce will be the difference for those living on the edge of qualification.
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Post by djdavefl on Dec 1, 2014 16:53:18 GMT -5
Misternic:
Having been fortunate back in the mid 1980's as young sports reported to have had the privilege of interviewing the greats of the game, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, Palmer, Watson and others while covering the annual Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour. I must give you props for your complete and insightful coverage of Q-School.
My Tee-Time is scheduled for later today weather permitting, as I begin my quest for what I hope will be my Web.com card.
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Post by Knock25Out on Dec 1, 2014 17:07:31 GMT -5
Mount Yeti - Monday 12/1 - The morning kicked off in aggressive fashion with the field anxious to get out on the course. Currently on day one we have seen scorecards for over 25% of the field. While there are certainly premier rounds to be had (12 scores -10 or better), the real focus will be the middle of the pack in this field. As Q-School is a sprint to a PGA card, the first round can be a real barometer on how individuals will stand after 14 days of tribulation. If the small sample of players I have gotten to talk to is any indication, it is going to be a stressful tournament for the masses. Lots of head shaking, "what if's" and talk of renewed focus coming out of the press tent after round 1. After a quarter of the field hits the scorer’s tent, where do things stand for a PGA/Euro card (250th place)? Currently the field is set at 708 participants. While several additional players may show up to give it a go, some will certainly miss the tournament due to travel issues and inclement weather. If 625 players tee it up during Q-School, the top 40% will qualify for PGA/European Tour cards. That puts our current "cut" line at -4 (tied for 61st). While that number is certain to move throughout the next few weeks it does add some humanity to the quest to become a professional golfer at the highest level. One such story belongs to Kevin O’Neall who expects to be in the top 250, if just barely. Kevin started slower than expected, and posted a -3 one shot outside the current projected “cut” of 250. Will he have to forever face the missed putts early on, or can he find his rhythm in the upcoming rounds? Or Dale Burger who expected to be close to the line after his first day’s work. Dale found a new gear and posted a staggering -12 to ease his stress levels over the next few rounds. Certainly as the rounds build so will the stress, but this reporter is looking forward to getting to the stories behind the scores as one stroke, one putt, or one bounce will be the difference for those living on the edge of qualification. I hate to spoil what surely would have been a captivating comeback story but I fear I may be on the outside looking in on the tours, Im hoping that many top players are already out on the course and gale force winds come for the next two weeks.I am hoping to sneak in, but I think I will be Web.com, but I might actually get to compete for some titles there so not all bad.
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Post by misternic on Dec 1, 2014 17:32:23 GMT -5
Misternic: Having been fortunate back in the mid 1980's as young sports reported to have had the privilege of interviewing the greats of the game, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, Palmer, Watson and others while covering the annual Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour. I must give you props for your complete and insightful coverage of Q-School. My Tee-Time is scheduled for later today weather permitting, as I begin my quest for what I hope will be my Web.com card. Having gone to school for journalism, and ending up with a Communications - Broadcasting degree I can honestly say, when you narrate the story to your liking without too many facts, reporting is a lot easier.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2014 17:45:13 GMT -5
nice shooting steve and your -55 total.
just dropped in my last hole at crawford (that double bogey did not help, thanks water) so im 13 strokes off steve's lead (pc) with a -42
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Post by firstblitzer on Dec 1, 2014 18:33:15 GMT -5
Mount Yeti - Monday 12/1 - The morning kicked off in aggressive fashion with the field anxious to get out on the course. Currently on day one we have seen scorecards for over 25% of the field. While there are certainly premier rounds to be had (12 scores -10 or better), the real focus will be the middle of the pack in this field. As Q-School is a sprint to a PGA card, the first round can be a real barometer on how individuals will stand after 14 days of tribulation. If the small sample of players I have gotten to talk to is any indication, it is going to be a stressful tournament for the masses. Lots of head shaking, "what if's" and talk of renewed focus coming out of the press tent after round 1. After a quarter of the field hits the scorer’s tent, where do things stand for a PGA/Euro card (250th place)? Currently the field is set at 708 participants. While several additional players may show up to give it a go, some will certainly miss the tournament due to travel issues and inclement weather. If 625 players tee it up during Q-School, the top 40% will qualify for PGA/European Tour cards. That puts our current "cut" line at -4 (tied for 61st). While that number is certain to move throughout the next few weeks it does add some humanity to the quest to become a professional golfer at the highest level. One such story belongs to Kevin O’Neall who expects to be in the top 250, if just barely. Kevin started slower than expected, and posted a -3 one shot outside the current projected “cut” of 250. Will he have to forever face the missed putts early on, or can he find his rhythm in the upcoming rounds? Or Dale Burger who expected to be close to the line after his first day’s work. Dale found a new gear and posted a staggering -12 to ease his stress levels over the next few rounds. Certainly as the rounds build so will the stress, but this reporter is looking forward to getting to the stories behind the scores as one stroke, one putt, or one bounce will be the difference for those living on the edge of qualification. Please layoff the dale burger hoping to just qualify for a pga tour card hyperbole, he is one of the elite players in this game and will finish in the top 5 , of either top tour he chooses to play in.
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Post by misternic on Dec 1, 2014 21:08:08 GMT -5
Guys - lets use the press tent for feedback on your rounds or congratulatory updates. I will be updating this link with a daily article "Live at Q-School". Enjoy
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Post by misternic on Dec 2, 2014 15:16:25 GMT -5
Mount Yeti - Tuesday 12/2 - The roster of players parading through Mount Yeti has not slowed much as we enter day 2. Currently 341 players have passed through the scorers tent with the top score of -13 holding strong. But much like an aged man who has consumed too much beer, the real story is what is happening in the middle. It appears that many of the top players crowded onto the course during yesterday's festivities, leaving more of the grinders and hackers to come. Because of this the projected cut (40th percentile) has now dropped to -3 for the first round. Currently the top 136 and ties would qualify for a PGA/European card (top 250). Factor the courses appear to be backloaded with difficulty and that cut line could drop further as we progress.
I suspect that many of the players squeaking into the top 250 will have one "bad" round where they struggle to make par (or even worse). If that is the case, it certainly leaves almost the entire field still in the running. We will certainly know more as the players round two scores are completed later today, but dont necessary expect the initial posted scores to be a final predictor of the cut line as history tells us the grinders may wait to post.
In other statistical news, the US currently leads the field in participants, with 181 (53%)
united-states-of-america 181 united-kingdom 84 canada 26 australia 14 germany and Ireland 7 south-africa 4 italy and Spain 3 sweden, austria, & netherlands 2 argentina, afghanistan, denmark switzerland, brazil, czech-republic 1 each
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2014 15:28:28 GMT -5
Great thread! I'm loving the focus on the drama of the cut line. The scores at the top are certainly staggering, but they are also almost incomprehensible (for the more casual players like me). Those of us in the middle of the pack are scratching and clawing to shave just a single stroke off our score and it is hard going with the surprising amount of pressure. I can't even imagine shooting a score more than 10 strokes under par in one round. Amazing! Keep up the great work Nic. This is a fun read throughout the day in the office counting down the hours until I get home and squander away my hopes at a PGA Tour card!
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fljon
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 119
TGCT Name: Jon Surguine
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Post by fljon on Dec 2, 2014 17:03:29 GMT -5
Love this thread! Well written misternic! This woke me up a bit as I am currently at -2 after a mediocre round one on a windy Mt Yeti. Need a solid round tonight in round 2!!
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Post by misternic on Dec 3, 2014 14:10:22 GMT -5
Mount Yeti - Wednesday 12/3 - Statistical Summary - With many of the players moving on to Whispering Pines and reports of scores pouring in from the 2nd stop in Q School, we take a moment to look at the numbers from Round 1. While certainly quite a few more players have yet to make their mark at Mount Yeti (this reporter included), over 400 already have signed that first of 6 scorecards.
412 Signed Scorecards from Round 1. If we get to 625 that means 40% will qualify for the top leagues. It should be noted I am aiming high in order to not burst any bubbles prematurely in relation to the cut. Over the last 48 hours the cut line has slowly been getting higher. It started out at -4 during the first morning, settled into -3 all day yesterday and is just over -3 counting only round 1 scores. As a matter of fact if 3 more players play and shoot -2 or worse, the cut will have dropped to -2 for round one scores. It could go even higher if the attendance does not eclipse 600 participants.
Of the 412 round 1 scorecards, already 79% have moved on and recorded a round 2 scorecard. Round 1 has produced a scoring average of 71.7 (so far) while round 2 is currently lower at 70.1. Both are par 72 tracks. For those of your still franticly tracking your place in the middle, -6 is the projected cut line after 2 rounds (assuming players not yet to play match their round 1 performances).
Aussie Rob Dallas has one of the most impressive changes of momentum through two rounds, shooting 73-60 to get himself to -11. 4 shots out of the projected cut to 5 shots to the good. While 4 others players had bigger jumps in round 2 (vs round 1), his may be the most consequential. Jim Steele may be the other side of that coin, going 65-76 to go from in by 4 to out by 3 (so far). Certainly a long way to go, but each round tells its own story.
I noted in a previous article that top players appear to be more eager to get out early. Statistically that is further substantiated in the round 2 signed scorecards. Of the Round 1 best scores 28 out of 30 have already posted round 2 (92%). 83% of the top 100 have posted (compared to 79% overall). So expect the cut line to continuously become more inclusive. I also suspect that more middle of the pack (or worse) players have yet to give Mount Yeti a go further enhancing the bubble.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2014 14:15:50 GMT -5
More great work Nic! The statistical look at things is much appreciated.
I've been looking forward to this all day today at work.
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snapdecks
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TGCT Name: Wayne Decks
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Post by snapdecks on Dec 4, 2014 13:05:00 GMT -5
This is excellent reading. Glad you're posting this, my guesses of cut were way off so far.
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