What do you have to shoot to earn a place in a PGA Tour event as a Monday qualifier? You know, the weekly shootout paid attention to by nobody but hard-core Tour followers.
Well, this week, it took 6-under-par 65 from the 54 players who tried at Bermuda Run East. Many of those that entered have local and regional ties. Two of them have combined for almost $40 million in pro earnings.
Wake Forest sophomore Lorenzo Rodriguez of Miami shot 63 to grab the first spot. South Carolina natives Keenan Huskey and William McGirt qualified with 64 and Luke List of Augusta, Georgia nabbed the last spot with 65.
A total of 29 broke par — of those, 19 shot 68 or better. But only four qualified.
Each of the qualifiers has solid credentials. Two are under 30 and hungry. The two who’ve made big money are over 40.
Rodriguez, who has played in a U.S. Amateur, was a starter as a freshman at Wake and had some familiarity with the course.
Huskey, a former second team All-SEC performer at the University of South Carolina, won four college tournaments and matched the scoring record while winning the 2015 South Carolina Amateur. He’s made the cut in 13 of 38 Korn Ferry events. The left-hander will celebrate his 30th birthday Thursday with his second PGA Tour start. Last week, he shot 75 and 76 and missed the cut at the Rocket Classic.
The 47-year-old McGirt is evidence of the competitiveness of the Tour. In 2016, the Fairmont native, won the Memorial — Jack Nicklaus’ tournament — and placed 24th on the FedExCup list. He shot 62 at Sedgefield and tied for 14th in the 2015 Wyndham Championship. His pro earnings are almost $11.6 million. Yet, he still had to qualify.
The 41-year-old List, who lives in Augusta, Georgia, finished second in the U.S. Amateur. As a pro, he’s won twice on the PGA Tour and twice on the Korn Ferry. He beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff at the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open and won a five-player playoff that included Ludvig Aberg and Ben Griffin to win the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship.
List lost a playoff to Justin Thomas at the 2018 Honda Classic. He has made the cut in all four majors, including seven times at the U.S. Open. His career earnings are more than $18 million.
The list of players who failed to qualify included former FedExCup winner Bill Haas, Hayden Springer (teamed with Alex Smalley to tie for second at the Zurich Classic) and PGA Tour event winners Kyle Stanley and Ben Martin.
High Point amateur Davis DeLille shot 67. Haas and Martin shot 70. Stanley did not post a score.
Michael Thorbjornsen, who won the Rocket Classic on Sunday, withdrew from the Wyndham, knowing he had secured a spot in the FedExCup playoffs.
Later in the day, it was announced that Springer and Camillo Villegas received sponsor’s exemptions. Blades Brown and Ben Kohles were the last two players in the field. Patrick Cantlay withdrew and was replaced by Ben Silverman. Zac Blair was announced as a sponsor’s exemption on Sunday.
