There probably are harder things to do in sports, but Monday qualifying into a PGA Tour event is pretty close to the top.
Greenville’s Keenan Huskey shot a 6-under par 64 on a wet and windy day at the Gaston Country Club to qualify for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow this week.
“This is a dream come true,” said Huskey. “It is something I always imagined doing. It is a big step in my golf career,” said the former Gamecock golfer.
Huskey, a lefty, is really excited to be playing in a tournament with the golfer he has always admired, the original lefty, Phil Mickelson.
Huskey’s 6-under par 64 is only half the story. He had to pre-qualify to get into the Monday qualifier on the same course last week.
“I bogeyed the last two holes, but still made it into the Monday qualifier. Both the rounds I played were pretty much the same. I had good ball striking rounds both times,” he said.
The former Gamecock team captain only had one bogey in his qualifying round on Monday. Only two of his birdie putts where in the 12-15 foot range. Everything else was closer.
Huskey finished second to Seamus Power who carded an 8-under par 62 in difficult conditions. Also earning a spot in the Wells-Fargo were Lucas Herbert and Patrick Cover.
While the 2015 SCGA Amateur champion has tried to qualify for a number of Korn-Ferry Tour events, he had not tried qualifying for many PGA Tour events since turning pro. The two-round qualifying process makes it very difficult and expensive for young players trying to break into the Tour.
Earlier this spring Huskey won a qualifying tournament for the MacKenzie Tour in Canada, but the country has almost completely shut golf down and the PGA Tour has yet to announce plans to offer a substitute for players with MacKenzie Tour status.
“This will be the first PGA Tour event I will play. “I’m going back to play a practice round at Quail Hollow, I think with my former teammate Matt NeSmith. I just want to soak it all in,” he said.
Among the golfers who were competing for the four available spots in the main field was 2020 South Carolina Golf Association Amateur Champion Jonathan Griz from Hilton Head.
Griz like Huskey owns a SCGA Amateur title. Last year he became the youngest winner of the Amateur while just in high school.
The 17 year old future Alabama golfer came pretty close to having a chance to play at Quail Hollow.
Griz missed a playoff for the fourth qualifying spot by a shot after shooting a 3-under par 67.
He finished tied for 6th in the field of 92 mostly professional golfers.
PGA Tour Monday Qualifying scores for the Wells Fargo https://carpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/carpga21/event/carpga213/contest/1/leaderboard.htm
Categories: PGA Tour
