Trace Crowe is one of the newest members of the PGA Tour. The young professional who grew up in Easley completed an amazing six month run in professional golf with a second place finish at the PGA Q-School’s final stage presented by Korn-Ferry.
Crowe began the year with only conditional status on the Korn-Ferry Tour. It usually means you don’t get into many tournaments and when you do play the pressure to play well enough to earn a trip to the next event can be crushing.
The Auburn grad played in two PGA Tour events this year and did well. He finished tied for 27th at the Wells Fargo companionship in Charlotte to earn a nice size check, but it didn’t do much for his status.
Instead, before and after the Wells Fargo, Crowe was trying to establish status on the Korn-Ferry Tour.
Crowe, made the cut in two of the Korn-Ferry Tour events he qualified for and had a best finish of 11th.
He missed the cut in six of the next eight tournaments, but when he got to the NV5 Invitational in Illinois he shot a 25-under par total to tie for the lead and won his first tournament in a sudden death playoff.
Crowe added a couple of top-ten finishes and got to the 38th place on the Korn-Ferry Points list, but he needed to be in the top-30 to get his Tour card.
He went back to Q-school and advanced to the finals out of the second stage
Crowe shot a 1-under par 69 in the opening round to get started. His second round 5-underf 65 put him in position to secure one of the five top spots and with it a PGA Tour card.
In the third round Crowe moved up to third and after a rain out on Sunday, he solidified his position in the top-5 shooting a 3-under par 68 to finish second.
After a bogey on the 10th hole let the pack get a little closer, Crowe birdied his next three holes to put some distance between him and the other top-five golfers.
Crowe didn’t need to win to advance, but he played well enough to win His second place finish earned him a full year on the PGA Tour.
When Crowe lived in Easley he was part of a state championship team for the Green Wave, he now lives in Charlotte.
The other golfers from the Palmetto State had to find a different way of deciding what their week playing at the Dye’s Valley and Sawgrass Country Club was worth to their golf careers.
Former Clemson golfer Doc Redman was the hard luck story of the finals. One bad shot cost him a chance to tie for fifth place and have his PGA Tour card returned. Redman finished at 6 under par and will have Korn-Ferry Tour status to start the new season..
2017 RBC Heritage winner Wesley Bryan took the biggest tumble going from 10th to 82 after shooting a 79 in the final round.
Greenville’s Keenan Huskey finished outside the 45 golfers who earned full status on a Tour. The former Gamecock golfer will have status on the PGA Americas Tours next year.
Korn-Ferry Tour conditional status was earned by Winthrop grad Taylor Dickson who finished 72, and former USC golfer Ryan Hall fell back to the 102 spot.
Former Clemson golfer Bryson Nimmer was hoping to improve his status at the final. He finished 107th at Q School, but because he was the medalist at a second stage event he will have at least 8 opportunities to play on the Korn-Ferry Tour.
Inman’s Trent Phillips and former Clemson golfer San Saunders both withdrew before the final round.
Scores from the PGA Q School presented by Korn-Ferry https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2023/pga-tour-q-school-presented-by-korn-ferry/R2023088/leaderboard
Categories: Korn-Ferry Tour
