It All Comes Down To This

A player missed a putt in the third round of PGA Tour Q-school and yelled, “hope you like working at McDonalds!” There may have also been a well-placed expletive in there.

An entire year has come down to this: the final round at the final stage of Q-school. Five PGA Tour cards are on the line, and the next forty finishers and ties secure guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. The two host courses in Ponte Vedra Beach – Dye’s Valley at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club – have been tougher than month-old alligator jerky. Competitors battled through flood and wind advisories on Saturday and there’s no sign of calmer skies for the final round. 

The top half of the field after 36-holes played Sawgrass Country Club on Saturday and will close their tournament on Dye’s Valley, which is averaging slightly over par this week. The bottom half of the leaderboard will close their tournament at Sawgrass Country Club, which has averaged nearly 1.3 shots over par. 

Here’s the good news for players: the round of your life in harsh conditions catapults you up the leaderboard. Here’s the bad news: if you have to play the round of your life at Sawgrass Country Club, you’re probably throwing punches at a cement wall. 

With meteorologists calling for 2-3 inches of rain on Saturday night, then thunderstorms and 40 mph gusts on Sunday, it’s possible the final round will conclude sometime on Monday. 

7-under par is tied for the all-important 5th position after 54 holes and most players within striking distance of that number will play Dye’s Valley in the final round. Players will have to assume to have any chance of earning the final card they’ll have to reach at least 8-under. 

The night before the final round of Q-school can be long, with more tossing and turning than any other tournament night. Breakfast is harder to swallow, conversations are less inviting, players remind themselves to breathe, and those first swings on the range feel important. When your opening tee shot lands on grass it’s a welcomed relief. 

Leader Harrison Endycott played remarkable bogey-free golf today, en route to 5-under, 65. He’s 12-under through three rounds and has been unflappable all week with only a single bogey. 

On 17 today, Endycott was in trouble: short-sided with a fluffy lie in the rough. A bunker and a downslope were obstacles between his ball and the hole. His flop shot landed like a tired head on a soft pillow and nearly caught the hole. The incredible save was a statement to the field heading into the final round. 

Blaine Hale Jr. is ranked 4117th in the OWGR but looks poised to challenge anyone in the world. The man with four top-3 finishes on the All-Pro Tour this year sits two strokes back at 10-under. Despite driving the ball in the fairway on 18 today, he elected to lay up his second shot on the 525 yard par 4. With nothing but water between his ball and the narrow green, Hale didn’t like the angle. “Five is fine here,” he said before choosing his lay up club. While he made bogey, Hale isn’t forcing anything and his patience is paying off. 

Here are just a few of the players to watch tomorrow.  

Spencer Levin has been affectionately dubbed, “The GOAT '' by MQI’s Ryan French. Once known as a PGA Tour bad boy - seen burning cigarettes, punting his hat, or tossing clubs - Levin has matured and calls himself, “the soberest guy you know.” But at 8-under, he’s high on the leaderboard. 

With limited status earlier this year on the Korn Ferry Tour, Levin Monday qualified into the Veritex Bank Championship, made the cut, and shot 8-under in the final round to win. He’ll hope to recapture some of that Sunday magic tomorrow. 

“I think everybody is battling the same things but this is what I practice for, and this is what I want to be,” Levin said after the round. “It’s all how you look at it. I’m happy with the spot I’m in and looking forward to the final round.” 

At 7-under and tied with Raul Pereda for the coveted 5th spot, Hayden Springer is on an inspired mission. The Springer family lost their 3-year-old daughter Sage last month. Somehow, Springer has found solace in his faith and his game. Springer’s harrowing journey has led him to 4-under and a chance to achieve his dream. 

Chris Petefish, Danny Walker and Kyle Westmoreland, the 36-hole leader, are all tied for 7th at 6-under par. Westmoreland topped the leaderboard today after birdies at 1 and 3, but struggled to find the fairway off the tee for the rest of the round. The long-hitting Air Force graduate said yesterday he was looking forward to difficult weekend conditions and Q-school pressure. Petefish was 92nd in points late in the Korn Ferry season and facing a trip back to first stage, but he had two runner-up finishes in his final 6 events to retain his full KFT card. Tomorrow, he’ll have the chance to win a PGA Tour card. 

No stranger to the spotlight, PGA Tour winner and social media star, Wesley Bryan, is tied for 10th at 5-under par. At the 18th today, Bryan played a saucy pitch shot to a back pin that skipped and stopped just shy of the hole. He quickly walked up and tapped in like a man with complete control. Bryan is ranked 1st in putting so far this week. If he can hit it slightly closer tomorrow, next week’s Youtube video is going to be required viewing. 

Brandon Harkins had a long season on the Korn Ferry Tour and felt burnt out coming into Q-school. He was hoping to enjoy a longer off-season, but as reported by Kevin Prise earlier this week, received some motivation from friend Joel Dahmen and is 4-under through three rounds.

Harkins is a wily veteran with a piercing ball flight that’s well-suited for blustery, difficult conditions. Tiger Woods was so impressed after playing with Harkins in the final round of the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, that he talked about Harkins’ aggressive style in the post-tournament press conference. That was a Sunday to remember and hopefully, Harkins will have another one to add tomorrow. 

Marcus Byrd has played impressive golf this year. Byrd received the 2023 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption to play in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, where he spent time with Tiger and played a practice round with Billy Horschel. Horschel and Byrd first met three years ago at Horschel’s APGA event and the seven-time PGA Tour winner has become a mentor to Byrd since. 

This week, Horschel’s Twitter account is a Marcus Byrd tracker as he cheers Bryd on from outside the ropes. Byrd was on fire today before he dropped three shots in his final five holes. He’s 1-under through three rounds. Every bit of inspiration helps at Q-school and Horscel hopes it propels Bryd inside the top-five tomorrow. 

As the conditions toughened late in the round, Harry Higgs dropped three shots in the final six holes finishing 54-holes at 4-under. Navigating a tricky up-and-down at the 17th and saving bogey after hitting into the penalty area on 18, Higgs was frustrated. He didn’t resemble the carefree Tour player drinking Ocean Spray juice and listening to “Dreams” in the viral video from 2020. The open collar and wayfarer shades were part of his ensemble but Q-school pressure had squeezed out the relaxed attitude. 

It’s been a tough year for Higgs, who made just 13/31 cuts this year with two top-12 finishes. He’ll need to stay cool in the eye of the Sunday storm. Like a heartbeat drives you mad, in the stillness of remembering what you had. And what you lost. And what you had. 

Don’t sleep on Braden Thornberry at 2-under. Thornberry has traversed three continents this fall to chase status anywhere he can find it. He opened with 81 in the first round of DP World Tour Q-school’s second stage, and rallied like the former NCAA DI champion he is. Thornberry earned conditional status on DPWT, advanced through the second stage of PGAT Q-school, and made it to Abu Dhabi in time for the LIV Promotions event. 

On the final day at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Thornberry sliced his thumb open on the opening hole while standing against a tree and struggled to complete the day. The thumb was a concern as he began the final stage of Q-school this week and opened with 76. Again, he showed resilience by firing 66 in both the second and third rounds to give himself a chance. 

Let’s close our watch list here with Trey Winstead, who played the round of the day at Dye’s Valley. The lefty opened with a bogey before catching fire. Five birdies and an eagle later, he rolled in a 4-footer on 18 to remain at 4-under for the tournament and tied for 13th. He’ll be one of only a few players with a realistic chance to earn a PGA Tour card tomorrow as he faces the formidable Sawgrass Country Club. 

The final round of Q-school is a pressure cooker. Hearts will be broken, golf heroes will rise, and dreams will be realized. It’s truly the fifth major. There’s nothing like it.