PGA GOLF
McLachlin earns PGA Tour card
The Punahou graduate ties for 16th at Q-school
From staff and wire reports
LA QUINTA, Calif. » Winning $25,000 was a secondary highlight for Parker McLachlin yesterday.
The Punahou graduate will take the check, but, by far, the more valuable piece of paper he won entitlement to yesterday is a PGA Tour card.
McLachlin, the 1996 Hawaii high school champion, shot a 1-under-par 71 on the PGA West's Stadium Course in the final round of the Tour's Q-school tournament. He finished in a tie for 16th place with a six-round total of 11-under 421.
"I'm just kind of winding down," McLachlin said last night in a phone interview. "My wife (Kristy) and I are just trying to enjoy a quiet night together. It's been a long week, man. It's finally starting to hit me.
"It was really just keeping your head down for eight straight days, focused on this one goal, constantly thinking about your next shot and next shot and next shot. When I finished today, my thought was about the next shot, and there is no next shot.
"It's been a lot of hard work and it's finally paying off."
McLachlin doesn't know where his first PGA Tour tournament as a full-fledged tour member will be. He's ranked 37th out of the 61 golfers who earned their cards either through the Nationwide Tour or Q-school.
"My next competitive event hopefully will be the Sony Open (at Waialae Country Club in January)," McLachlin said. "Only those ranked in the high teens (from Nationwide and Q-school) get into the Sony, but I'm hoping I might be able to get one of the two sponsor's exemptions (given to the new tour members)."
After finishing his round yesterday and talking to the media personnel on hand, McLachlin looked at his cell phone and noticed he had 52 missed calls.
"That kind of told me that this was something pretty unique," he said.
He spoke with his father, Chris McLachlin, last night.
"He's ecstatic," Parker McLachlin said. "He's more of a kid in a candy store than I am. I was in the trenches, so to speak. He was probably living and dying on every shot."
Without a doubt, his parents were overjoyed.
"I am really, really happy for him. His mom (Beth) is really happy for him," Chris McLachlin said. "We're just thrilled that he's been chasing this dream since he was 8 years old and it finally came true. This is a life-changing event.
"People don't realize how difficult it is. It's not just a fun round of golf. Trying to make the PGA Tour through Q-school is very stressful. It's the six toughest rounds of golf on three of the most difficult closing holes on any golf course in America. You put all those things together and you realize it's quite an accomplishment to finish in the top 30. So, yeah, we're very proud of him."
McLachlin, who played on the Nationwide Tour this year, was coming off a solid performance at the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational, where he tied for third last month.
"The best part of my game was the short game this week," McLachlin said. "I chipped and putted really well and that's usually the strong point of my game. I hit it well enough to give myself chances to make birdies and I got up and down when I needed to."
Medalist George McNeill closed with a 5-under 67 on the Stadium course, his fifth consecutive round in the 60s at one of the toughest tournaments in golf, giving him a five-shot victory over Robert Garrigus.
McNeill earned $50,000 and will be at the top of the list among the 61 players who earned their cards through the Nationwide Tour or Q-school.
The top 30 and ties at Q-school earned cards, and 12 players tied for 29th at 8 under.
With the PGA Tour embarking on its new FedExCup points competition, it might be tougher for newcomers to get into tournaments.
"I didn't feel like it was easy at any time, even today," said McNeill, who finished at 23-under 409. "I knew I was a shoo-in to get through, especially after nine holes. But I still wanted to keep pressing on."
He had given up on Q-school after failing for the eighth time, and took a job as an assistant pro at Forest Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla. But his heart was in tournament golf, so McNeill quit last year and decided to give it one more try.
"I'm ready to see what I can do," he said.
For so many other players, the sixth and final round was a nail-biter. There were a few collapses, but all that did was allow the cutoff to fall one stroke lower at 8 under.
Even then, a half-dozen players had to sweat it out on the 18th hole.
Jonathan Kaye, a two-time PGA Tour winner, holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole to finish at 8 under. The cutoff was 9 under at the time, and Kaye slung his ball into the water.
Kyle Reifers appeared to throw away his chance at making the big leagues when he pitched over the 18th green, then tried to hole his par chip and ran it 15 feet past the cup. He made the bogey putt to finish at 8 under, and was close to tears waiting to see if it would be good enough.
The biggest move belonged to Jaco Van Zyl, who started the final round in a tie for 75th. He closed with a 64, holing a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to earn his card on the number.
Ten other players started outside the top 30 and earned their card, including Michael Allen, who was tied for 61st and closed with a 66 on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. Chris Stroud was tied for 34th until closing with a 68, getting to the PGA Tour for the first time. Stroud spent all of last year trying to Monday qualify on the Nationwide Tour.
"It made me understand how hard you've got to work," Stroud said. "And look what I'm doing now -- sitting here about to go to the PGA Tour. I'm elated."
Former PGA Tour winner Paul Stankowski, who captured the 1997 United Airlines Hawaiian Open, earned his card despite opening with a 79.