Final Stage Day 2 recap

Winner of the day

The Weather- Cool, windy conditions and slick greens running over 12 combined for some very high scores. There were no under-par rounds on Sawgrass Country Club, the more difficult of the two host courses. There were eight rounds in the 80’s, including an 85 and an 83. Had there been a 36-hole cut (there isn’t at Q-school) it would have fallen at +5. For some context, this year the cut at the U.S. Open was even par.

Rounds of the Day

Alistair Docherty- The Barstool athlete missed out on his PGA Tour card by one stroke at the KFT Tour Championship and is now looking to gain it through Q-school. His six birdie, two bogey, 66 on Dye’s Valley was the best of the day, and moved him into a tie for the lead. Docherty has been out of money numerous times, worked as a caddie, gained and lost his status, and is now playing some great golf. 

John Greco- The 30-year-old from Rochester, New York, played college golf at NAIA William Jessup and turned pro seven years ago. Today, he played the round of the day on Sawgrass Country Club, grinding out an even par 70. He is currently T9. Greco has played one PGA Tour event and one KFT event in his career. 

Tommy Gainey- The 49-year-old continues to amaze. With his homemade swing and two gloves, Gainey fired a 67 today on Dye’s Valley and moved up to T33. Despite not hitting it very far, Gainey finds a way to have an outstanding finish now and again. Playing against many players around half his age, the former water heater factory employee continues to defy the odds. 

Luke Gifford - Luke is one of only 11 guys who started all the way at pre-qualifying and managed to make it to final stage. The 24-year-old Pepperdine graduate opened with a first round 74 (4 over) on Dye’s Valley but then tied for the round of the day on Sawgrass CC with an even par 70. Luke has moved to T-52 and is looking to lock up guaranteed KFT starts. Luke has never had any PGA Tour sanctioned status. 

Solid to Very Solid

MJ Daffue- The South African struggled this season but shot an even par 70 on Sawgrass CC to move up to T15. The 35-year-old has had a stellar record in Monday Q’s, so it is no surprise to see him playing well at Q-school. 

Nick Watney- The five-time PGA Tour winner has really struggled for some time. In his last 100 starts on Tour, he has made just 27 cuts with one top-10. Friday, he made just two bogeys in difficult conditions, shot a one-under 69 and currently sits T15. 

Raul Pereda- Last year Pereda was one of the five players to earn a PGA Tour card in Q-school, but he struggled badly this season. The Mexico native made just three of 24 cuts and finished 224th in points. Because he finished below 200th he wasn’t guaranteed status next year. However, last week he got through Second Stage to lock up conditional KFT status. Friday, he shot one of the few under par rounds at Dye’s Valley, finishing with a 69, and moving up to T23.

S.Y. Noh - S.Y. shot the 2nd best round of the day, a 3 under 67 on Dye’s Valley in round 2. S.Y. turned pro at 16 years old, and he won an Asian Tour / European Tour co-sanctioned event in 2010 at the age of 18. He became the 2nd youngest winner every on the European Tour behind Danny Lee. S.Y. also has one PGA Tour win, The Zurich Classic in 2014 back when it was a individual event. He left for his mandatory military service in 2017 and similar to Sangmoon has not quite returned to the form he once had. He finished 62nd on the KFT points list this year, so needs a top 5 finish. 

Surprises, Good and Bad

Chez Reavie- Yes, the three-time PGA Tour winner struggled this year, finishing 158th in points, but the 43-year-old opened with a 69 yesterday. Today, he didn’t make a birdie and opened with a 43 on the front nine at Sawgrass CC. His nine-over 79 moved the veteran of 425 PGA Tour starts to T112. 

Jin Chung- Possibly the most unheralded player in the field, the 36-year-old club pro continued his steady play with an even par 70. Chung has won numerous mini-tour and PGA section events and played two career KFT events, the first one in 2014.  Chung currently sits T5. If he won his PGA Tour card, it would be one of the greatest underdog stories in recent Q-school memory. 

Marcus Plunkett- Another unheralded player. The West Point grad was a three-time All-Conference golfer at Army in the Patriot League. However, because of his Army responsibilities he wasn’t able to practice as much as other college golfers. The 30-year-old has started to find his game and today, fired an even-par 70 at Dye’s Valley and sits T15. 

Dalton Ward- The 33-year-old Ward Monday Q’d his way into KFT status this season and even had a chance to earn his PGA Tour card, before fading a bit at the end of the year. He finished 41st in points. He shot an opening round 70 at Dye’s Valley but struggled mightily Friday, firing an 82 in a round that included a quadruple-bogey eight on his 11th hole.   

Wilson Furr - The 26-year-old Alabama graduate who played on the PGA Tour this season opened with a 1 under round of 69 on Sawgrass CC, the harder of the two. So with the winds picking up into round 2, Wilson was looking to post a good round on Dye’s Valley to stay in the mix to return to the PGA Tour. But a 7 over 77, including going 6 over in his last 4 holes, likely has derailed his chances at a top 5 finish. 

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