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Here is a look at the two players who Monday qualified for the Barracuda Championship. There was a two-for-one playoff to determine the last spot. There are two spots available at each Monday Qualifier after the COVID break.
QUALIFIERS
Tyler Weworski (62)
Age: 30
College: Texas Tech
Turned pro: 2012
PGA TOUR starts: 0
PGA TOUR earnings: $0
Twitter: @Weworski
Notes: Was named Southern California junior Player of the Year in 2007 … His mother is a former champion of the U.S. Mid-Am … Had a solid career at Texas Tech before turning pro after his junior year … Has played a total of 17 Korn Ferry Tour events, with five made cuts, his last start coming in 2017 … Has played 20 career Mackenzie Tour-Canada events and has nine made cuts … In 2019 on the Mackenzie Tour, he competed in 10 events with a best finish of T14 at the Canada Life Open … Also has a total of 20 career Latinoamerica Tour starts with 13 made cuts … Has two top-10 finishes on the Golden State Tour in just three starts … Won on the Outlaw Tour this year after shooting 65-61-65 to win by four … Made 10 birdies and zero bogeys in Monday Qualifier … Shot a 66 at the Pre-Qualifier and was tied for medalist … This will be his first PGA TOUR start
Gregor Main (65)
Age: 31
College: UCLA
Turned pro: 2011
PGA TOUR starts: 6
PGA TOUR earnings: $0
Twitter: @Gregormain
Notes: Decorated amateur career including winning the 2009 Southern Amateur … Lost in finals of Western Am in 2010 … Was medalist in stroke play at 2011 U.S. Amateur … Was ranked as high as 24th in amateur rankings before turning pro … Left UCLA after his junior year to turn pro … This will be his seventh PGA TOUR start … His last was the Safeway Open in 2016 … In 2016, he qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he missed the cut … Career-best of T9 at the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2014 … Played the Challenge Tour in 2014 and had a best finish of T14 … Has multiple wins on developmental tours … Won the Northern California Open in 2016 … Won on the SwingThought Tour this year … Made a 30-foot putt with 5 feet of break on last hole for eagle to get into playoff … He then birdied the first playoff hole to get through.
Ross Miller Q&A
A chat with Ross Miller after he Monday qualified at this week’s Pinnacle Bank Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour:
PGATOUR.COM: You were one of a very few players to make it from Pre-Qualifying at Q school all the way to final stage, but you almost didn’t even sign up. What did you do to pay for it?
ROSS MILLER: “I was playing good golf leading up to Q school, but no real break through and I had no dough. So I decided to open up a credit card and put the entry fee on there. I didn’t actually max it out, but I remember sitting in the kitchen with my dad and telling him I needed to put Q school on a credit card. I told him I had two events coming up and I knew I was going to make two checks. Doing that was sort of stressful but also putting it all on the line and trusting myself. I mean, credit card debt is terrible, but I believed in myself.”
PGATOUR.COM: You have talked about a change in your mental approach to Q school, what did you change?
MILLER: “The previous season’s Pre-Q, I had a decent summer leading up to Pre-Q but I was so concerned with what the qualifying number was. I ended up being so worried about the number that I missed. In reality, I should have breezed through Pre-Q. On the other hand, because I missed at Pre-Q, I ended up caddying for a buddy at first and second stage and it was a phenomenal experience, it taught me so much. It gave me a view from an outside perspective. The guys that were playing well were keeping it simple, hit it on the green, hit a few wedges, take advantage of the par 5s and that is it. This year I went into Q school and I wrote down some goals. I wanted to win Pre-Q, I wanted to contend at first stage, and I wanted to contend at second stage. So, going in that was my thought process. I was not worried about the cut number; I focused on the shot in front of me. That mentality was a major difference.”
PGATOUR.COM: Let’s talk about the crazy last week that you have had. Last week you missed at the Korn Ferry Tour Monday qualifier and you didn’t think you would get in on your number, so you headed for home. What happened after that?
MILLER: “I think I was around eight or ten out, so I didn’t think there was any real point in sticking around. I had got so used to seeing my name so far down there, I felt like there was almost no hope to get in. I thought it made sense for me to drive (nine hours) home
PGATOUR.COM: Did you realize you were moving up the alternate list or did the Korn Ferry Tour reach out to you to let you know?
MILLER: “I wasn’t watching it all. The TOUR called me Wednesday afternoon like 3 or 4 o’clock, after I had worked out and practiced. She told me I was fourth alternate, but she informed me that one guy wasn’t responding, one guy’s wife was in labor, and another guy was having travel issues. I was like, maybe I have a chance. An hour later I was third and I thought, I have to go. I’ll be kicking myself if I don’t go and I ended up getting in. That was what I was thinking.”
PGATOUR.COM: By this time, it’s later Wednesday night, and you are nine hours away from the course. What happened from there?
MILLER: “The headlight on my car was out, so I convinced my dad to make the drive with me and take his car. So, I got a few hours of sleep on the way there. We stopped at an Anytime Fitness and I showered and stretched. I had to get to the course by six or so, to get my COVID test done. Warm-up wise, I hit balls for 30 minutes or so, then went to the putting green and kind of hung out there. From my understanding, if someone doesn’t show up for their tee time, you have to be right there. I just hung out on the putting green for the next two, two-and-a-half hours until the morning wave was done. The hardest part was watching a twosome tee off as the last group of the morning wave. It was designed that way, but it was brutal to watch. Then I went and got brunch. After that I took a quick nap in the car and then went back to the range to get loose again. Then I just went to the putting green again and waited it out.”
PGATOUR.COM: What are your emotions at the end of the day when you don’t get in? Are you angry, or you understand that this is part of the life of pro golfers?
MILLER: “I was not pissed; I felt like I was lucky to move up to first alternate. I was appreciative that I had a chance to have a chance if that makes sense. There was a little letdown for sure, but it wasn’t anger. At the end of the day, you have to play better, if I was one stroke better at final stage, I would have got in. It motivated me to have a good week.”
PGATOUR.COM: At this point you decided to head for the Dakota Tour event you were signed up for that is seven hours away and starts Tuesday. Did your dad go with you to that event?
MILLER: “He did, so my car is in Minnesota, and we drove his car down. He came up with me and then Sunday after the round (Ross finished in the Top 10,) we drove an hour out of our way to get me a rental car. He went home and I headed down here, so I will have this rental car for the week. He might come back down for this event.”
PGATOUR.COM: On the second playoff hole you caught a huge break and bounced off rocks and back into fairway. Did you know that?
MILLER: “I know where my ball was heading, and I know it was headed for the water. It hit once on land and was headed right for the water and it hit the rocks and came back. It is a huge break.”
PGATOUR.COM: You had about 8 feet to get through. I know you try to stay in the moment but does your mind wander at a time like that?
MILLER: “I just knew I had a huge opportunity and I needed to take advantage of it. I even had opportunities to go really deep in regulation, but it didn’t happen. Then as the playoff begins and you start to think are you really letting this slip away? The thing about it is for months I have been telling myself that something good is going to happen and to keep doing what you’re doing. To get a break like that after the week I have had is pretty cool.”
NOTES
NOTABLE MISSES: Ben Geyer 65, Taylor Funk 67, Alex Kang 69, Steve Allan 70
STRENGTH OF BARRACUDA OPEN MONDAY QUALIFIER
Combined number of PGA TOUR starts: 664
Number of players with at least one PGA TOUR win: Zero
Combined number of PGA TOUR wins: Zero
Combined PGA TOUR earnings: More than $18.2 million
Combined Korn Ferry Tour wins: One
Player with most PGA TOUR wins in the field: N/A
COURSE INFO
Name of course: Hidden Valley Country Club; 7,302 yds, 70.7 rating, 124 slope
2019-2020 SEASON MONDAY QUALIFIER STATS
Average Medalist score: 64.1
Average last qualifying spot score: 65.9
Total number of cuts made: 11 of 54(20.4%)
Most recent results (3M Open): Jake Kneen MC Aaron Crawford MC
Money earned: $385,348
Best Finish: Garrett Osborn, T18, Sanderson Farms
NEXT MONDAY QUALIFIER
Aug. 10: Wyndham Championship, Bermuda Run CC
NOTES FROM OTHER TOURS
Daniel Sutton, in his first career start on any PGA TOUR-sanctioned Tour, finished solo fourth at the Price Cutter Charity Championship after Monday Qualifying.
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Source: PGA tour
