Bob Estes to be on PGA Tour next year

By AL PICKETT/Sports Editor

Bob Estes says to expect to see him on the PGA Tour, not the Nike Tour in 1997.

The former Cooper and University of Texas golfer earned his Nike Tour card during the PGA Tour qualifying tournament last week in California, failing by just one stroke to regain his PGA Tour card.

"Hopefully, it's not as big a deal as some guys in the qualifying tournament," Estes said. "Hopefully, I'll get exemptions into tournaments."

Estes was in better shape than many of the players in the qualifying tournament because he finished in the top 150 on the PGA Tour list of money winnings. Abilene's Mike Standly, on the other hand, had not finished among the top 150 last season, so he had to finish - which he did - in the top 40 at the qualifying tournament in order to regain his playing status on the Tour.

The top 125 on the previous year's list retain their cards.

"A lot of people don't realize this, but No. 126 through 150 keep their cards, but lose their exempt status," Estes said.

Because of that, there are about 12-15 tournaments a year in which Estes and others who finished between No. 126-150 will get into. Those golfers can also received an unlimited number of sponsor's exemptions. Each tournament has two to four exemptions it can offer. Someone who doesn't finish among the top 150 (such as Tiger Woods when he turned pro last summer) can receive no more five sponsor's exemptions.

"I hope I'll be one of the players they consider (for a sponsor's exemption)," Estes said. "I'm probably one of the highest ranked players in the world who is not qualified for one of the world's tours."

Estes finished third at Tucson last year and second at Phoenix in 1994. He's also had a top 10 finish at the Bob Hope Classic. In other words, he's had a track record of playing well in the early tournaments, which he hopes will help him in securing a sponsor's exemption.

"Hopefully, if I take advtange early and play well, other tournaments will invited me to play."

Except for bad luck, Estes might have earned his Tour card last week. He was in 50th place, one stroke out of a tie for 40th going into the sixth and final round last month. After six holes, he was even par and had moved up to 41st.

"I was moving up," he said. "I was even par. It was raining hard, and other guys were making all kinds of bogeys and double bogeys. If it had continued, I was going to make a move."

But it didn't. Play was halted after Estes had finished six holes. Tuesday's attempt to finish the tournament was also rained out. The tournament then reverted back to Sunday's fifth round, leaving Estes a stroke shy of regaining his card.

A month ago, Estes said he had no hopes of qualifying because he was playing so poorly.

"But the last 3-4 weeks, I started hitting the ball as good as I ever had," he said. "My scores in the qualifying tournament didn't reflect how well I hit the ball. The greens were so difficult to read. You had to be so careful because there was so much break. You had to be directly below the hole to make a putt."

This was the first time that he has had to go back through qualifying since first gaining his PGA Tour card in 1988. Estes, the 1994 Texas Open champion who had five top 10 finishes in 1995 including the British Open and PGA Championship, now begins the process of trying to secure sponsor exemptions.

"It will be interesting to see how it works," he said. "I will send out letters and resumes. I could end up playing just as many PGA Tour events in '97 and I did in '96 if things go as I think they could."