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Thursday, September 4, 1997

School's popular, but few pros will make the grade

By Brad Townsend / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - During the last three years, Brad Lardon has been Texas' best least-known professional golfer. By winning the 1994 and 1995 Texas State Opens, he became only the third man to win the event in back-toback years.

Lee Trevino (1965-66) and Ben Crenshaw (1979-80) are the others.

But Lardon, 32, is a testament to how competitive pro golf has become. There is a fine line between being a PGA Tour player and a mini-tour lifer, and Lardon is weary of treading it. In the event he can't earn 1998 PGA Tour privileges through qualifying school, Lardon has lined up a "regular" job at his home course, Kingwood's Deerwood Golf Club.

"The way I've been playing, I figured I might as well sell shirts (in the pro shop)," Lardon said. "After eight years of traveling, I'm just tired."

This time every year, hundreds of talented golfers face a similar crossroads. The PGA Tour schedule is winding down, but for golfers on the fringe, September, October and November are the most critical months of the year.

For players already on the PGA Tour, the magic number is 125. The top 125 money earners, through the Oct. 22-26 Las Vegas Invitational, earn PGA Tour playing privileges for 1998.

For players on the Nike Tour, the magic number is 15. The top 15 money earners through the season-ending Nike Tour Championship on Oct. 16-19 earn 1998 PGA Tour playing privileges.

For everyone else, the only avenue out of golf's minor leagues is PGA Tour Qualifying School. There are three tournaments, or stages, golfers must survive to make the PGA Tour.

There are 11 first-stage tournament sites, including Longwood Golf Club in Richmond, Texas, which will hold tournaments Oct. 21-24. From there, golfers advance to one of six secondstage tournament sites, including Kingwood's Deerwood, Nov. 11-14.

Those golfers fortunate enough to make it through two stages advance to the final stage, Dec. 3-8 at Grenelefe Golf and Tennis Club in Haines City, Fla. The top 35 finishers, plus ties, in that tournament earn PGA Tour playing privileges for 1998.

"The best round I've ever played in my life was the last round of the '87 Q-school," said Fort Worth's Mark Brooks, recalling the pressure he faced after finishing 165th on the 1987 money list. "I went into the last day tied for 71st or 72nd. I shot 67, no bogeys, five birdies, ended up 28th.

"What people don't understand is if you're at that tour school, you haven't played well," Brooks said. "You haven't played well for a year, at this level. You learn a lot from those tour schools. It doesn't matter how crappy you're putting, you've got to make it."

The average fan probably can't comprehend how difficult making the PGA Tour has become. Last year, there were 1,153 applications for Q-school. Out of those, 188 qualified for the final tournament and 49 earned PGA Tour privileges.

The stakes are significant. Ask Kawika Cotner, who plays out of Trophy Club. In 1994, he shot 68 in the final round, and the final stage, of Q-school, making the cutoff by one stroke. With his 1995 PGA Tour privileges, he made 16 of 25 cuts and earned about $68,000.

In 1995 and 1996, Cotner played the Nike Tour. This year, Cotner, 30, has made just three of seven Nike Tour cuts and earned about $3,000. On other mini-tours, such as the Lone Star tour, he has earned about $15,000.

"What's tough about trying to make it on the PGA Tour is there's a tremendous amount of guys that can play golf," Cotner said. "It's just being able to play good at the right time, which is in October-November. Everybody out here can play. It's just being able to make putts at the right time."

Twelve of the PGA Tour's best players are preparing for this month's Ryder Cup. Others are aiming to finish among the top 30 money winners, for a berth in the Oct. 30-Nov. 2 Tour Championship.

But for many, September is spent wondering whether they are a step closer to taking that job in the pro shop.

"What's pressure about it is it's a one-time deal," Cotner said. "You either play good or you don't play good. But if you go into qualifying school putting too much pressure on yourself, thinking, 'Oh, I need to play good,' you're probably not going to play good."

(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

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