Nov. 18, 2012
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech golf alumni James White and Chesson Hadley each advanced to the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School over the weekend, giving themselves an opportunity to become the 10th and 11th former Yellow Jackets to earn PGA Tour cards for 2013.
White, who graduated from Tech last spring after twice earning All-America honors and three times earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, tied for third place at Plantation (Fla.) Preserve Golf Course and Club with a 16-under-par score of 268. The Acworth, Ga., native rebounded after an opening 73 to shoot 65-64-66 without making a bogey, earning one of the 19 qualifying positions along with touring pros Kris Blanks and Ross Fisher, among others.
Hadley, who graduated from Tech in 2010 and won the ACC Championship that year, tied for eighth place and earned one of the 19 qualifying spots (plus ties) at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta, Calif. The Raleigh, N.C., put himself in good position by firing rounds of 68-67-71 the first three days before a closing 75, and finished with an 8-under-par total of 281. Among the qualifiers at Bear Creek were touring pros Dean Wilson and Tom Pernice. Hadley won one event and ranks No. 2 in earnings this year on the eGolf Tour.
The final 108-hole stage of Qualifying School will be held Nov. 28-Dec. 3 at PGA West in LaQuinta, Calif. The top 25 finishers and ties there will earn PGA Tour membership for 2013. The following 50 finishers will earn full Web.com Tour membership, while the remainder will have partial Web.com Tour status.
White and Hadley have a chance to join a distinguished group of Georgia Tech alumni on Tour next year. Paul Haley and Nicholas Thompson recently earned their Tour cards by finishing among the top 25 money earners on the Web.com Tour in 2012, joining Roberto Castro, Stewart Cink, David Duval, Matt Kuchar, Troy Matteson, Bryce Molder and Cameron Tringale.
