Former Gator Golfer Horschel Earns PGA Card
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 | Men's Golf
Former University of Florida golfer Billy Horschel earned a PGA Tour card for 2010 by finishing seventh Monday at the PGA Tour qualifying tournament at Bear Lake Country Club.
"It was nerve-wracking today," said Horschel, the SEC player of the year in 2007 and 2009. "I hit some bad shots and then you start thinking about stuff and not wanting to miss it and this and that. But I was able to get myself back together and play well coming in."
He settled down to shoot 3-under-par on the final day in the six-round event to earn his PGA Tour card. Horschel finished at 16-under in seventh place and shot 69-70-67-69-72-69—416, well safe of the cut-off at 9-under.
"It hasn't hit me," he said of getting his card. "It will probably hit me when I go to Hawaii. My first tournament will probably be the Sony Open and that's when it will probably be, 'Wow, I'm really out here.' So it will be pretty cool."
The first round of the $5.5 million Sony Open in Honolulu, with $990,000 to the winner, is on Jan. 14.
Troy Merritt shot a 3-under 69 on Monday to win the tournament, finishing the six-round event at 22 under and one shot ahead of tour veteran Jeff Maggert.
Matt Jones (66) was third at 19 under, one shot ahead of Martin Flores (65) in the event where the top 25 finishers earned cards on the PGA Tour. Rickie Fowler made it comfortably, his final-round 70 leaving him tied for 15th.
Among the notables who did not qualify out of Q-school were major champions David Duval, Todd Hamilton and Shaun Micheel.
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