More on the Andersons signing at NDSU
The Forum has another story today on the Anderson siblings signing with NDSU. It has a bit more information than the quickie tidbit that was posted yesterday.
As a commenter noted yesterday, the Andersons are indeed home-schooled and it looks like Amy will be entering NDSU a bit younger than most incoming freshman.
Also, the story says Nathan Anderson won the Bobcat North Dakota Open. That is not correct. He won the "low amateur" title with a three-round score of 213. Brady Schnell, a professional, won the tourney. Anderson's score was good for a T22 in the overall field that included pros and amateurs.
The Andersons signing with NDSU is a good coup for those fledgling Division I programs. Their talent level is higher than the type of player the Bison would normally be able to attract, particularly with Amy. She was a big-time type of prospect. Nathan is an excellent young player and certainly could have gone to a Division I school in the south, too. The Bison got a break that both kids wanted to stay close to home. It was a situation that worked in the Bison's favor, something that will not happen very often when it comes to keeping home-grown golf talent at home.
Posted by: Golf Geek on 11/21/2008 at 8:51 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Forum: Oxbow's Anderson siblings sign with NDSU
The swingin' Andersons of Oxbow Country Club -- Nate and Amy -- have decided to stay close to home and signed to play golf at North Dakota State University, according to The Forum.
Posted by: Golf Geek on 11/20/2008 at 2:33 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Q & A with Dave Schultz
The Golf Geek e-mailed some questions to Dave Schultz to get the Fargo golfer's thoughts on getting through second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school, looking ahead to final stage and his first full year on the Nationwide Tour. Dave was kind enough to reply promptly and thoughtfully. Here is the question and answer session:
Q: Congratulations on getting through the second stage of Q school with flying colors. What were your thoughts after you holed out on the 72nd hole and knew you were going to final stage -- jubilation, relief, ho-hum or something completely different?
A: Thank you very much. The feeling I had this past week was a little different than what I had last year when I finished and got through second stage. Last year when I finished it was easily the best moment of my golfing life. I got a little emotional and was just happy, relieved, and couldn't stop smiling. This past week I was very happy and relieved to have gotten through, but it was more of a "WHEW!, Glad that's over". It was probably because of the way the final round went. I was +4 on the day through 11 and on the cut number after being clear of the number and in pretty good shape the whole week. Birdied 12,14,16 to get off the cut line. And then just kinda got thru 18 with a careful bogey. Crazy to say that two of my most memorable moments in golf were after a 77 last year in the final round and 74 this year.
Q: To those of us on the outside looking in, it seems the pressure of Q school and all it entails -- getting a job, realizing a dream, etc. -- would be looming on every shot. Is it that way, or are you experienced enough now that it's just another tournament round?
A: I don't think that Q-school will ever just be another tournament. There is just too much on the line and your entire next year depends on how you play. The best way to deal with the pressure of Q school is just to get yourself totally focused on what you can control at that moment. Which is always just the next shot.
Q: You had five straight sub-70 rounds in the first two stages -- three in the first stage and two in the second stage. Was that the best stretch of competitive golf you've played?
A: Well yeah I guess it may have been ... score wise it probably was.
Q: You went really deep in the third and fourth rounds of first stage, shooting 65 and 64. Where would those rounds rank among the best single rounds in your career?
A: Not a lot of people know that Josh Persons carried the bag for me in First Stage. That shows you the kind of guy and friend he is to do that. I know he was disappointed about his first stage but when I asked him he didn't hesitate to get on a plane the next day to come caddy for me. That was seriously a really cool thing for him to do. Josh and I grew up together and he knows everything about my golf game and me for that matter. So it was just kind of a week where it all came a little easier. As for those last two rounds they both kinda snuck up on me. A lot of times the good ones do. You're just hitting your spots, get on a little roll, and you're 4, 5, 6 under with 6 holes left. Hard to explain I guess
Q: What was the key to those good rounds? I'm assuming that, as with all rounds in the 60s, you were holing putts?
A: This sounds elementary.. but I really hit a lot of good iron shots right at the hole with good distance. I had a lot of looks at birdie and if I made it, great, but if I didn't I was able to stay patient because I figured I'd have another look at birdie the next hole.
Q: I've had this question asked of me by a couple of people, so I will pass it along: Do you win prize money for placing high in the qualifying stages? You won your first stage qualifier, so did you get a first-place check? Or is the reward simply moving on to the next stage?
A: Ha ha, I wish. No, Not paid at all. Just a tee time at the next stage.... Great timing for a win right?
Q: You made it to final stage last year. What did you learn from the experience that might help you this time around?
A: Just the experience of being there and knowing what to expect. The two courses, the TV stuff, the bigger names. Also, 6 rounds is very unique and it's very important to be relaxed and rested going in ... and a few extra pair of golf shoes wouldn't hurt either.
Q: You played final stage last year in Florida. This year it moved across the country to PGA West in California. Do you see that as an advantage, a disadvantage or neither?
A: Well the venue is the venue. Not much of an advantage or disadvantage for me. The difference is the feeling I have going in. Last year there was a little bit of "just happy to be there." This year I feel like I have a lot more of a purpose going there. I want to make the PGA Tour and it's a lofty goal, but I feel like the experience of last year, and this year on the Nationwide Tour can only help. As far as off the golf course it'll be great. I know a lot more people in that part of the country and I will be staying with a friend of mine, Todd Hillier, who will undoubtedly needle me over and over again about beating me in the Pine to Palm consolation bracket on 18 green. So in other words ... it should be fun.
Q: Final stage starts Dec. 3. Give us an idea of what you will do to prepare since you have a couple of weeks until the tournament?
A: Well it's Tuesday night the 18th. I'll be here at home in Fort Worth playing and practicing until Sunday. Then I'll actually take about 6 days off for a trip home for Thanksgiving week. I'll maybe take a trip to the golf dome if I get antsy and want a quick stretch. I'll fly down to Palm Springs on Friday and play a bunch of holes on Saturday with Todd somewhere down there and then the official practice rounds are Sunday-Tuesday. My routine will be 18 at the Nicklaus Course on Sunday, 9 at the Stadium Course on Monday, the other 9 on the Stadium Course on Tuesday.
Q: Does that vary from your preparation from a "normal" tournament? Anything special you do because it is Q school?
A: The prep is as similar as it can be, the only difference being I have to learn 36 holes instead of 18. I like 9 hole practice rounds because you can really take your time on each hole. Sunday will be a little longer but that's OK.
Q: The top 25 and ties at final stage qualify for the PGA Tour in 2009. That's clearly the No. 1 goal, but even if you don't make it on the PGA Tour there are still incentives to finish as high as possible at final stage, correct?
A: 160 players ... Yes, the top 25 and ties will get their PGA Tour Card. The next number nearest 50 will have full Nationwide status and the rest will be conditional on the Nationwide Tour. Only the players that finish with full Nationwide status or better will get a paycheck from final stage.
Q: What is your current status on the Nationwide Tour for next year?
A: Right now I have conditional status again. Not quite as good as I had going into this past season so making it to finals was important.
Q: Summarize your first full year on the Nationwide Tour -- pleased, displeased, what?
A: I learned a lot. That's for sure. The travel, the courses, the guys on and around the tour. I went through many different things in my first year ... Bulging disc in my back that kept me out of Knoxville and totally useless in about 3 or 4 weekends that I made. A long cut streak where I felt I was very close to bringing 4 rounds together. And a missed cut of 4 to end the season where all I was thinking about was the money list. Which now seems kinda silly. It was all good experience, however, and hopefully will pay off in the future.
Q: This might be a silly question, but was it fun? Playing tournament golf, after all, is your job and those of us who have jobs know they are not always fun. Did golf continue to be fun playing and practicing and grinding every week?
A: I do love playing golf for a living. If you have a bad week it can feel like a job sometimes but I try and put it in perspective as ups and downs in hopefully what is to be a long career. And I feel very lucky to have a career that I am passionate about.
When I was a kid I would leave my house to walk over to the Fargo Country Club par 3 or the "Big Course" and my mom would always say "have fun!"... and I always said back "only if I play good". I was halfway joking back then but it still holds true that it sure is a lot more fun when you're playing well.
Q: Now that you've been through the tour grind for a full season, what do you know now that you didn't know a year ago at this time?
A: Well I do understand what an entire year on a tour is like. Lots of travel, new cities, new courses. I feel like I learned how to best prepare for a tournament and slowly got used to playing 4 round events. Most mini-tour events are 3 rounds. I made some great friends out there and guys that I'll be playing with for years.
Q: I understand Angela Stanford is a pretty good friend of yours. She had a big victory on the LPGA Tour last weekend in Mexico, holding off Annika Sorenstam. Do pro golfers have time to pay attention to what their friends are doing and do you sit and watch TV and cheer them on?
A: Absolutely! We all know how each other is doing and pull for one another. She is on a great roll lately and it's fun to watch. Chad Campbell plays out at Shady Oaks now as well. So with Angela winning and her Solheim cup bag up in the pro shop next to Chad's Ryder Cup bag, well let's just say I need to step it up!
Posted by: Golf Geek on 11/19/2008 at 1:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Schultz ahead to final stage
The Golf Geek took a couple of days away from the laptop, so he's behind on the "news" that Fargo's Dave Schultz has advanced to the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school.
He fired a final-round 74 at second stage in Kingwood, Texas, and easily finished within the cut line of top 21 and ties by placing seventh.
Here is the final leaderboard.
Here is a wrapup of all the second stage sites, courtesy of pgatour.com.
The six-round final stage is scheduled Dec. 3-8 at the PGA West course in La Quinta, Calif.
Top 25 and ties at the final stage get full status on the PGA Tour for 2009. Other finishers get varying degrees of status on the Nationwide Tour, which Schultz played full-time in 2008.
Courtesy of the always-reliable Wikipedia, here is a rundown of the Q school's final stage:
Final Stage: One tournament played over six rounds in late November-early December. The field consists of Second Stage winners and players who received exemptions into the Final Stage. The top 25 players, plus ties, earn PGA Tour cards for the following year. Their priority ranking for purposes of tournament entry is 24; this ranking enables them to enter most full-field events on the PGA Tour, but not more prestigious stops on the tour unless a substantial number of players in higher categories skip the events. For example, the top 125 players on the previous year's money list who are not otherwise eligible are at priority 19; sponsor's exemptions are priority 11; and winners of PGA Tour events in the previous two years are priority 9.
Posted by: Golf Geek on 11/18/2008 at 10:58 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Another 68 for Schultz has him T2 at second round of Q school
Fargo's Dave Schultz shot a second straight 4-under par 68 on Thursday at PGA Tour qualifying school second stage and now is tied for second place with two rounds to go.
Schultz's 8-under par total of 136 puts him in good position to finish in the top 21 and advance to the final stage of qualifying school.
Schultz has shot below 70 in five consecutive competitive rounds now, going back to the first stage of Q school. Might be the best stretch of golf he's played in his young pro career.
Click here to see the scoreboard.
Posted by: Golf Geek on 11/13/2008 at 6:48 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink