Cameron Davis’s hopes of a US PGA Tour card in 2019 have been brought back to life after the defending Australian Open champion finished third in the opening event of the Web.com Tour Finals in Ohio.
Winner of the Knoxville Golf Open earlier in the year, Davis seemed destined to finish the regular season inside the top 25 but a poor run of form and a string of missed cuts saw him drop out of the running for a prized US PGA Tour card.
But a second chance in the four-event Web.com Tour Finals has appeared to have reinvigorated the 23-year-old from Sydney, posting a final round of 66 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship to finish one shot out of a playoff.
US PGA Tour regulars Robert Streb and Peter Malnati were tied at 12-under at the end of 72 holes, Streb’s par at the first playoff hole enough to secure the victory.
With the rankings from the regular season reset for the finals, Davis is now well positioned in third to claim one of the 25 US PGA Tour cards that will be distributed following the Tour Championship, his Sunday surge aided by an eagle at the par-5 12th.
It was a positive start to the finals for a number of the Australian contingent with Curtis Luck continuing on from the form that enabled him to squeeze in to finish tied for fifth, while Matt Jones will be disappointed that a final round of 1-over 72 saw him drop back to a tie for 10th, bogeys at 14, 15 and 18 sure to leave a sour taste.
Aaron Baddeley sits just inside the top 25 after one event courtesy of a final-round 67 that moved him up 24 places into a tie for 24th with Rhein Gibson the only other Australian to make the cut, finishing tied for 58th.
Cameron Percy, Brett Drewitt, John Senden and Stuart Appleby all missed the cut and have work to do, starting this week at the DAP Championship in Beachwood, Ohio.
