New South Welshman Daniel Gale will make his PGA Tour debut at this week’s 3M Open after a stunning round of eight-under 63 at the Monday qualifier in Minnesota.
Tenth on the 2021-2022 ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, Gale is exempt to the Korn Ferry Tour Final Qualifying School at the end of the year but will get a taste of PGA Tour action ahead of time.
Playing at the Victory Links Golf Club in Blaine, Minnesota, Gale went out in a bogey-free, five-under 30 to put himself in the hunt for one of the four qualifying positions up for grabs.
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A dropped shot at the par-5 12th put Gale on the back foot yet the 2018 SP PNG Open responded in impressive fashion. He birdied the next four holes to get to eight-under and then parred the final two holes to post 63.
It would prove to be just enough as he finished level at the top with American Rick Lamb while Chris Naegel and Andre Metzger had to survive a four-for-two playoff to secure the final two spots after rounds of seven-under 64.
By earning his first start on the PGA Tour, Gale has carried forward the form he showed throughout the PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Starting with a tie for fifth at the Gippsland Super 6, Gale was 12th at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, runner-up to Anthony Quayle a week later at the Queensland PGA Championship and ran second to Todd Sinnott at the TPS Victoria event at Rosebud Country Club.
In his final six starts, his worst finish was a tie for 24th at The National PGA Classic and the 26-year-old is now ready to take his game to the States.
Gale’s qualification takes the Australian representation at TPC Twin Cities to eight, joining Aaron Baddeley, Jason Day, Cam Davis, Brett Drewitt, Mark Hensby and Cameron Percy in the field.
It is the second week in succession that an Australian has advanced through Monday qualifying to make their PGA Tour debut, after Justin Warren missed the cut at last week’s Barracuda Championship in California.
