Australian duo Richard Green and David McKenzie have locked up their immediate futures on the PGA Tour Champions circuit after superb finishes at Q-School at the weekend.
Green carded a four-round total of 18-under at TPC Scottsdale (Champions) to finish four clear of Wes Short Jnr, for medallist honours.
Green has won three times on the DP World Tour and ranked as high as 29th in the world. Just one thing was missing on his resume. He had never played a full season in the United States. The 51-year-old made amends at Final Stage of the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament. With five PGA Tour Champions cards available, it was more than enough to punch his full-time ticket to the circuit.
Green and McKenzie join Short Jnr, Tim O’Neal and Brian Cooper as players to earn 2023 PGA Tour Champions status via Final Stage of Q-School.
“It means everything,” said Green of earning PGA Tour Champions membership. “I’ve had a long career playing overseas in Europe and I’ve wanted to always play in America. I tried my best to get a card on the PGA Tour in the 2000s and just fell short all the time. It’s like a goal achieved, so that’s a big deal.”
Green geared up for Q-School by competing on the European Senior Tour this summer, winning twice at the Jersey Legends and Winstongolf Senior Open. He cruised through his First Stage site in Mesquite, Nevada, with a 21-under total, a whopping 12 strokes clear of the field. He didn’t miss a beat this week in the Phoenix metroplex, carding rounds of 68-65-68-65 to assume an all-important spot in the top five, with medallist honours to boot.
Short Jnr, 59, has long professed a goal of playing 10 seasons on PGA Tour Champions. Short, a two-time PGA Tour Champions winner, achieved his goal with a 14-under effort at TPC Scottsdale. The Texas native spent time as a club pro early in his career before gaining status on the Korn Ferry Tour and then the PGA Tour, on which he won the 2005 Shriners Children’s Open. Now his journey in professional golf continues.
Drama existed around the all-important top-five number, with a playoff looking inevitable at several points throughout the day. The cut line stood 12-under into the final round, but at one point drifted back to 10-under as the tension built. Players turned on the jets on the back nine, though, led by veteran pro O’Neal, who began the day at 7-under but carded 6-under 65 to post 13-under in the clubhouse.
Victorian pro David McKenzie matched 13-under one group later, followed by Pittsburgh pro Cooper in the subsequent group.
Several players had a chance to post 13-under and force a playoff – including England’s Simon Griffiths, Colombia’s Jesus Rivas and Massachusetts’ Fran Quinn – but none managed to do so.
The Q-School success marks an appreciative change in narrative for O’Neal, who narrowly missed at PGA Tour Q-School on multiple occasions and never earned a Tour card. Now he’s set to compete against some of the game’s greats on a season-long basis. O’Neal joins two additional APGA Tour members who earned their cards this year – Willie Mack on the Korn Ferry Tour and Kamaiu Johnson on PGA Tour Latinoamerica.
McKenzie and Cooper both earned their PGA Tour Champions cards in emotional fashion – McKenzie in tribute to his younger brother Justin, who passed away last year, and Cooper after a public battle with depression earlier this year.
The top five at Final Stage (no ties) gain access into all open, full-field events on PGA Tour Champions next season. Finishers six to 30 and ties earn PGA Tour Champions Associate Membership, gaining access into weekly event qualifiers.
Here’s a capsule look at the five players to gain access into all open, full-field events on the 2023 PGA Tour Champions, beginning at the Chubb Classic in Naples in February.
THE QUALIFIERS
Richard Green (medallist, 18-under)
Hometown: Geelong, Australia
PGA Tour starts: 43
Best finish: T4, 2007 The Open Championship
PGA Tour Champions starts: 3
Best finish: T41, 2022 The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex
Wes Short Jnr (second, 14-under)
Hometown: Austin, Texas
PGA Tour starts: 94
Best finish: Win, 2005 Shriners Children’s Open
PGA Tour Champions starts: 213
Best finish: Win, twice
Tim O’Neal (T-3, 13-under)
Hometown: Savannah, Georgia
PGA Tour starts: 8
Best finish: N/A
PGA Tour Champions starts: 2
Best finish: T19, 2022 PURE Insurance Championship
Brian Cooper (T-3, 13-under)
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
PGA Tour starts: 0
PGA Tour Champions starts: 10
Best finish: T43, 2019 Principal Charity Classic
David McKenzie (T-3, 13-under)
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
PGA Tour starts: 29
Best finish: Seventh, 2006 Valero Texas Open
PGA Tour Champions starts: 102
Best finish: Runner-up, twice
