Matt Jones will play the US PGA Tour for a 12th straight year in 2019 after a runner-up finish at the DAP Championship wrapped up one of the 25 cards on offer with two events of the Web.com Tour finals remaining.
Twelve months ago Jones’ status wasn’t secure until the final round of the Tour Championship but the Sydneysider can rest easy after following up his tie for 10th in the opening event of the finals by finishing tied for second at Canterbury Golf Club, three shots behind winner Kramer Hickok.
Jones joins fellow Sydney product Cameron Davis to have secured a US PGA Tour card for next year with Davis’ tie for 16th this week cementing his place inside the top 10 in the Web.com Tour Finals 25, two spots behind Jones in fifth position.
Having finished 151st on the US PGA Tour moneylist this year, it is a far less stressful way for Jones to continue his streak on the world’s richest golf tour after needing a top-five finish at the Tour Championship last year to retain his status.
Winner of the 2014 Shell Houston Open, the 38-year-old began his final round in spectacular fashion courtesy of an eagle-2 at the 443-yard par-4 first and despite bogeys at the second and 14th holes, signed for a 3-under 67 to seal his fate for 2019.
Despite missing the cut in Beechwood, West Australian Curtis Luck remains in contention for a US PGA Tour card as he sits in equal 12th position through the first two events of the finals while US PGA Tour veteran Aaron Baddeley is flirting with the top 25 cut-off.
Three rounds of 68 had Baddeley sitting just outside the top 10 entering the final round but double-bogeys at the par-3 11th and par-5 16th could prove to be extremely costly, a 1-under 69 resulting in a tie for 16th and 23rd on the finals moneylist.
Victorian Cameron Percy kept his US PGA Tour hopes alive as a tie for 25th moved him up from 65th to 40th on the finals moneylist with Rhein Gibson (55th), Brett Drewitt (T66th), Stuary Appleby and John Senden (both T87th) all needing something special to secure status for next year.
