With all the buzz about the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup, and the Ryder Cup you might have missed the fact that Pre-Qualifiers are going on now for the 2010 Q-School Process.  As you may know, there are 3 official stages in the Q-School process, which is the competition that awards exemptions onto the PGA Tour for 2011 - a player has to meet certain criteria in order to register for Stage 1 of Q-School...if you don't meet any one of the ten listed below you're off to Pre-Qualifying!

I did a little searching for Minnesota players in the Pre-Qualifiers.  The event in Lincoln, Nebraska is done and 4 Minnesotans have advanced to the first stage.  Bryce Hanstad and Brady Swedberg, both from Alexandria, MN, Thomas Campbell, from Minneapolis, and Jonathan Sauer from St. Cloud....the name Patrick Duffy also sounded familiar..he's from Appleton WI and he's also heading to stage 1.

The final round of the Pre-Qualifier at The Golf Club of Dallas is today...as of right now, Ben Pisani from Minneapolis is T21, and will within range of getting one of the 41 spots (and ties) to get to stage 1.  Andrew Paulson from Lino Lakes was T33 after 2 rounds and now is T52 after carding a 76 yesterday...he's going to need to post a good round to move up.

Andrew's name sounded familiar to me, and a quick search popped up that I wrote about him back in June... http://www.tees2greens.com/blogs/from_the_fringe/archive/2010/06/03/dream-a-little-dream.aspx

Here's hoping he can make some birdies today to get to stage 1!!

Matt Anderson from Edina, MN is playing in the Georgia Pre-Qualifier and sits at T15 after 3 rounds - he is also competing for the top 41 spots.

I'm sure there will be more Minnesotans for me to search out as we get to Stage 1 in October, but for today I'll be rooting on Ben, Andrew, and Matt...Go Minnesota!!

For all you Texans out there, you've got A  LOT of guys in the quailifers!!

Quick Update for Minnesota Pre-Qualifier Q-schoolers:

Congratulations to Ben Pasani who finish T26 (out of 41 qualifying places) AND Andy Paulson!!  After 3 rounds Paulson was outside of the magic 41 number (T52) but then shot a great -3 (67) in order to move up to a T37 to make it to the first stage!!  Way to Go!!

Matt Anderson, who was prequalifying in Georgia, is also advancing with his T21 finish!

The first stage of qualifiers will start in Mid-October!  Nice going Minnesota Guys!!

Stage 1 of Q-school starts this week! 

Here's a great article about one of those PGA Tour dreamers...yet another guy I'm going to need to root for!  http://www.pgatour.com/2010/qschool/10/14/jesse-smith-feature/index.html

And here's another, from Canada!  http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=11485036471  Jeffrey Puska will be at Dayton Valley NV.

This guy is asking for 20,000 facebook fans to donate $1 to help fund his Q-school dreams:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=79041178912

Here is the line-up for all of the MN guys I could find:

Mario Tiziani will be at Irish Creek GC in NC

Jonathan Sauer and Brady Swedberg will be at Carlton Oaks in CA

Kane Hanson, Andy Paulson, Ben Pisani, and Clayton Rask will be at Dayton Valley in NV

Joe O'Brien will be at Pinewild in NC

Thomas Campbell and Niall Turner will be at Lantana GC in TX

Bryce Hanstad will be at Oak Valley in CA

Matt Anderson and Justin Smith will be at Auburn GC in AL

GOOD LUCK!!!  You can follow the Q-school scores and stories here:  www.pgatour.com/qschool  some may even have live scoring.

It only gets harder from here.

Five locations have started the first stage of Q-School today.  Here's a quick update!

Jesse Smith from New Hampshire shot an impressive -5 67 in Florida today to finish T9 for day one (of 4).  Smith had an eagle, 4 birdies, and 1 bogey on his round today - Here's hoping he has another great round!

Seven Minnesota players are competing right now.

Mario Tiziani is sitting at T19 after his first round...he's in NC.

Four guys are out in Nevada at Dayton Valley:  Kane Hanson is T9 shotting a 3-under round; Clayton Rask is T30 after posting -1; Ben Pasani is T42 and at Even; Andy Paulson is currently T67 (out of 76 players) at +4. 

Jeff Puska from Canada, who I linked in the above post is T56 after day one sitting at +2.

Jonathan Sauer and Brady Swedberg are out in CA and their scores have not yet been posted.

Here's hoping they all have a great day 2!!

It's do or die time as the final round of Stage 1 Q-school is happening in 5 locations today.  In all but one location, it's the Top 23 and ties that get to move on to Stage 2...out in CA, because the field was smaller, it's the top 18 and ties.  With 75-80 guys in each field, that means about three-quarters of them are going end their Q-school journey today.  I can't quite imagine what must go through the minds of these talented golfers...on any one day they can shoot lights out and take some cash from their buddies...but today, they are playing for their potential career - now that is pressure!!

Here's the latest update on the guys I'm following:

Jesse Smith, from New Hampshire is hanging in there!! (read up a couple of posts to find a link to a great article about him!)  He is currently sitting at T9 after 3 rounds and with the current T23's sitting at -5, I think we may see Smith going to Stage 2!!

Andrew Puska from Canada doesn't look so fortunate - he's currently sitting at T68 and would need to shoot about 60 to even get close to the cut line.  It looks like his dream ends today...but hopefully he may find some play on the Canadian Tour in 2011.

As for the Minnesota guys I'm rooting for:

Mario Tiziani is out in North Carolina...after being at T19 after day one, Mario finds himself at T36 going into the final round.  He is 3 strokes behind the players currently at T23.  He's going to need to make some putts today!

Out in Nevada there are several MN guys..

Clayton Rask is going into round 4 at T19  he has played steady golf and needs one more good round today.

Kane Hanson has dropped off his good first round pace, but finds himself right at the cutoff position at T23 - it's hard to know what score he's going to need to post today to keep that spot, but I hope he can go out and find some biridies!

Ben Pisani is working his way up the leaderboard, but he still has to improve today to get into the Top 23 - after being T42 after day one he's now T28 and just 1 stroke away from being T23...it's going to be a nail biter!!

Andy Paulson - who pulled out a great final round in the pre-qualifiers to get to Stage 1 is not going to make it to state 2 today - he sits at T66 and is over 10 shots away from top 23.  He just couldn't get anything going...dang!

Out in California, 2 other MN guys are going to need some inspired golf to even get close to the cut - Jonathan Sauer currently sits at T52 and Brady Swedberg is at T59...and at this location it's only the Top 18 that make it.  Scores were higher in CA, so this could have been a more difficult course.

I did see a Brett Swedberg in the NV qualifier and I think that is Brady's brother...Brett is at T23 along with Kane Hanson so I'm rooting for him, too!

It sounds like this might be one of the last nice days we get in Minnesota, so I'll be heading out from work early to make it to the course myself!  But I'll be cheering those guys on this afternoon while I try to make some birdies.

The rest of the Stage 1 qualifiers will be starting up next week...and there are more Minnesota guys to root for!!

Wow...had a busy weekend and forgot to update on the Final Round of Stage 1 for the first group of qualifiers....

Jesse Smith (from NH) made it!  He finished T19, which qualified him on the number at -8.  Way to Go Jesse!

Andrew Puska from Canada did not.

As for our Minnesota guys...CONGRATULATIONS to:

Clayton Rask - Rask finished T14 and moved up a few spots in his final round.

Ben Pisani - Ben had a great -4 (68) to finish one inside the cut number and moved past several players on the last day.

Also finishing T17 out in NV was Brett Swedberg.

Heartbreakers were:  Mario Tiziani, who finished T26 one off the cut line...and Kane Hanson who was right on the cut number going into the final round and then finished T31, one off the mark.

Other Minnesota guys who won't be making it to stage 2 are Andy Paulson, Brady Swedberg, and Jonathan Sauer.

And remember Tadd Fujikawa, the teen sensation from HI?  He made it out of stage 1 out in North Carolina - right on the cut.

Another group of Stage 1 qualifers start today!!  And the final 4 qualifiers start tomorrow.  I'll be following 6 more Minnesota guys - Joe O'Brien, Thomas Campbell, Niall Turner, Bryce Hanstad, Matt Anderson, and Justin Smith.  I also noticed Daniel Woltman...I followed him last year...he's from Beaver Dam, WI.

Check out the posts above for links to scores on www.pgatour.com. 

GOOD LUCK MINNESOTA GUYS!!!

Just did a quick browse through of the MN guys currently in Stage 1 - Joe, Thomas, and Niall are in the middle of the pack after round 1 and really need to make a move in round 2!  Bryce, Matt, and Justin are just starting their first rounds today.

And HEY...I just found out that one of my favorite players, Erik Compton, is currently in Stage 1 Qualifying in Port St. Lucie FL with his first round starting today - for some reason I thought he might be getting an exemption to go straight to Stage 2, but I guess winning your Stage 1 qualifier last year wasn't enough.  Here's hoping he can breeze through Stage 1 like he did last year!!

GO ERIK!!

Q-School Update!!

Erik Compton is currently T4 after following up is first round 66 (-6) with a nice -3 69 today.  Woo HOO!

Hey, I also noticed the name Drew Weaver - am I crazy or is he an amateur champ who had a blog at the Masters this year?  Anyway, Drew is currently 1st place after 3 rounds at Pinehurst, NC.

As for the Minnesota guys,

Joe O'Brien is T57 after 3 rounds and looks like he might be too far out to make a charge.  Niall Turner is also out of reach down in TX.  Thomas Campbell is T38 and needs a low round to break the Top 23 and ties. 

Bryce Hanstad is sitting at T8 after 2 rounds...here's hoping he can bring 2 more good ones!

Matt Anderson had a nice -2 70 today to put him right at T23 after 2 rounds...he's going to need to focus and make some birdies these next 2 days.

Justin Smith is in the middle of the pack, and would need to shoot at least -5 to get in the hunt for the final round.

We'll see tomorrow who will be advancing out of 4 more qualifying sites tomorrow...GOOD LUCK guys!!

Stage 1 of Q-school has officially ended.  A temporary time to celebrate for those who made the various cuts, but now it's time to practice and grind as Stage 2 awaits - many golfers were exempt into Stage 2 and you may see some familiar faces trying to get into the Final Stage...so for those guys who made it out of pre-qualifiers and stage 1, the field is even tougher now.  Stage 2 only has 6 sites and the play starts Nov. 16 & 17.

For Stage 1 here are the final results for the guys I was following...

Congratulations to:

Bryce Hanstad from Minnesota!! He's going on to Stage 2 after finishing T16.  Also Daniel Woltman from WI is moving on with his T11 finish.

Joe O'Brien (T51), Thomas Campbell (T52), Matt Anderson (T30) and Niall Turner (T34) will not be moving on this year.  Anderson missed the cut by 2 strokes and had a final round 74 (+2)...so close!  Turner had a fantastic final round 66 (-6) to move up, but was still 4 strokes off the cut.

Justin Smith WD'ed from his Stage 1 qualifier after the 2nd round.

Erik Compton finished T4 in Florida and will be on his way to Stage 2!  Way to Go Erik!

Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer's grandson, did not make it out of Stage 1 finishing T45.

Drew Weaver, a name I vaguely remembered, did win his stage 1 qualifier...Weaver played in the Masters in 2008 after winning the 2007 British Amateur Championship.  He turned Pro in 2009 and has been playing on several tours including the Nationwide and European Tours trying to break in.  We'll see what he can do in Stage 2!

Here's a good article that gives a review of each site:  http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/oct/29/results-pga-tour-q-school-first-stage/

A few weeks off and then it's Stage 2!!

Here's the latest for Stage 2 qualifiers:

Erik Compton will be at Panama City Beach FL

Jesse Smith (from NH) and Dan Woltman (from WI) will be in Murrieta, CA

Bryce Hanstad will be in Seaside CA

Clayton Rask, Ben Pisani, Brett Swedberg, and Drew Weaver will be at Craig Ranch in TX

Stage 2 will be starting either Nov. 16 or 17 depending on location.

Hoping Sam Johnson will be heading to Craig Ranch to cheer on the Minnesota players for me!!

It's Stage 2 Q-school week!!  One of the qualifiers starts today in Humble TX, and the remaining 5 locations start tomorrow.  These guys are either exempted in from PGA or Nationwide Tours or have worked their way from Pre-Qualifiying and/or Stage 1 - and once again these guys have about a 20% chance of moving on to the final stage.  The odds haven't been great from the beginning, but determination and great play may win out and for a few of these guys they will be one step closer to their dream of playing on the PGA Tour.

Good Luck Erik Compton and all of the Minnesota guys!!

Hurray!!  Erik Compton is on his way to the final stage of Q-school!  Erik finished 7th with the top 19 and ties advancing. 

Jeff Sorenson from Blaine MN missed heading to the final stage by 2 strokes.

Bryce Hanstad struggled out in CA and will not advance.  Jesse Smith, the great story out of New Hampshire also had his troubles in Stage 2 and will not be going to the final stage.  The Stage 2 event at Craig Ranch is still being played and only a few scores for the final round are in right now.  It looks like Ben Pisani, from MSP is going to be too far out to make it...but Clayton Rask is within quailifying range if he posts a good round today.

The final stage will start December 1 and is 6 rounds!

Congrats to Erik and I hope I'm saying congrats to Clayton in a few hours!

Minnesotan Clayton Rask is heading on to the final stage of Q-School!!  Also, Brett Swedberg made it on the number and is heading to the final round, too.  Way to go!

Here's a nice recap article about all of the stage 2 qualifiers:  http://www.pgatour.com/2010/qschool/11/20/sat-recap/index.html

Several PGA Tour names did not advance out of stage 2...which is weird to see.

Looking forward to the finals starting December 1!!

Round 2 of the 6 round Final Stage of Q-school has finished for the day in Florida...

Erik Compton is currently in T39 position at -1.

Clayton Rask is at +2 after 36 holes, so he needs to have a good round tomorrow.

Round of the day goes to Chris Baryla (I guess he's from Canada but his registration says El Paso, TX) - he shot a -11 61 today - 11 birdies and no bogeys..it was one beautiful scorecard!!  He's in the lead by 1 at -10.

Brett Waldman (the caddie for Camilo Villegas) is at -3...his first round card had 2 eagles, a double, 3 birdies and 2 bogeys...he likes to keep things exciting!  Today round had him at -6 overall, but he slid back to finsh even for the day and -3 for the event...he is currently T24.

If you go to the Q-school site (linked numerous times above) and go to the leaderboard you can click on any guys name and see their scorecards.  Pretty good stuff!!

Really need Erik and Clayton to go low tomorrow - I'm predicting 67's for both of them!!

Don't forget, coverage of Q-school starts on Dec. 4 on the golf channel!  Enjoy!