Two Georgia courses hosted first stage qualifiers for the 2015 Web.com Tour in October, and nine players with ties to the state advanced to second stage at both sites.
Richy Werenski, who completed his college career at Georgia Tech earlier this year, placed 2nd in the qualifier at the Standard Club in Johns Creek, finishing with a 19-under 269 total after scores of 65-68-68-68. He ended up two shots behind the medalist. Werenski was medalist in a pre-qualifier at Brunswick Country Club at 11-under 199 for 54 holes.
Tying for 6th at 274 were Taylor Floyd of Forsyth and Blake Palmer of Dawsonville. Floyd, who played on Augusta State’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2010 and ’11, shot 67-69-70-66, while Palmer’s week was highlighted by a third round 64, which matched the low score for the 72-hole event.
Duluth’s Brent Witcher, a Web.com Tour member in 2012 and ’14, was 9th at 276, closing with scores of 68-67-68 after an opening 73.
Suwanee’s Seth Reeves, Werenski’s Georgia Tech teammate and also a 2014 graduate, tied for 13th at 278, shooting 67-70-68 before a final round 73 dropped him out of the top 10.
Joey Garber, who competed against Reeves and Werenski during his time on the Georgia golf team and is also in his first year as a pro, tied for 16th at 279 with scores of 71-71-67-70.
Fellow pro rookie Charlie Harrison of Atlanta, who played his college golf at Wake Forest, closed with scores of 67 and 66 to tie for 22nd at 281. The top 31 finishers advanced, and Harrison was well outside that spot after a second round 76. He was 41st going to the final round.
Also tying for 22nd was Atlanta resident Sam Del Val, the 2010 Georgia Open champion. Del Val, who plays on the LatinoAmerica Tour, posted scores of 69-73-68-71. Del Val is a native of Spain and played his college golf at Berry in Rome.
Advancing on the number at 283 was former Atlanta resident Reid Edstrom, who has spent several seasons on the Web.com Tour. Edstrom shot 68-69-74-72 to tie for 30th.
A number of Georgians came close to advancing at the Standard Club. Jeff Karlsson of Canton missed by one shot at 4-under 282, shooting 73 the final round to fall from a tie for 24th after 54 holes.
Missing by two at 285 was Alpharetta’s Franco Castro, who recently completed his college career at Charlotte, and Duluth’s Jim Chung. Castro shot a 69 the final day, while Chung closed with scores of 68-71.
Alpharetta’s Kevin Durkin, a former Web.com Tour player, missed by three at 286 after an opening 69. Duluth’s Billy Shida missed by four at 287 after a final round 74. Canton’s Blake Stark and Augusta’s Wesley Graham also failed to advance.
At Callaway Gardens, nine of the 12 Georgians in the field advanced to the second stage.
Tying for 5th at 15-under 273 were veteran mini-tour players Jay McLuen of Forsyth and Wade Binfield of Fayetteville. McLuen, the 2011 and ’14 Georgia Open champion, shot 68-67-70-68, while Binfield closed with a pair of 70s after scores of 67-66 the first two rounds.
Placing 10th at 275 was former UGA golfer Adam Mitchell of Atlanta, who moved up with a final round 66. Atlanta’s Brett Lange tied for 13th at 277, closing with scores of 69-69-68.
Former Georgia Tech golfers James White of Acworth and Kyle Scott of Decatur both opened with scores of 67 and shot under par in all four rounds to tie for 15th at 278.
Tying for 18th at 279 were Chris Wolfe of Pooler and Chip Deason of Evans. Wolfe was well outside the top 31 after 36 holes, but rebounded with scores of 64 and 67. Deason shot 69-67 the final two rounds.
Advancing on the number at 282 was Covington’s Jonathan Fricke, who competed on the Web.com Tour this year, finishing just outside the top 100 on the money list. Fricke opened with a 67 but shot only 1-under over the final 54 holes.
Suwanee’s David Skinns was 101st on the Web.com money list (the top100 earn at least partially exempt status for 2015), but shot 285 at Callaway Gardens and missed advancing by three shots. Also failing to advance was recent UGA golfer Keith Mitchell, who missed by five shots at 287 after closing with scores of 73-74, and Augusta’s Dykes Harbin, who shot a final round 76 to finish at 289.
In other first stage qualifiers:
Recent Auburn golfer Michael Hebert of Powder Springs was medalist in Gautier, Ms., opening with a 66 and following with three straight 68s for an 18-under 270 total.
J.T. Griffin, who played at Georgia Tech and is living on St Simons Island, had rounds of 66 and 64 and placed 4th at 275. Also advancing was Mitch Krywulycz, a member of Augusta State’s two national championship teams. Krywulycz bounced back from a third round 76 to close with a 67 and tied for 19th at 282.
Missing by one shot at 285 were Matt Nagy of Buena Vista, Joe Young of Cochran and Brad Arrington of St. Simons. All three tied for 28th, with the top 27 players advancing. Nagy bogeyed the 72nd hole and Young finished birdie-birdie after making a pair of bogeys on his final nine.
Recent UGA golfer T.J. Mitchell of Albany tied for 7th in a qualifier in Nebraska. Mitchell was 2nd after 54 holes with scores of 70-67-72, but fell back the final day with a 75. Also advancing was Shun Yat Hak, who played one season at Georgia Tech. Hak tied for 18th at 289 after moving up 20 spots with a final round 69.
The top 31 advanced, with former Alpharetta resident and Augusta State golfer Derek Chang falling to 32nd after a final round 74. Wills Smith of Savannah was also tied for 18th after 54 holes, but shot 79 the last day and missed by five.
Advancing from a qualifier in West Palm Beach, Fl., was Web.com Tour veteran Tim O’Neal of Savannah and former Georgia Southern golfer Spence Fulford. O’Neal tied for 12th at 4-under 284, with Fulford closing with a 69 to move up from 36th after 54 holes and finish T24 at 288.
Dalton’s Matt Hughes and Atlanta’s Jordan Mitchell both failed to advance in Lantana, Tex.
Advancing from the final week of first stage qualifiers were Savannah’s Drew Aimone and recent UGA graduate Michael Cromie. Aimone tied for 20th in St. Augustine at 284, with Cromie tying for 25th in Pinehurst, N.C., shooting 70 in the final round to qualify. Savannah’s Kent Bulle missed by one shot at 293 after a final round 73, while Dunwoody’s Dan Woltman closed with a 75 to fall two shots short.
Six second stage qualifiers will be played Nov. 11-14 and 18-21, three of them in Florida. The finals are scheduled for Dec. 11-16 at PGA National in south Florida, with the top finishers earning spots on the 2015 Web.com Tour.