Three 2005 USA Walker Cuppers, Pressel Earn Cards


December 6, 2005

By , USGA

Far Hills, N.J. -- Three members of the victorious 2005 United States of America Walker Cup team - John Holmes, Jeff Overton and Nicholas Thompson - and 2001 U.S. Amateur champion Bubba Dickerson were among the 32 golfers to earn their 2006 PGA Tour cards at the annual PGA Tour qualifying tournament that concluded Monday at Orange County National Golf Club in Winter Garden, Fla.

Also earning his card was 2003 USA Walker Cupper Bill Haas, the son of 2006 USGA Jones Award winner .

, 23, of Campbellsville, Ky., closed with a 3-under-par 69 to become the first golfer since in 1983 to leave college and win the PGA Tour qualifying tournament. The University of Kentucky graduate, who posted a 2-1 record in the 12½-11½ victory over Great Britain and Ireland at Chicago Golf Club in August, earn medalist honors (24-under-par 408) by three strokes over Alex Cejka of Germany. The long-hitting turned pro immediately after the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club and survived all three stages of Q-School to get his card. He was the only player in the field to post all six rounds in the 60s.

"I'm just glad it's over," told The Associated Press of the six-day, 108-hole grind. "I made it pretty easy on myself this week. I just went out there and tried to play 18 holes every day and act like I was playing with my buddies. It was a relief when that last putt went in on the last hole."

, 22, of Coral Springs, Fla., finished in a tie for third with D.A. Points at 19-under 413, while Overton, 22, of Evansville, Ind., tied for 13th at 13-under 419 with Dickerson. Haas, meanwhile, needed to birdie his last two holes to get one of the last remaining available cards (11-under 421).

The low 30 scorers and ties earned PGA Tour cards. The next 50 golfers and ties secured full-time privileges on the Nationwide Tour, with the remaining players achieving conditional status on that circuit. That list included 2005 USA Walker Cupper Michael Putnam, who wound up tied for 88th at 2-under 430.

Female Golf

, the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur champion and runner-up at the '05 Women's Open, was among the 24 players to earn full-exempt status for the 2006 LPGA Tour season at the circuit's annual qualifying tournament that concluded on Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla. But the 17-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., won't be able to compete as a full-time member until she turns 18 in March, unless the LPGA Tour grants her a waiver sometime before the start of the 2006 season in February. Pressel posted a 90-hole total of 3-under-par 357 to tie for sixth, 14 strokes behind medalist Ai Miyazato of Japan.

Two other USGA champions also earned their cards: 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior winner Julieta Granada of Paraguay (T6) and 2001 U.S. Women's Amateur titlist and '02 USA Curtis Cupper Meredith of Shreveport, La. (13th). Brittany Lang, who tied Pressel for second at the '05 Women's Open and was a member of the victorious 2004 USA Curtis Cup team, also earned a card in a three-hole playoff for the final three spots.