Live Oak grad will need to make up ground in final two rounds in
order to make cut
KINGWOOD, TEXAS
After carding an even 72 on Wednesday, John Ellis recorded a 2-over 74 on Thursday in the second stage of the PGA Tour’s Qualifying Tournament at the Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas, and currently sits tied for 53rd place with a 146.
The Qualifying Tournament, also known as Q-School, is a three-stage event where golfers from around the world compete in order to earn their PGA Tour card. This year’s Q-School began with 965 golfers, and only 35 will be rewarded with a Tour card.
Only the top 21 golfers from the second stage will advance to the third and final stage, scheduled to be held at the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course and the TPC Stadium Course in La Quinta from Dec. 3-8.
Ellis, a graduate of Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, sits just four strokes outside of a top-21 spot. The San Jose resident still has two more rounds of golf on Friday and Saturday before any cut is made, however.
It was a tale of two rounds for Ellis, though, who was tied for 13th after round one when he shot an even 72 on Wednesday.
After recording a 1-under 35 on the front nine, Ellis began the back by bogeying both 10 and 11 before rebounding with back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15.
His round ended on Wednesday, however, when he bogeyed 18 to finish even on the day.
The second round on Thursday was a different story, unfortunately. Ellis was 1-over after the front nine, and although he birdied 11, 14, 15 and 16, he shot a seven on the par-4 12th hole.
Ellis was exempt from the first stage this year after he won the Order of Merit on the Canadian Tour Championship in September.
The third and fourth rounds at Deerwood will begin at 8 a.m., on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
