Standing in the 17th tee box with playing partners Barrett
Jarosch and Travis Bertoni Friday, San Jose resident John Ellis
cracked jokes of the poor play he had experienced in years past on
the up-and-down par 4 hole at San Juan Oaks Golf Club in
Hollister.
Although it may have been the hole itself
— the 17th carries a one-of-a-kind view as the tee box sits
roughly 150 feet above the pin — Ellis was clearly at ease, or at
least enough so that he could poke fun at an otherwise frustrating
game, even during a pressure-filled Stage One of the PGA Tour’s
Qualifying Tournament.
HOLLISTER
Standing in the 17th tee box with playing partners Barrett Jarosch and Travis Bertoni Friday, San Jose resident John Ellis cracked jokes of the poor play he had experienced in years past on the up-and-down par 4 hole at San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister.
Although it may have been the hole itself — the 17th carries a one-of-a-kind view as the tee box sits roughly 150 feet above the pin — Ellis was clearly at ease, or at least enough so that he could poke fun at an otherwise frustrating game, even during a pressure-filled Stage One of the PGA Tour’s Qualifying Tournament.
“[Thursday] was probably the most pressure-packed of the days, in the sense that I was in a pretty good position,” said Ellis, who was tied for eighth entering Thursday’s round. “I could have gone either way, but I played great and made [Friday] quite a bit less stressful.”
After carding the best score among some 72 golfers on Thursday, Ellis shot a 3-under 69 on Friday and finished with an 11-under 277 (71-72-65-69) to advance to Stage Two of the PGA Tour’s Qualifying Tournament, also known as Q-School.
“The guys are so good, you still have to play really good,” Ellis said. “I was fortunate to play really good this week.”
Q-School is a three-stage event where golfers from around the world compete to earn their PGA Tour card. This year’s Q-School began with more than 900 golfers at 13 different courses across the country, and only 25 will be rewarded with a PGA Tour card.
Only the top 23 golfers at San Juan Oaks, including ties, advanced to Stage Two last week. Ellis, who graduated from Live Oak in Morgan Hill and attended Gavilan College in Gilroy, finished in sixth place behind first-place finisher Stuart Anderson of Canada, who carded a 13-under 275.
Four golfers tied for second at 12-under, with the cut established at 2-under after four rounds of play.
“Just qualify and move on,” Ellis said. “That’s what the goal was and I did it.”
The local golfer provided himself with strong starts during three of the four rounds at Q-School, which allowed Ellis to play with a sense of ease during Friday’s final round. On Tuesday, Ellis began his round with three straight birdies, while Thursday’s low round of 65 included eight birdies — four on the first five holes.
Friday’s final round witnessed Ellis birdies on the first two holes and four total for the round.
“Trying to keep the heart rate down today,” Ellis said.
“I get to sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, and I think that is a huge advantage.”
This will be Ellis’ fourth trip to the second stage. He has yet to advance to the third and final stage of Q-School, which this year will be held at the Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., from Dec. 2-7.
“I feel like I’ve been through it every time, so maybe there’s a little bit more confidence, like I knew I was going to (advance),” Ellis said. “But it’s still tough and you still have to play really good. Stage Two is where I haven’t done very well … That’s gonna be the test and I’m looking forward to it.
“I think if I got through the second stage, I’d be on the Tour. But it’s been that tough.”
Last year, after earning the Canadian Tour Championship’s Order of Merit, Ellis was awarded an exemption from Stage One. But playing at the Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas, Ellis fell nine strokes short of advancing to the final stage.
The Live Oak grad wasn’t 100 percent certain as to where he’d be competing for Stage Two this year, though. Qualifying golfers rank in order of their course preferences for the second stage, and Ellis selected Deerwood as his first choice for a second straight year.
However, Ellis recently took first in the Golden State Tour Championship at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont — a second-stage site — leaving the San Jose resident with second thoughts.
“I might switch. I don’t know,” Ellis said. “I had a lot of success there, so some people might think it’d be stupid if I didn’t go there. But I don’t know where I’m gonna go. I’m gonna think about it the next two days.”
The second stage will begin Nov. 18 at six different courses across the country, with sites in Georgia, Florida and, of course, Kingwood and Beaumont.
“I might switch, but I don’t know,” Ellis reiterated. “Either way I’m gonna have to play good, and if I play good it doesn’t matter what course I go to, I’m gonna get through.”
——
The top 23 golfers, including ties, advanced from Stage One at San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister on Friday.
Results
1, S. Anderson, Canada, -13; T2, J. Wood, Sacramento, -12; T2, N. Tyler, Tucson, Ariz., -12; T2, B. Jarosch, Canada -12; T2, T. Bertoni, Paso Robles, -12; 6, J. Ellis, San Jose, -11; 7, J. Hahn, Alameda, -10; 8, B. Prouty, Tucson, Ariz., -9; T9, E. Meierdierks, Wilmette, Ill., -7; T9, Z. Bixler, Richland, Wash., -7; T11, R. Lee, Chandler, Ariz., -6; T11, N. Turner, St. Paul, Minn., -6; T13, K. Chappell, Fresno, -5; T13, J. Kribel, Phoenix, -5; T13, D. Oh, Cerritos, -5; T13, R. Thornberry, Ceres, -5; T13, B. Stockton, Cave Creek, Ariz., -5; T13, M. Marshall, Marana, Ariz., -5; T19, J. Tucker, San Diego, -3; T19, P. Dawson, Shingle Springs, -3; T19, C. Griffin, Puyallup, Wash., -3; T19, J. Wilks, Tucson, Ariz., -3; T23, C. O’Connor, Phoenix, -2; T23, S. Gordon, Fair Oaks, -2; T23, K. Huber, Fresno, -2.
