There's nothing like the pressure of Q SchoolIn particular, this week's final stage will see 170 players compete for just a handful of 2025 PGA Tour cards. The top five players (and ties) receive them.
Even before this week, thousands of PGA Tour hopefuls were making a bid for glory. However, almost all of them did not make it to the finals, which in itself was an amazing accomplishment.
Still, this week, roughly 3 percent of this final stage will earn PGA Tour status in January. Regardless, whoever advances will need to play well all season to finish inside the top 100 on tour and maintain their status in 2026. Otherwise, they will be back here again in 12 months. It's a grind.
But playing on the PGA Tour is also the pinnacle of the sport, a place that every aspiring professional golfer has long dreamed of playing.
That's why Q School is so difficult. It brings a glimmer of hope and opportunity. And yes, many players made it from Q School to the majors.
But this week it seems even more impossible.
With wind gusting 20 to 25 mph from the Atlantic Ocean, the host courses, Dyes Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club (both par 70s), played like the Oakmont U.S. Open. The weather forecast for Saturday is similar.
Think about it this way. Corey Shawn shot a 9-under 61 on Thursday at Dice Valley to lead the field by five spots. After 36 holes he was tied with Alistair Doherty and Matthew Riedel. Sean shot a 6-over 76 in the second round at Sawgrass Country Club for an average score of 75.09. No one had a round below par, but six players shot 80 or better there, proving that the wind and pressure got the best of everyone.
At Dais Valley, 11 players finished in the red, including Docherty and Riedel. However, the average score for this course was still 72.5.
Remarkably, only eight players are under par through 36 holes. Docherty, Riedel and Sean are at the top of the leaderboard at 3 under. Japan's Takumi Kanaya is in fourth place, one stroke behind. Jin Chong, Joe Weiler, and Lant Griffin, who won the 2019 Houston Open, are tied for 5th place with 1 under. If the tournament were to end now, these eight players would be the ones to earn PGA Tour status in 2025.
However, this tournament is not over yet, and more carnage is planned for everyone who remains on Saturday. At the very least, the difficult conditions will bring the fields closer together, making for a reasonably entertaining game for fans at home. But that only increases the pressure, anxiety, and tension exponentially, so golfers around the world should pray for everyone competing in Northwest Florida this week. they will need it.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
