Columnist Peter Benton: Golfers ready to go to school for cards

Peter Benton

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000 | 9:50 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

A total of 169 players have advanced to the finals of the 2000 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament which gets under way today and runs through Monday.

The Qualifying Tournament is comprised of six rounds (108 holes) and will be played over the Jack Nicklaus Tournament and Private Courses in La Quinta, Calif.

The top 35 and ties will receive PGA Tour cards for 2001 while the next 50 earn cards on the 2001 Buy.Com Tour. The medalist at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament earns a full exemption.

Scott Verplank (1997), Mike Weir (1998) and Blaine McCallister (1999) were the last three medalists. Weir finished sixth on this year's money list with $2,547,829, Verplank was 22nd with $1,747,643 and McCallister wound up 49th with $963,974.

There are four former medalists in this year's event: Donnie Hammond (1982), Willie Wood (1983), Perry Moss (1992) and Dave Stockton, Jr. (1993).

Previous Tour winners in this large and competitive field endeavoring to remain on tour include local Robert Gamez along with Ronnie Black, Curt Byrum, Mark Carnevale, Keith Clearwater, Rick Fehr, Hammond, Mike Hulbert, Jim McGovern, Frank Nobilo, Dicky Pride, Sam Randolph, Mike Springer, Fred Wadsworth, Wood and Richard Zokol.

When this event concludes on Friday, eight of the 110 competitors will have gained full exemptions on to the 2001 Senior PGA Tour. Eight others will have earned conditional exemptions.

Two previous Qualifying Tournament medalists -- Bob Dickson in 1996 and Mark Hayes in 1999 -- are in this year's field.

Other notables competing include former Las Vegan Bob Betley along with Jim Ahern, Hugh Baiocchi, George Burns, Frank Conner, Bob Gilder, Lon Hinkle, Jim Simons, Alan Tapie and John Schroder.

Second flight low gross victors were Dave DeLacy and Tom Khamis with 325 while low net at 275 was the Bob Lee/Paul Doner pairing.

Lou Cangey and Art Sartini won low gross in the third flight with their 329. The team of Wayne Tamblyn/Bill Zell prevailed for low net at 272.

Sharing low gross honors in the fourth flight with 353s were the teams of Vic Holliman/Chris Halford and Allen Anes/Marty Druckman. Low net winners at 277 were Phil and Larry Mlynek.