Scott Verplank shot his second straight eight-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead on Friday in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Disney, the final official US PGA Tour event of the season.
Steve Marino (66) and Troy Matteson (68) were tied for second, but the real drama was at the bottom of the standings.
Friday was cut day in the event that ends the race for spots in the top 125 on the final money list, the cutoff for full 2009 PGA Tour cards.
PHOTO: AFP
Brad Adamonis, who birdied the last hole to finish 1 under but missed the cut, said: “I probably won’t look at the standings until the tournament is over. At least that’s my plan. I’d probably throw up if I did.”
Whether he comes in at 125 depends on what happens this weekend with the players behind him who made the cut at five under.
Bob Tway, who played with Verplank and shot a 62 after a first-round 73, made the cut and needs to finish in the top 12 to make the top 125. Tway, ranked 131st, and Verplank combined for 20 birdies on the Palm Course on Friday.
Erik Compton, who’s had two heart transplants and got a sponsor exemption, shot a 68 and made the cut by two strokes. He’ll play in the second round of Q-school next week, only six months after his second transplant.
Tway still holds the course record of 61 at the Lake Buena Vista course, where the tournament was formerly held.
Verplank, who sank a 60-foot putt on 14 for an eagle 3, has suddenly found his putting stroke and hinted his round could have been better in what he called perfect playing conditions.
“I stayed out too late at the parks last night with my kids, so I was a little lethargic when we started,” said Verplank, who has made a tournament-record 13 straight cuts. “My equilibrium was off, and then something happened where I fell into a zone and didn’t know where I was.”
Some of the players who lose their cards will go back to Q-school. Mike Allen, who has made it through nine Q-schools, shot a 67 to make the cut at 137. He feels confident about his chances, and with the experience of 13 trips to the final round of the Q-school, he’s not easily fazed.
Allen, whose friend at Mesa Country Club in Arizona placed a sign on his locker proclaiming Allen “the Q-school all-time money winner,” said he could relax a bit now that he made the cut.
“Otherwise I was toast,” Allen said.
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