Todd, Edstrom among a large group still battling on Tarheel Tour

Charlotte, NC- Brendon Todd of Atlanta, GA and Reid Edstrom of Auburn, AL are amongst a group of 79 golfers that earned conditionally exempt status through PGA Tour Qualifying School last December. After successful runs through the First and Second stages, neither man was able to complete the task of gaining full status on the PGA or Nationwide Tour at the final stage in Winter Garden, FL. However, by qualifying for the final stage, each of the 79 men that did not earn fully exempt status receives conditionally exempt status and is given a number based on their final position at final stage. Essentially, this gives all of the players a chance to play in some events on the Nationwide Tour in 2008.

So we fast-forward from December 2007 to April 2008 and Edstrom and Todd have still yet to tee it up on the Nationwide Tour this year. Due to the fact that their conditionally exempt numbers were quite low, neither one has had their number come up yet. With a short amount of daylight and everyone eager to play early in the year, there just hasn’t been room for many of the conditionally exempt players. Many of the fields so far this year have only been open to 132 players. Also the events in Australia and New Zealand are co-sanctioned with The PGA Australasian Tour, which allows a large number of their members to fill the field, thus keeping out a large number of conditionally exempt players. One benefit that conditionally exempt players do receive is a substantial discount on the $350 Monday Open Qualifier Fee, hardly a gracious reward for making it to the final stage of PGA Qualifying School.

In a similar position to Todd and Edstrom are Colt Knost and Casey Wittenberg. Knost and Wittenberg are two youngsters that have been a bit more fortunate in the proceedings than the aforementioned Todd and Edstrom. Wittenberg, 23, was the runner up in the 2003 U.S. Amateur to last year’s Nationwide Tour Player of the Year Nick Flanagan. Due to his runner-up performance at the U.S. Amateur, he received an invitation to the 2004 Masters where he finished tied for 12th. Wittenberg also played in the U.S. Open that summer at Shinnecock Hills where he also made the cut. At qualifying school in December, Wittenberg missed being fully exempt on the Nationwide Tour by one shot. Despite not being fully exempt, Wittenberg has a very high conditionally exempt number and has either gotten in to all six events via his number, a sponsor’s invitation, or by finishing in the top-25 the week before (a top-25 finish earns a player an exemption for the next Nationwide event). Nevertheless, Wittenberg has taken advantage of his opportunity by making all six cuts, including three top-25 finishes. Wittenberg is currently 29th on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $34,247.

Another promising young player on the Nationwide circuit is Colt Knost from Dallas, Texas. Knost graduated from Southern Methodist University in May of 2007 and subsequently had one of the most distinguished amateur summers in recent memory. In July he won the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship and followed it up with a win at the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in late August. After helping the United States win the Walker Cup in September in Ireland, he decided to forfeit his exemptions in the 2008 Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open by turning professional. After missing being fully exempt on the Nationwide Tour by two shots, he became a conditionally exempt player with a very high number. So far in 2008 he’s taken full advantage of his opportunity, making three cuts in four starts, including one top ten. Knost is positioned just ahead of Wittenberg on the current money list in 25th spot with $37,310. If the season ended today, Knost would receive the last exempt spot on the 2009 PGA Tour

Golf is a game of numbers, and it is never more evident than when it comes to conditionally exempt players. Knost and Wittenberg have been able to have the chance to play because they shot a few strokes lower than Todd and Edstrom in the 108-hole final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School. Without a spot in the field at a Nationwide event, Todd, Edstrom, and other conditionally exempt players like Roswell, GA resident Rob Bradley have decided to play on the Tarheel Tour. The Charlotte-based Tarheel Tour is a highly competitive developmental tour that runs 20-22 events per year on average with purses between $100,000 and $130,000 on average. The tour also ran the TPGG Classic in Okatie, SC in late March which featured a purse of $250,000. Several Nationwide Tour Players such as Bradley have decided to play on the Tarheel Tour until their number comes up for Nationwide events later in the season. Bradley has played in two of the first three Tarheel events of the season and has 19th and 21st place finishes to his credit. Reid Edstrom and Brendon Todd have each played one event this year and also were in the field at the Patriots Point Classic which was cancelled due to high winds and unplayable conditions. Todd is getting his first shot at the Nationwide Tour in 2008 this week at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic in Athens, GA. Edstrom attempted to Monday qualify for the event but lost in a playoff after shooting a 6-under-par-66. He is entered in the field at next week’s Sapona Open on the Tarheel Tour and will certainly be one of the favorites.

Another Nationwide Tour Member that played this year on the Tarheel Tour is Brendon de Jonge. De Jonge, 27, was fully exempt on the PGA Tour in 2007, but fell back to being a fully exempt Nationwide Tour Player in 2008. Nonetheless, after the Nationwide Tour returned from Australia at the end of February, the tour had a four-week break. De Jonge, who currently resides in Charlotte, decided to enter the Tarheel Tour’s Rivertowne Open where he played solidly and recorded a tie for 14th. While other Nationwide Players were resting, de Jonge was fine tuning his game, and also staying in the heat of competition. When the Nationwide Tour resumed at the end of March, de Jonge finished tied for third at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. “We would love for all of our guys to play with us for a season and then get their tour card at the end of the year and move on to a bigger stage. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work out. We love having guys like Brendon de Jonge come play in our events when he can because we think it helps them as well as enhancing the quality of our field” says Tarheel Tour President David Siegel. “Anytime we can get a player like Brendon de Jonge or Tommy Tolles like we have had in the past, it certainly helps promote the Tarheel Tour” remarked Siegel..

The Tarheel Tour is off this week, but will resume its season next week with the fourth playing of the Sapona Open in Lexington, NC. A field of 138 players is expected with a purse of $112,000. Admission is always open to the public and free of charge.