Area pros don't earn a PGA Tour card at Q-School

Ty Tryon, circa 2002, provided by McClatchy News-Service

With the PGA Tour's final stage of Q-School finishing up Monday, the several pros with Manatee County connections didn't crack the top 25.

Only those 25 players and ties earned a PGA Tour card for the upcoming 2011 season.

Here's how the area guys finished up in the six-round pressure-cooker at Orange County National's Crooked Cat and Panther Lake courses in Winter Garden (near Orlando):

Travis Hampshire finished the best with a tie for 74th.

The former U.S. Open participant, who honed his craft on the West Florida Golf Tour during its inaugural season in 2010, fired a fifth-round 65 to vault up the leaderboard.

He closed with a final round 71 on the Panther Lake Course to finish with a 2-under par, 427 total.

Ty Tryon, former IMG Academies' prodigy, crashed and burned in the final round.

Tryon dropped all the way to a tie for 114th following a 77 on the Panther Lake Course Monday.

Seath Lauer possesses long-hitting prowess, which his former Florida State teammate Tommy Rymer said was key for the Crooked Cat Course set up.

However, Lauer couldn't generate any rounds under par throughout the week and ended up near the bottom in 151st place.

Lauer finished on the Panther Lake Course, posting a 79 on Monday.


Tyler Leon, former Saint Stephen's standout, carded a final round 77 to tie for 146th.


Michael Sims, a West Florida Golf Tour participant, moved up to a tie for 93rd with a final round 68 on the Panther Lake Course.

Sims finished at with an even par, 429 total.

David Lutterus, the Australian native listed from Bradenton, was one shot better than Sims for the six day tourney.

Lutterus ended his quest for a PGA Tour card on the Crooked Cat Course layout with a 73 on Monday.

All the players gained at least conditional status on the Nationwide Tour, the developmental tour one notch below the PGA Tour.

PGA Tour Q-School starts rough for area pros

Ty Tryon circa 2002 at Genuity Championship at the Doral Resort and Spa/ provided by McClatchy News-Service

Here's the scoop from the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School in Winter Garden:

Players faced windy conditions in Wednesday's opening round (scores can be found in that day's Bradenton Herald sports section).

And the cool temperatures hit the field for Thursday's second round.

The top 25 and ties earn a PGA Tour card for the 2011 season and there's a few players with area connections in the six-round tournament at Orange County National's Crooked Cat and Panther Lake courses.

Here's how they stand after Thursday's second round:

Ty Tryon, former IMG Academies' prodigy, is faring the best among the locals thus far.

Tryon had four birdies to offset three bogeys in a second-round 70 on the Panther Lake course that puts him in a tie for 53rd at even par.

Tyler Leon, former Saint Stephen's standout, posted his second straight 74 - this time on the Crooked Cat track - to tie for 128th through 36 holes.

Leon had just three birdies in the round and is 5-over par for the tourney.

Seath Lauer, former Lakewood Ranch High standout, is struggling through two rounds.

That's a bit of a surprise given how his former Florida State teammate Tommy Rymer and West Florida Golf Tour owner Carl Wakely both labeled the Crooked Cat course as a perfect match with Lauer's bombing game.

Both Rymer and Wakely said it's a bomber's paradise.

Yet Lauer is tied for 160th out of 162 players following a 7-over 79 on day two. That round was played on the Crooked Cat course and featured five bogeys, a triple and one birdie.

Travis Hampshire, a Tampa-area pro that played in this year's U.S. Open, has played the WFGT throughout its inaugural season.

He's tied for 94th at 3-over par with a second round 72 that began on Panther Lake's No. 10.

Hampshire bogeyed three of his final four holes on his front nine, before birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 got him back to even par on the par-71 layout.

Michael Sims, another WFGT participant, also played the Panther Lake course on day two.

He's tied for 139th after a 74 that yielded just one birdie.

David Lutterus, the Australian native listed from Bradenton, posted an even-par 72 on the Crooked Cat layout.

That puts Lutterus at 3-over par and a tie for 94th.

So to recap, unless there's some low figures soon, the area pros won't be earning a PGA Tour card for 2011.