Daniel, Disney, and Destiny: The Road To the 2010 PGA TOUR

Golf writer Andy Reistetter has been tracking the road to the 2010 PGA TOUR.

He was on site at the Nationwide Tour Championship at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina where 25 golden golfers earned their 2010 PGA TOUR cards.

Two weeks ago, he was at The Children's Miracle Network Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort where the Top 125 on the money list were finalized and qualified for the 2010 PGA TOUR.

This week he heads to Bear Lakes CC in West Palm Beach to report on the Finals of Q-School and the Top 25 golfers and ties who will fill out the fields for the 2010 PGA TOUR.

Daniel Island Golf Club in Charleston, South Carolina hosted the Nationwide Tour Championship six weeks ago to determine the final Top 25 golden graduates who earned a 2010 PGA TOUR card.

The Walt Disney World Resort hosted the final PGA TOUR tournament of the year three weeks ago. At that event the Top 125 on the final 2009 money list were determined.

This week, another 25 golfers and ties will earn their 2010 PGA TOUR card at Bear Lakes CC in the 2009 version of the Qualifying Tournament a.k.a. Q-School.

You do the math—that's 25 plus 125 plus 25 equals 175 "fully exempt" players for the 2010 PGA TOUR.

With the typical full field event at 156 golfers, minus sponsors' exemptions and other exempt players no longer in the Top 125 and getting to play in a tournament even a "full-field" event is no given.

That's why you see four golden graduates of the Nationwide Tour competing in Q-School this week—Chris Baryla (No. 19), Steve Wheatcroft (No. 20), Vance Veazey (No. 23), and Mathias Gronberg (No. 24).

If Gronberg can win Q-School his priority jumps from near 175 to near 126 which means more tournaments and more opportunity to crack the Top 125 on the PGA TOUR next year.

After the Top 125 the graduates of the Nationwide Tour and Q-School are alternated by the order of their respective finishes—leading money winner from the Nationwide Tour (Michael Sim), Q-School Champion, No. 2 on the Nationwide Tour, No. 2 from Q-School, etc..

Q-School has been in session for the last 2-1/2 months when 224 out of 436 players made it through five pre-qualifying sites in mid September.

Then 305 out of 908 golfers made it through the first stage at 13 sites.

Then 132 of 436 made it through the second stage at 6 sites.

A total of 34 players exempted into the final stage along with the 4 Nationwide Tour graduates joined the 132 qualifiers for a field of 170 in the Finals at Bear Lakes CC.

In the 170-man field, 77 players came through the first two stages of Q-School including four who had to go through the pre-qualifying stage: Mark Anderson, Ray Beaufils, Sunny Kim, and Grant Leaver.

At Daniel Island two (Matt Every and Steve Wheatcroft) came into the Top 25 meaning two (Brian Stuard and Alastair Presnell) came out.

At Disney two (Nicholas Thompson and Jimmy Walker) came into the Top 125 meaning two (David Duval and Robert Garrigus) came out.

All four heartbreak players that came out came back to go after their 2010 TOUR card again.

Even those that are in came back to try to move up the priority list in 2010.

What is the destiny of these players along 20-year old sensation Rickie Fowler?

Daniel, Disney, and Destiny—we will see how it all unfolds at Bear Lakes CC in West Palm Beach come Monday afternoon after six rounds of competition are completed.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel.

He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]