Sparks - Bryson Young has earned a chance to do something that most golfers can only dream about before he's even a senior in high school. He's going to play on the Professional Golfers Association Tour.
By shooting a 7-under-par 65 at Red Hawk on Monday, Young, a Galena High senior, became one of four golfers to qualify for this week's Reno-Tahoe Open at Montreaux Golf and Country Club. Young finished second behind Rich Barcelo of Tucson, Ariz., who fired a 64. Chris Zambri (Camarillo, Calif.) birdied the first playoff hole and Mark Wurtz (La Quinta, Calif.) birdied the second playoff hole to win a seven-way playoff of golfers who shot 66 to earn the final two spots.
Also shooting a solid round was Carson City's T.J. Duncan, who played for the University of Oregon this past season. Duncan, the son of University of Nevada coach Tom Duncan, fired an even-par 72.
Young finished his round at 1 p.m. and had to wait nearly six hours before he found out he had qualified. Young, though, didn't have too much to worry about as he benefitted from playing in the morning before the wind kicked up in the afternoon.
"It definitely helped being in the morning," Young said. "We didn't have the wind. It's a totally different golf course in the wind.
"It would have been real tough for three or four guys to come in lower than 65 in those conditions. I really wasn't that worried about it, but you never know what could happen. It got really lucky."
Young made a par-saving putt on the first hole and went on to birdie holes No. 2, 5, 6 and 9 to finish with a 31, the lowest score of the day on the front nine. He went on to birdie 10, 13, 14 and 16 to go 8-under.
Young made his only mistake of the day when he hit into the water, but went on to salvage his only bogey of the round.
"It was actually a pretty good bogey," Young said. "It was overall a really good round. I didn't really make a mistake until the last hole."
Young said he would like to make the cut, but realizes the players he's up against. "It's a different level," he said.
"I just want to go out there and have fun, just take advantage of it. It's going to be a different experience."
Young's goal is to play on the PGA tour some day and he said this week will give him a taste of what that would be like.
"What's not to like?" Young said. "It's the professional golf tour. It's really incredible."