Dayton to host qualifier for 13th straight year

No other course can make the claim that the Dayton Valley Golf and Country Club can make when it comes to hosting a PGA Tour qualifying event.

For the 13th straight year, Dayton will host the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying. That's the longest streak for hosting a PGA Tour qualifying event for any course in the nation.

The 72-hole tournament will be held Tuesday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Oct. 26. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. each day barring frost delays.

Normally about 80 players compete in the event and about the top 25 will move on to the second stage of PGA qualifying. Those who make it to the second stage will be playing for the right to be in the 108-hole PGA Tour Qualifying School to be held Nov. 28-Dec. 3 at the Orange County National Golf Center in Winter Garden, Fla.

There, players will be trying to qualify for the PGA Tour. All players who reach the final stage also receive some kind of playing status on the Nationwide Tour.

Golf the High Sierra Communications Director Larry Windsor said the players should again be pleased with the Dayton course. "It's in wonderful shape," Windsor said. "I think ti will be up to the usual standards."

Qualifying for the PGA Tour is arguably the most difficult task in sports and it seems to be becoming more difficult every year. Last year, the PGA introduced a pre-qualifying stage just to make it into the first stage of qualifying to eliminate some of the marginal players and pre-qualifying was held again this year.

"It seems like it's getting more and more difficult," said Windsor about qualifying for the PGA Tour.

Windsor said with each year the Dayton field "is probably higher quality than it has been in the past. I think they're all just better players."

One reason why the PGA keeps coming back to Dayton each year is because the players believe it's a fair course. The greens are really, really consistent. They're just fast."

"They like the course," said Windsor about the players. "They think it's a fair test of golf. I think it's a real feather in the cap for the area. It has been going on the 13th year to see these guys."

Depending on the weather, the qualifying score it has taken to move on to the next level has also gradually risen over the years. Weather conditions over the years have ranged from pristine to snow.

Last year's conditions were a little tougher. Canadian Ron Harvey Jr. was the low medalist with a four-round total of 15-under-par 273 while the qualifying score it took to move on was 5-under.

Players of note who have played and advanced from the Dayton field in prior years include Rod Pampling, Charlie Wi, Bob May, Steve Allan, Notah Begay, Casey Martin, Gabriel Herjstedt, and Kevin Wentworth.