Record scoring required to advance through Dayton qualifier Friday

 DAYTON — Gunner Wiebe, Sherman Oaks, Calif., fired a final round 6-under 66 and 20-under 268 total to lead a group of 21 qualifiers who advance from Stage One Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying at Dayton Valley Golf Club.

First round leader Skylar Finnell, Santa Fe, Calif. also closed with a final round 66 to finish one stroke back at 19-under 269. Tom Kim, Republic of Korea and David Bradshaw, Harpers Ferry, W. Va., tied for third at 18-under 270. Kim carded a final round 5-under 67 and Bradshaw shot a closing 3-under 69.

Third round leader Li Wang, Seattle, Wash. slipped to a 1-under 71 and finished tied for fifth with Trevor Simsby, San Diego, Calif. at 17-under 271. Simsby fired a second consecutive 5-under 67.

Near perfect weather conditions for all four days led to very low scoring across the field. It took a score of 11-under 277 to advance to the second qualifying stage. That ties the all-time Dayton Q-school record set in 2009.

More than half of the field broke par in the 4th round as 48 players were in red numbers and 8 shot even par. The field total scoring average was 69.78 in the final round and the 72-hole total scoring average was 70.88.

The penultimate pairing of the day featured a pair of University of San Diego golf team alums in Wiebe and Finnell. They used the compatibility to turn the final round into a birdie fest.

“I came to USD a year after Gunner, so we knew each other pretty well,” Finnell recalled. “It was cool to play together because we were able to catch-up with each other and play a relaxing round.”

“It couldn’t have worked out better,” added Wiebe. “Our entire group got off to a fast start and we were able to have fun and just think about making birdies.”

“The opening nine holes set the tone for the whole tournament,” said Finnell who started the tournament with a 7-under 29 on the back nine. “The cool thing is that in a qualifier you get to root for other players because it is a shared success to advance to the next stage.”

At the other end of the spectrum Noah Norton, Chico, Calif., edged his way into a tie for the final qualifying position in his first Q-school start.

“Boy, it was closer than I thought it was,” said the former Georgia Tech star. “It was one of those days when you’re playing really well but you’re not scoring well and you need to. It was very stressful all day but it’s all good now thank goodness.”

Another Q-school first-timer Yung-hua “William” Liu of Taiwan overcame a slow start and finished on a hot streak playing his final 36-holes in 15-under to finish 13-under 275 and T12 after a final round 7-under 65.

“The course is very different from what I am used to playing in Taiwan, but I figured it out,” said Liu who is playing in the U.S. for the first time this year. “There are many good players in this tournament and I’m very happy to play well here.”

Mac McClung, Fremont, Calif., shot the low round of the tournament with a final round 9-under 63. It was a little too late as he finished T31 at 7-under 281 and four shots below the qualifying number.

Greg Payne, a Brit now hailing from Lexington, So. Car., scored the tournament’s only hole-in-one when he aced the 151-yard sixth hole with a 9-iron. He finished with a final round 3-under 69 and T46 finish at 1-under 287.
The 21 qualifiers will advance to Second Stage Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying at five sites in October. Players advancing to the second stage will play to make the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School Final where they will vie for a spot on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour.

For complete results and individual player scorecards visit the web link: https://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq21/event/pgatq2115/contest/4/leaderboard.htm