Sea Island’s Jonathan Byrd was looking at the big picture this weekend when he opted out of a spot in the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic so he could compete in the Web.com Tour’s event in Indiana.
Byrd has conditional status on the PGA Tour and has played five events there. But he’s focused on finishing among the top 25 on the Web.com Tour, which would offer full status on the PGA Tour for the 2016-17 season.
Byrd has finished in the top 10 in three of five Web.com Tour events, including a tie for third in Louisiana. He’s 13th on the money list and needs to add to that total to improve his odds of returning to the PGA Tour.
This is the first year Byrd hasn’t played the PGA Tour since joining it in 2002. He’s won five times, most recently in 2011.
Roller coaster: It's been a feast or famine season for former Georgia Tech standout Richy Werenski on the Web.com Tour. In four of his six tournaments, Werenski has missed the cut. In the other two tournaments, he's tied for second. As a result, Werenski is No. 7 on the money list and on track to finish within the top 25 and earn his PGA Tour card for next season.
Nelson still going: Marietta's Larry Nelson teamed with Bruce Fleisher to win the Legends Division at the Champions Tour's Legends of Golf for the second straight year. Allen Doyle of LaGrange teamed up with Hubie Green to tie for third. It was a rare appearance for Doyle, who didn't compete in a regular Champions Tour event last year.
Four-Ball victors; The McDonough duo of Will Evans and Michael Standard shot a final-round 63 to win the Georgia State Golf Association's Four-Ball Championship at Glen Arven Country Club in Thomasville. They shot a 26-under 190 and beat Billy Mitchell of Roswell and Chris Waters of Atlanta by two shots.
NCAA update: The University of Georgia women are seeded second in the 18-team Texas A&M Regional next weekend. The top six teams advance to the NCAA championships. The Bulldogs feature three players ranked among the nation's top 25 by Golfstat: Harang Lee (No. 2), Bailey Tardy (No. 6), Jillian Hollis (No. 24). Georgia has not advanced past the regional round since 2009.
FedEx update: If the Tour Championship were held today, the 30-man field would include 10 first-time participants: Russell Knox, Justin Thomas, Smylie Kaufman, Kevin Chappell, Branden Grace, Emiliano Grillo, Fabian Gomez, Jim Herman, Masters champion Danny Willett and Jason Bohn.
By the numbers: Since 1990, 15 players have made the Zurich Championship in New Orleans their first career victory. That includes seven of the last 11, most recently Seung-Yu Noh in 2014.
About the Author
