Now that I've broken down the performances of the ten Umcees participating in tour golf last week and eliminated the three who missed the cut, it's time to reveal the Upper Midwest Connection of the Week!
In case you forgot, here are the seven surviving candidates in order of world ranking heading in:
- Tom Hoge
- Erik van Rooyen
- Frankie Capan III
- Justin Doeden
- Harrison Ott
- Thomas Longbella
- Angus Flanagan
So, without further ado, the new Upper Midwest Connection of the Week is...
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Derek Hitchner.
The Blake School (Hopkins/Minneapolis, MN) and, latterly, Pepperdine University alumnus posted his best-ever finish as a tour professional so far at the Quebec Open, placing T6. Admittedly, it was only his third event ever on tour anywhere in the world, but he had yet to place inside the top 25 on PGA Tour Canada coming into the week. Furthermore, he was only #67 in the Fortinet Cup standings, and only the top 60 will survive to the merged PGA Tour Americas next year. But by finishing with a 6-under 64, Hitchner has moved to #23 in the Fortinet Cup and is within striking distance of the top 1500 players in the world. Of course, he'll need to finish top five in the Fortinet Cup to improve his Q-school standing; as a PGA Tour U top-20 honoree, he was already assured of a first-stage bye. Even so, it's quite an accomplishment for him.
This week, the Open Championship takes centre stage with one Umcee, Tom Hoge, playing in it. Of the other nine, at least eight are expected to tee it up across North America. There's also the possibility Flanagan starts the Big Green Egg Challenge in Germany, but it might not happen. As of this writing, he is fourth alternate.
Edward the Scop
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