After the heartwarming stories of the previous fortnight, with Erik van Rooyen prevailing at the World Wide Technologies Championship with his dying BFF Jon Trasamar in mind and Camilo Villegas winning the Bermuda Championship to honour the memory of his daughter Mia, who died of cancer four months short of her second birthday, last week had slim pickings by comparison. That doesn't mean it lacked for storylines.
In Dubai, the race for the Vardon Trophy may have fallen to Rory McIlroy without a shot of the DP World Tour Championship being taken, but the race for ten PGA Tour cards for next year came to a crescendo when Rasmus Hojgaard, hoping to join his successful STM-earning twin brother Nicolai in America in 2024, landed his approach in the water at the final hole of the Earth Course. Where he hoped to make birdie or better to leave no doubt, he settled for par. Adding insult to injury, Matthieu Pavon of France finished his season with four straight birdies to get that card that would have otherwise gone to Rasmus. The Dane will be back, though. Maybe he'll follow his twin brother's lead and convert success in America to STM and, ultimately, membership in 2025.
Before I go any further, I should point out that the DP World Tour's subservience to Ponte Vedra Beach was a long time coming, whether you like it or not. Ever since a guy named Eldrick Tont Woods started winning events right out of Stanford in 1996, the European circuit's independence was bound to be terminally marked. I'm aware that several Umcees like the aforementioned van Rooyen and Angus Flanagan have had scenes on the DP World Tour or its developmental circuits, so I will say that the golf ecosystem needs a long, hard look going forward.
But back to America, where Ludvig Aberg completed a transatlantic double of events at the RSM Classic. The Texas Tech alumnus had already won the Omega Masters in Switzerland, earning himself a Ryder Cup European captain's pick from Luke Donald. (Some say it would've otherwise gone to Adrian Meronk of Poland. Turns out Team Europe didn't need him, I guess. As it is, Meronk is headed to the Players and the Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth the week after the PGA Championship next May as the top points-getter among the ten DPWT grads to the PGA Tour.) He had kicked butt over the following few months, including a respectable two points from as many wins at Marco Simone near Rome. Then, just last week, the Swede polished off Mackenzie Hughes of Canada by four strokes at Sea Island near Brunswick, Georgia.
You're here for the Upper Midwest Connection of the Week, though, so I'll lay off on details concerning external matters. Let's start with the obvious Umcee, Troy Merritt. Heading into the RSM, Merritt was coming off three straight meh finishes after showing up at the Fortinet and the Sanderson Farms prior to Vegas. He was still ranked #123 coming in, so it was possible that he might survive to 2024 with his card without a made cut, but he wanted to make it to be sure. Unfortunately, Merritt missed the cut despite a heroic Friday effort of -6, so he had to sweat out the outcome of the weekend. As good fortune would have it, Carl Yuan of China missed out on ending Merritt's exempt status by less than two points! But rules are rules, and I can't award the plaudits to Troy Merritt, simply because he missed the cut at the RSM.
I can, however, award the honours to the top Umcee at Q-school from last week. You see, as mentioned extensively in this blog, Second Stage of the PGA Tour Q-School began 14 November, with a further two sites next week in California and Georgia. Nine Umcees made it to Second Stage, either by qualification or by exemption, of whom three progressed to Final Stage: Van Holmgren, Andre Metzger and Alex Schaake.
Metzger, as is well-known, is a folk hero on the Dakotas Tour, which is one of the top minitours in North American golf, and he maintains some residence in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (fittingly enough). He seemed headed out of Q-school in Savannah, Georgia after a second-round 74, but rallied to make it with a stroke to spare. Schaake is from Omaha, but went to the University of Iowa, which qualifies him as an Umcee. In Dothan, Alabama, he had an even worse opening-round 77, but he broke par the last three days and 70 the last two to make it with two strokes clear of the number. But it was a guy who tried and narrowly failed to medal in Port St Lucie, Florida for guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts but still advanced with ease--five strokes clear of the cut...
Van Holmgren.
Hailing from Plymouth, Minnesota and a graduate of Wayzata High School, Holmgren narrowly missed out two years ago on Final Stage when it was just for Korn Ferry Tour status when a putt lipped out. Now, with somewhat more on the line, Holmgren is headed to TPC Sawgrass to try his luck at KFT starts...or even one of five-plus PGA Tour cards! I mentioned he missed out on medallist plaudits, as he dropped behind his 54-hole coleaders in the final round. Still, he is gaining comfort in the pro game, and he has PGA Tour Americas starts guaranteed, if nothing else.
Once again, his reign as the Upper Midwest Connection of the Week will last another week, as no Umcees are known to be teeing it up in tour golf this week or next. Nor are there any Q-school stops on the week, as Second Stage (as mentioned before) takes a week off. But next week's honours, which will be awarded the week of 4 December, will go to the top performer between five participants at the remaining Second Stage sites, as well as Kate Smith (exempt) and Kim Kaufman (qualified via Stage II) at LPGA Q-Series.
Also, be on the lookout for an announcement concerning the Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of the Year sometime over the Thanksgiving holiday. My plan was for it to drop the week of 18 December, the week after Final Stage for the PGA Tour Q-School.
Edward the Scop
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