Denny McCarthy Wins Web.com Tour Championship; FINALS Top 25 Get Tour Cards!
Denny McCarthy strolls up to get his trophy after winning the Tour Championship by 4 strokes!
Denny McCarthy, with the confidence of knowing his PGA TOUR card was secure coming into the week at No. 11, was ‘Mr. Consistency,’ and won the Web.com Tour Championship by four strokes. By doing so he ascended ten spots into the No. 1 position of the FINALS to bump that regular tour card into one that is all-exempt for the upcoming 2018-19 season.
Sungjai Im has one of those all-exempt cards as well having earned it by being No. 1 on the Combined Regular Season and FINALS Money List. Having sewn up that distinction coming into the Tour Championship he elected not to compete this week at the Atlantic Beach Country Club.
McCarthy, with his precise and lengthy drives, made his move on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 while his competitors in the final group—Sepp Straka, Curtis Luck, and Lucas Glover—faded a bit in the heat of the day and the moment.
The next wave of 50 new golfers on the PGA TOUR has arrived!
Glover shot even par on the front nine, stumbled with a double bogey on the par-4 11th hole but recovered with four birdies on the final seven holes to finish solo second. He rose from No. 40 to No. 7 in the FINALS and has a tour card for next year in addition to his medical exemption from June knee surgery.
Sepp Straka, the leader by one stroke going into the final round, had it 3-under through No. 10 but suffered a triple bogey on the difficult par-4 16th hole to shot and even-par 71. Though he slipped to a T3 finish he went from No. T80 to No. 20 in the FINALS and earned his tour card for next season!
Australian Curtis Luck was running out of luck towards the end of Round Three and the start of the Final Round. Bogeying the 16th and 17th though saving par after hitting into the water near the 18th green on Saturday. He started with three bogeys today. However, his Sunday 71 and T8 Finish maintained his rock solid spot at No. 16 to earn his card for next season!
It was a 5-way tie for third in the Tour Championship as Chase Wright (64), Cameron Davis (66), Ben Silverman (68), and Cameron Tringale (69) joined Straka.
Atlantic Beach CC is the host venue for the Web.com Tour Championship!
Wright had already earned his tour card in the regular season. Davis improved his FINALS position two slots to No. 5. Silverman and Tringale, were rockets in the final week of the year to secure their tour cards. Silverman from No. T85 to No. 22. Tringale from No. T83 to No. 21.
Fabian Gomez (68-68-69-63; T17 Finish; from No. 29 to 24) was the fifth player to gain entry into the FINALS Top 25 joining Glover, Straka, Silverman, and Tringale in achieving tour cards for next season.
On the other side of the equation, the five players who dropped out of the FINALS Top 25 in the fourth and final event were: : Brian Campbell, Aaron Baddeley, Joseph Bramlett, Scott Pinckney, and Lanto Griffin.
FINALS Top 25 Bubble Watch:
The Happy Graduating Class celebrating their tour cards!
The five players that moved INTO the FINALS Top 25 at the Web.com Tour Championship were: Lucas Glover (64-64-68-69; 2nd Finish; from No. 40 to 7), Sepp Straka (65-66-64-71; T3 Finish; from No. T80 to 20), Cameron Tringale (63-67-67-69; T3 Finish; from No. T83 to 21), Ben Silverman (63-68-67-68; T3 Finish; from No. T85 to 22), and Fabian Gomez (68-68-69-63; T17 Finish; from No. 29 to 24).
The corresponding five players that moved OUT of the FINALS Top 25 at the Web.com Tour Championship were: Brian Campbell (69-68-69-69; T46 Finish; from No. 25 to 28), Aaron Baddeley (68-67-CUT; from No. 20 to 30), Joseph Bramlett (71-68-CUT; from No. T21 to T32), Scott Pinckney (71-71-CUT; from No. 24 to 34), and Lanto Griffin (69-72-CUT; from No. T21 to T32).
Others near the cut off No. 25 point:
No. 20: Sepp Straka (65-66-64-71; T3 Finish; from No. T80 to 20)
No. 21: Cameron Tringale (63-67-67-69; T3 Finish; from No. T83 to 21)
No. 22: Ben Silverman (63-68-67-68; T3 Finish; from No. T85 to 22)
No. 23: Michael Thompson (66-68-64-71; T21 Finish; from No. 18 to 23)
No. 24: Fabian Gomez (68-68-69-63; T17 Finish; from No. 29 to 24).
No. 25: Jim Knous (67-69-70-71; T57 Finish; from No, 17 to 25)
No. 26: Justin Lower (68-66-66-69; T21 Finish; started and stayed at No. 26)
No. 27: Henrik Norlander (67-67-67-68; T21 Finish; started and stayed at No.27)
No. 28: Brian Campbell (69-68-69-69; T46 Finish; from No. 25 to 28))
No. 29: Matt Every (64-68-70-67; T21 Finish; from No. 30 to 29)
No. 30: Aaron Baddeley (68-67-CUT; from No. 20 to 30)
Tringale put it all in perspective with his comment on Saturday—“Yeah, I was hoping last year was my last time here.”
Hopefully this is the year the Top 25 from the Regular Season and the FINALS Top 25 make it for good on the PGA TOUR!
Play well!
