PGA Tour Champions Q-School Final Stage: Cameron Percy leads with 18 holes to go
07 Dec 2023
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
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Cameron Percy (PGA Tour Photo)
Cameron Percy shot a 5-under 66 with six birdies and just one bogey to take the lead going into the final round of the 2024 PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament's Final Stage. Percy recorded six birdies and just one bogey, coming late in his round on hole No. 16.
Percy has been a model of consistency, shooting rounds of 65-66-66.
Steve Allan is in solo second place at 14-under, and Omar Uresti is in solo third place at 13-under. Allan finished with a round of 6-under 65, and Uresti finished with a round of 4-under 67.
It was a struggle for the guys at the top of the leaderboard after round two, with the 36-hole leader Wes Short Jr., carding a round of of even-par 72. He was two-over through 13 holes but recorded birdies on Holes No. 14, 15, and 17 to get to 1-under for the round. He closed his round with a bogey on No.18. Short Jr., is now T4 at 12-under.
Daniel Chopra, who was T2 after 36 holes, also fell five spots to T7 after a round of even-par 72.
Joining Short Jr. at T4 are Scott Parel and Shane Bertsch at 12-under, and joining Chopra at T7 are Todd Demsey and Jason Schultz at 11-under.
Notables
Greg Chalmers, who has made 485 PGA Tour career starts, shot 5-under 66 in the third round to jump into the top 10.
Former Ryder-Cupper Boo Weekley is T59 and 3-over after a third-round 2-over 73.
Notah Begay III fell 16 spots in the third round, going from T32 to T46 after shooting 2-over 73. Begay is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour.
In contrast, Chris Riley shot up 16 spots from T57 to T41 after 2-under 69. Riley is a former Ryder-cupper and currently the coach at the University of San Diego, a position he has held since 2017.
Ted Purdy is in solo 72nd place after a 6-over 77, with him at 8-over total. Purdy has made 300 career starts on the PGA Tour and is a Phoenix native.
Former Atlanta Braves and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz is looking to earn his spot on the Champions Tour, but he is in 75th place at 19-over with rounds of 80-76-76.
“I don’t live in a false reality,” Smoltz told the PGA Tour before his first round. “This sport is really difficult. I’m not trying to think that this is something that I could do for a whole year or not. But it’s fun to attempt it.”