Monday Qualifiers: John Deere Classic
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OAKMONT, PA - JUNE 16: Amatuer Sam Horsfield of the United States hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on June 16, 2016 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Kurt Slattery has dreamt for years about playing in the John Deere Classic. He realized his goal Monday in a manner that he likely never could have imagined.
Slattery eagled the par-5 18th at Pinnacle Country Club to shoot 67 in Monday’s qualifier and get in a seven-man playoff for the final spot in his hometown TOUR event, which he earned by holing out from 44 yards to eagle the first extra hole.
“It’s a dream come true,” Slattery told WQAD. “When I was a kid, I would always picture myself getting in the John Deere Classic and trying to play against the best players in the world.”
Slattery went to Rockridge High School, which is about 35 minutes from TPC Deere Run. He played college golf at Western Illinois and is now an assistant pro at the site of Monday’s qualifier, Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Illinois. Slattery also gives lessons at TPC Deere Run.
This was Slattery’s eighth consecutive trip to the tournament’s qualifier.
“Standing on the 18th tee when I was 3 under par, I knew I had to make eagle to do it,” he told the Quad City Times. “And I did it. And to cap it off by holing out on the playoff was truly a dream come true. I’m in complete shock”
Three players shot 66 to share medalist honors in Monday’s qualifier, including former PGA TOUR member Cliff Kresge and new pro Sam Horsfield. Matt Lee, of Cave Creek, Arizona, also fired 66.
Kresge, who posted two third-place finishes in seven PGA TOUR seasons, has made just one start since the end of the 2010 season. The 48-year-old made his last start on the Web.com Tour, where he is a three-time winner, in 2014.
Horsfield, who turned pro this year after his sophomore season at the University of Florida, has missed the cut in two TOUR starts as a pro. The 20-year-old won the 2016 Phil Mickelson Award as the NCAA freshman of the year.
Lee, 23, has missed the cut in three starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2017. He completed his career at the University of Pacific in 2016.
Former PGA TOUR winner Matt Bettencourt was among the seven players to take part in Monday’s playoff with Slattery, along with Justin Bryant, Steven Ihm, Sean McCarty, Jack Newman and Aron Price.
2016-17 Monday qualifiers
Qualifiers: 75
Made cut: 22 (29.3%)
Top-25s: 4 (5.3%)
Top-10s: 0
Top finishes this season
T11. Keith Mitchell, Valspar Championship
T17. Oscar Fraustro, OHL Classic at Mayakoba
T17. J.T. Poston, Genesis Open
T23. Andres Gonzales, Shell Houston Open
The Greenbrier Classic qualifiers
T64. Dan Obremski, 69-70-71-71
MC. Y.E. Yang, 69-75
MC. Clayton Portz, 78-73
MC. Ryan Zylstra, 80-73
Sean Martin manages PGATOUR.COM’s staff of writers as the Lead, Editorial. He covered all levels of competitive golf at Golfweek Magazine for seven years, including tournaments on four continents, before coming to the PGA TOUR in 2013. Follow Sean Martin on Twitter.