Monday qualifiers: Travelers Championship

The Monday qualifier for this week’s Travelers Championship was a stacked field. Spencer Levin and Zack Sucher were competing for spots in this week’s event. Rising stars with phenomenal potential such as Justin Suh and 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein also were in the field. However, all of the above failed to create the storyline Monday at Ellington Ridge Country Club in Ellington, Connecticut.

Instead it was Stephen Stallings Jr. who stole the spotlight. He carded the lowest round of his professional career after firing a bogey-free 63 (-9). It was a “stress-free” round for Stallings Jr. He noted that his wedge game was exceptional, and he bested the nearest qualifier by two shots.

Seamus Power, Lucas Herbert, and Andrew Svoboda will join Stallings Jr. in the field this week at TPC River Highlands. Svoboda was the last man in after beating John Augenstein, Ryan Davis, and Mark Anderson in a 4-for-1 playoff.

Travelers Championship will be Stallings Jr.’s third PGA TOUR start of the 2020-2021 season. He competed on sponsor's exemptions at Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship and the Puerto Rico Open. But the real grit in Stallings Jr. came to the floor when he qualified for the Honda Classic in a playoff and finished T65 after making the cut on one of the PGA TOUR’s toughest venues, PGA National.

“I definitely have the belief now that I can show up and play well on Monday. Before I knew I could do it but when you actually do it, it just reaffirms in your head that you can and you belong out here. Making the cut helps me know I can play out there (on the PGA TOUR) and it’s just a matter of time before I break through. If I can just give myself enough opportunities I believe I can get my card. I have made three of four cuts in career starts and I feel I have learned a lot from each start and am looking forward to seeing what I can do,” said Stallings Jr. on his finish at The Honda Classic.

QUALIFIERS

Stephen Stallings Jr.
Age: 26
College: University of Kentucky
Turned pro: 2018
PGA TOUR starts: 4
Cuts made: 3
PGA TOUR earnings: $45,064
Twitter:@stallzjr
Notes: Will play his third event of the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR season. Finished T33 at Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship and missed the cut at the Puerto Rico Open. Storybook week at The Honda Classic, where he nearly left Palm Beach Gardens because he thought his qualifying score wouldn’t make it. However, he qualified in a playoff and finished T65 on the week.

Seamus Power
Age: 34
College: East Tennessee State University
Turned pro: 2011
PGA TOUR starts: 102
Cuts made: 60
PGA TOUR earnings: $2,935,357
Twitter:@Power4Seamus
Notes: Power will make his 12th start of the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR season. Retained his card this year by finishing ranked 126-150 for the 2018-2019 season. His best 2020-2021 PGA TOUR finish came at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May (T9). Power was Top-10 in the world at racquetball between 11 and 12 years old. Ranked 328 in the world golf rankings.

Lucas Herbert
Age: 25
Turned pro: 2015
PGA TOUR starts: 13
Cuts made: 9
PGA TOUR earnings: $351,650
Twitter:@lhgolf5
Notes: His best finish this year was T18 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Herbert has alternated time between the PGA TOUR and European Tour. He won the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The Travelers Championship will be his eighth PGA TOUR event of the season. He serves as an ambassador at Peregian Golf Course in Queensland, Australia. Is No. 100 in world golf rankings.

Andrew Svoboda
Age: 41
College: St. John’s University
Turned Pro: 2004
PGA TOUR starts: 77
Cuts made: 30
PGA TOUR earnings: $1,674,811
Notes: Svoboda’s last PGA TOUR event was the 2018 Travelers Championship, where he missed the cut. The journeyman’s last big win came on the Korn Ferry Tour at the 2016 Brasil Champions. He has three career top 10s and nine career top 25s on the PGA TOUR. Svoboda’s best finishes on the PGA TOUR came in 2014 at the Zurich Classic (T2) of New Orleans and the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic (T6).

NOTES

Notable missing qualifying: John Augenstein, Ben Taylor, Tain Lee, Brett Stegmaier, Spencer Levin, M.J. Daffue, Zack Sucher, Justin Suh, Andrew Yun, Broc Everett, and Sangmoon Bae.

2020-2021 Monday Qualifier Statistics

Last event’s qualifier results: Palmetto Championship at Congaree, Cody Blick (MC), Tain Lee (T14), Broc Everett (T35), Brant Peaper (MC)
Total money earned by Monday qualifiers on TOUR this season: $810,734.66
Best Finish: M.J. Daffue (T12, Sanderson Farms Championship)
Next Monday Qualifier: Rocket Mortage at Oakland University Golf & Learning - Katke (Monday, June 28, 2021)