Monday qualifier Alejandro Tosti makes first TOUR cut at Sanderson Farms

JACKSON, Miss. – Where does Alejandro Tosti currently reside?

Like many an aspiring PGA TOUR pro, he doesn’t have a clear answer. His family lives in Argentina, but he played collegiately at the University of Florida and has aspirations of competing on the Korn Ferry Tour next season. It makes for a quasi-nomadic existence.

Tosti knows where he’ll reside this weekend, though. After Monday qualifying into the Sanderson Farms Championship, he made the cut with rounds of 72-68 and is onward to round three at the Country Club of Jackson. It marks his first career made cut on TOUR.

The 26-year-old earned a tee time in Mississippi with a 5-under 67 on Monday and a birdie on the first playoff hole. After an even-par 72 on Thursday, he caught fire early Friday afternoon with two eagles and a birdie in his first five holes; after a mid-round lull, he concluded the day with an 8-foot birdie to pull within striking distance into the weekend. He stands 4 under, six strokes back of co-leaders Thomas Detry and Mackenzie Hughes.

Making one’s first TOUR cut is a scrapbook moment that a player is likely to cherish forever. As he fielded media questions Friday evening in Mississippi, it was clear that Tosti fits this bill. He spoke of his lifelong dream to play professional golf and the sacrifices his parents have made through the years. His American home is still TBD, but he has built a base in Gainesville, where he played collegiate golf – he was recruited to Florida by longtime coach Buddy Alexander, with whom he caught up-early week in Mississippi (Alexander’s son Tyson is a TOUR rookie via the Korn Ferry Tour).

Tosti’s goal this weekend is to simply execute each shot to the best of his ability and “let destiny do whatever it wants.”

The operative word: weekend. He’s playing it.

“Being able to play on the PGA TOUR, it’s been a dream for me,” Tosti said Friday evening. “I started playing golf very young and always dreamed to be a professional golfer, so being able to achieve this, it means a lot to me. I’ve worked so hard all my life and so many sacrifices, next to my family, they’ve done so much for me. Making this work, it’s just amazing. I cannot describe the emotions for that feeling.”

Tosti has been freed up this fall via his sparkling season on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. He won the 90 Abierto del Centro memorial Eduardo Gato Romero ptdo por Telecom en route to a fifth-place finish on the Order of Merit. This afforded him direct access to Final Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School in November, with conditional status at minimum. He’ll compete at The Landings Club in Savannah with an eye on a top-40 position to earn guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts next spring.

In the meantime, he decided to hit the TOUR’s Monday qualifier circuit and test his game against the world’s best – this year, for the first time, he is exempt from pre-qualifiers, directly into Monday qualifier fields.

In the event that he failed to qualify for the Sanderson Farms Championship, Tosti planned to fly to Las Vegas a few days ahead of next week’s Shriners Children’s Open qualifier.

Plans changed, and they’ll change again. His week in Mississippi will extend another couple days. It’s a good problem to have.

“To be my first made cut on the PGA TOUR is going to be something I will never forget,” Tosti said. “To be able to play with the best players in the world and make the cut, it’s very important for my confidence and to know that I can do it, to know I can play at this level.

“It’s pretty cool to play four days, be able to put up four rounds on the PGA TOUR and gain experience. Starting my career, it’s pretty cool to be able to show four rounds at the best level.”

What would he have said Monday morning if informed of this weekend’s scenario?

“I would sign the contract,” Tosti laughed. “Just tell me where it is.”