Golf: Geary starts well at q-school

Josh Geary. Photo / John Borren

New Zealand golfer Josh Geary made a strong start in his bid to qualify for next year's United States PGA Tour, but his four compatriots have plenty of ground to make up after the first round of the final qualifying school event at the Orange National complex, Florida, today.

Geary, who has played on the Canadian tour this year but qualified for the final stage at q-school courtesy of his fourth-placed finish on the Australasian Tour Order of Merit, mixed five birdies with two bogeys in firing a three-under par round of 69 on the Crooked Cat course to be tied for seventh after the first of six rounds.

The top 25 players earn full playing rights to the PGA Tour for 2011 and the next 50 gain full cards to the second-tier Nationwide Tour.

"I got off to a good start and got under par early and kept the momentum going," Geary said.

"The course we played today is a monster. It is 7500 yards and today it was pretty gusty and they put a few tees up today because literally some holes were unplayable from the back.

"I drove the ball well. My iron was not quite on song but my short game was outstanding."

Geary was keeping a narrow focus for the gruelling six round event.

"It's a long week and you have to break it down into small segments. You set your sights on about 15 to 20 under par to get a tour card. I am breaking it down nine holes at a time and I have worked it out if I shoot two under for each nine holes then you will be 24 under and in pretty good shape."

Tim Wilkinson, the only one of the five to have appeared on the PGA Tour this year after playing under a medical exemption following surgery on his thumb last year, will be happy enough with his even-par 72 on the Crooked Cat course, the lower scoring of the two courses today, which puts him in a tie for 51st.

But fellow New Zealanders Danny Lee, Michael Hendry and Steven Alker are all off the pace.

Lee, the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic winner on the European Tour, made a terrible start with four bogeys in his first six holes on Crooked Cat. He made the turn in 40 after playing the back nine holes first but bounced back to come home in 34 for a two-over par 74, which puts him in a tie for 97th.

Hendry, a winner on the burgeoning OneAsia Tour this year, was even through 10 holes on the par 71 Panther Lake layout, but two bogeys and a double bogey in a three-hole stretch saw him end the day with a three-over 74 and tied for 117th.

Alker, who has been playing Nationwide Tour this year, carded six bogeys and just the one birdie in a five-over par 76 on the Panther Lake course, which puts him in a tie for 148th and 12 shots off the leader, American Kyle Stanley, who signed for a seven-under 65 on Crooked Cat.

- NZPA