Dave is currently preparing for the PGA Tour’s “Q-School,”  officially known as the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.  The PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament is actually a series of tournaments, beginning with first stage qualifiers played at numerous locations around the U.S. Golfers who make the grade at the first stage advance to second stage qualifiers. Golfers advancing out of the second stage move on to the Final Stage – the six-round grind that is known as Q-School.  Each year, the tournament results in a certain number of golfers earning PGA Tour cards – membership in and playing privileges on the tour for the following PGA Tour season. The tournament also awards, in its final stage, status on the Nationwide Tour to participants who fail to earn PGA Tour cards.

Some golfers are able to skip the first stage, and others even the second stage, if they meet certain criteria (such as having conditional status on the Tour, or being a past champion).

Following six rounds of stroke play at the Final Stage, the highest finishers receive fully exempt status on the PGA Tour for the following year. That number is usually the low 30 finishers plus ties.

Q-School also serves as a qualifier for the Nationwide Tour. Golfers finishing outside the Top 30 plus ties at the Final Stage receive either fully exempt status on the Nationwide Tour, or conditional status for that tour, depending on their placement.  The system dates back to 1965.

2010 Dates for Q School

(not yet released)