February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Devlin, who now resides in Panama City, Fla., finished joint-2nd in a first-stage PGA Tour qualifier at St. John’s Golf & Country Club in St. Augustine, Fla. last week. He needed to finish in the top 22 to advance to second stage, and did so easily, with seven strokes to spare.
Devlin shot 12-under-par 276 (67-69-68-72) for 72 holes, a number surpassed only by Russell Knox, who carded 273. He started auspiciously enough with an eagle-2 on the first hole in the first round, and went on to card two more eagles, both in the third round. Four bogeys over the final 10 holes were the only thing that kept him from challenging Knox for medal honors.
Mark Murphy from Waterville, Co. Kerry also joined Devlin at St. John’s, but won’t be joining him at second stage. Murphy missed advancement by one stroke, finishing tied for 23rd place with two others who shot 4-under-par 284. He struggled over the first two days, carding rounds of 74 and 73, but came alive in the third round, when he ran off four consecutive birdies to close out the front nine en route to 68 for the day. Had he matched that number in the fourth round, he, too, would have advanced, but his 69 left him a stroke shy.
Also on the outside looking in after first round are Keith Nolan and Sean McTernan, whose numbers were on the high side at Cypresswood Golf Club in Spring, Texas. Nolan, who qualified for the PGA Tour in his first go at Q School out of East Tennessee State in 1997, shot 10-over-par 298 (76-75-74-73). McTernan, a Sligo man who played collegiate golf at the University of Toledo, finished five strokes over par at 293 (78-74-70-71). Playing the back nine seven strokes over par in the first round made all the difference for McTernan, who missed the magic number of 287 by six strokes.
First stage continues this week at six venues, including San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister, Calif., where Cork’s Niall Turner will take his shot. Second stage commences Nov. 18 at six sites, followed by the 108-hole final round at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., beginning on Dec. 2.