Dec. 5, 2000
LAQUINTA, Calif. - Men's golf assistant coach Arron Oberholser finished one stroke short of qualifying for a PGA Tour card as the final round of Qualifying School concluded this afternoon in LaQuinta.
Unfortunately for Oberholser, a four-time letterwinner at San Jose State now in his second year as assistant coach of the Bronco program, a double-bogey on the second-to-last hole of the final round dropped him out of qualifying.
In an eight-way tie for 37th, Oberholser recorded rounds of 67, 68, 71, 71, 70, and 71 for a six-round total of 418, 14 strokes under par on two PGA West Courses--the Tournament and the Private-- in LaQuinta. The cut was at 15 under.
While the top 35 and ties received PGA Tour cards for 2001, Oberholser is one of the next 50 who will receive exemptions to the Buy.com Tour.
After recording birdies on holes 5, 7 and 13, he approached No. 17 at 16-under. Unfortunately his seven-iron shot off the tee landed in water, the only green he missed all day.
"He played a masterful round and put himself in a position to get his card," Bronco head coach John Kennaday said. "I'm very proud of him. It was a well-played round, making 17 greens and was never in any danger of three-putting. Very solid. One shot just got away at the wrong time."
Oberholser advanced to Stage III of the PGA Qualifying Tournament after making the cut at the Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside, where the second stage took place November 14-17. His one-over 289 placed him in a six-way tie for 14th. The cut was one stroke higher, as 23 golfers advanced.
Oberholser advanced through the first stage with a four-over 292 on the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside, which was one of eight sites around the country hosting qualifiers October 17-20. At Seaside, the top 21 finishers of the four-round event advanced, as the cut was at +11.
After turning professional in 1998, Oberholser qualified for the Ericsson Canadian Tour and was honored as its 1999 International Rookie of the Year. Additionally, last season he set a Canadian Tour record for largest margin of victory (11 strokes) at the Ontario Open Heritage Classic. This season, he placed second in three tournaments and has posted seven top-10 finishes while averaging 69.17 strokes per round.
"It's just a matter of time for Arron," Kennaday added. "There's a lot he can take from here and use as a springboard of learning. This is going to be a very positive experience when he looks back on it. He played super today."
