LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – Canada’s Mike Weir is tied for eighth after two rounds of the Web.com Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic.

The 48-year-old from Brights Grove, Ont., shot rounds of 66-68 to trail the lead by six.

Weir, who has played just 10 PGA Tour events since 2017 after losing status, is entered in his third straight Web.com event under a unique category.

The top three players on the PGA Tour career money list ages 48 and 49 are eligible for most Web.com events. Weir, the 2003 Masters champion and an eight-time PGA Tour winner, sits 38th on that list, so can get into most Web.com tournaments.

The category is designed to give top 48- and 49-year-olds more competitive playing opportunities before they’re eligible for PGA Tour Champions at age 50.

“I’m excited about my game and I love to compete,” Weir said. “The PGA Tour Champions is less than a year and a half away for me, so I want to be sharp for that. And who knows, if I play well enough out here I could get my PGA Tour card back at 49 years old, which would be pretty fun.”

The top 25 on the Web.com points list at season’s end earn PGA Tour cards for the following season.

Weir tied for 41st last week at the Panama Championship after missing the cut the previous week in Colombia.

Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., who won last week’s event in Panama, is the next Canadian in line at 5 under par to sit T51.

Weir got to know Gligic during a practice round in Colombia.

“He’s a great young man,” Weir said. “I’m really impressed with his game, he’s been at it for a while now and paid his dues, and I’m super happy for him.”

When Michael Gligic was 13, his mom took him to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., and told instructor Sean Foley her son wanted to take the sport more seriously.

More than 15 years later, Foley got great joy out of seeing a fellow Burlington, Ont., native record the greatest triumph of his roller-coaster golf career – making a spot on the PGA Tour next season a very strong possibility.

Gligic, 29, captured the Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship by one shot after shooting a 5-under 65 in the final round on Sunday.

“I’ve been a part of so many wins with players – wins of the U.S. Open or the FedEx Cup and they’re building their legacy – but that win (Sunday) … it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a win that literally could change the trajectory of someone’s life,” said Foley, a former instructor to Tiger Woods who now counts world No. 1 Justin Rose as one of his clients.

“If he has one more top 10, he’s on the PGA TOUR and he has 22 tournaments to get to that number. Mike’s always been focused on making it, and when you’re focused on making it, maybe you just make it. Whereas now the focus should be on what he could do to finish No. 1 on the money list.

“If I said that to him six weeks ago, he might have thought in his heart of hearts (he’d) really not believe he could be, but now he’s just learned something you can’t teach people. When push comes to shove, you can do it.”

Gligic is the fourth Canadian in the last four years to win on the Web.com Tour – the feeder circuit to the PGA TOUR – following Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton (2016), Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont. (2017), and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. (2018). The top 25 at season’s end earn tickets to the PGA Tour, and Gligic – currently second – simply needs to stay consistent to finish in that group.

Hughes, Silverman, and Svensson are now playing on the PGA Tour.

It’s dusty in here ⛳️❤️ pic.twitter.com/fXnE7QMffv

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) February 11, 2019

But Gligic’s road to the top tour hasn’t been as smooth as some of his fellow Canadians.

He turned professional at 18, forgoing a post-secondary education to chase his golf dreams. He earned his Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada card on his 19th birthday and won his first event four years later.

The win came the year before the Mackenzie Tour was brought under the PGA Tour umbrella, so he spent the next five seasons in Canada with only brief appearances on the Web.com Tour.

A breakthrough came at the end of last year’s Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season – he was named the Canadian player of the year – and earned a spot in the first eight Web.com Tour events through his position at the final stage of Web.com Tour qualifying school.

Now, all signs point towards Gligic joining the Canadian contingent on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve always known I’ve had it, but there are so many good players in golf,” Gligic said by phone from Panama before flying to Florida for this week’s Web.com Tour event.

“The one thing I get asked a lot is ‘What’s the difference between you and them ? the guys on the PGA Tour?’ My answer has always been the same. You can put the top 50 in the world on their own level, but then you put No. 51 in the world on the driving range with a Mackenzie Tour player, and you can’t tell who is No. 51 or who is on the Mackenzie Tour. I think that’s what has kept me going.”

Gligic grew up playing both hockey and baseball and was a goalie for 12 years. He wanted to be a pro hockey player, but after realizing he wasn’t going to make it (he had dropped baseball at that point), Gligic told his parents he wanted to practise golf indoors instead.

Gligic played only recreationally to that point, but then hooked up with Foley – the former instructor to Tiger Woods who now counts No. 1 Justin Rose as one of his clients.

He went to Florida with Foley, who was just starting his own career, and participated in an elite junior program before turning professional.

Gligic admits he wasn’t a standout junior golfer like Hughes, who is now a winner on the PGA Tour, but worked as hard as he could. He said it was “pretty cool” to have Foley text him Sunday night. Gligic was one of his first notable pupils.

“At the end of the day if you just keep working hard ? I believed it would all work out,” said Gligic.

 

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Lock in the W @mgligicgolf! ?? Another strong week in Canadian #golf this week – swipe for results! ??➡️ – – – #golfstagram #golfcanada #golflife #webtour #golfer

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Feb 11, 2019 at 9:13am PST

Although Gligic said he’s had “negative thoughts more than anyone” about not playing golf, he has never given up.

He said he has considered getting a job outside of golf, and has seen friends both move on to the PGA Tour and leave professional golf entirely.

“I’ve always felt like I’ve had the game, but sometimes it doesn’t fall in place and sometimes it does,” he said. “It was one of those things where I forced myself to just keep grinding.”

Foley is excited about Gligic’s future.

“Here’s a (29) year old who is just getting into the prime of his career, and Mike has probably shot 63 or 64 on the Mackenzie Tour more than anyone in the last decade, so I’ve always known his game was there. It was just the opportunity needed to be on the right tour,” Foley said.

“If he didn’t make it to the PGA Tour, I probably would have been disappointed because he’s just that good, really.”

Taylor Pendrith has come to accept that his path to the PGA Tour is going to be longer and have a few more twists and turns than some of his peers.

After two injury-plagued seasons, Pendrith just missed out on earning a card on this season’s Web.com Tour after a disappointing round in the second stage of qualifying school on Nov. 9. He’s vowed to learn from that event and is determined to make the Web.com Tour by the end of 2019, and wants to have a strong showing on Canada’s Mackenzie Tour in the meantime.

“I was trying too hard to make birdies instead of just letting them come naturally,” said Pendrith about the fateful round. “I learned that patience is key. Whether you’re having a good round or a bad round you’re going to get good breaks and you’re going to get bad breaks, that’s just the way golf goes.

“You can’t control it, you can’t control the outcome of anything. It sounds cliche, but you just have to take it one shot at a time.”

The native of Richmond Hill, Ont., is spending his winter in Florida, participating in Monday qualifiers for Web.com Tour events before he begins the Mackenzie Tour season at Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf and Country Club on May 23-26. Nearly making the Web.com Tour in November taught him that he can compete in the higher levels of the professional ranks.

“Stuff happens, it’s all good,” said Pendrith. “I’ve learned that I belong out there. I want to play out there and can compete and win on the Web.com, it just might take a little longer. Some people’s paths are longer, some people’s are right to the Web, to the PGA Tour, and some guys take three, four, or five years.

“It’s all good, I’ve embraced it and I’m just looking forward to it. I have a place to play this year in Canada and I’m excited to get it going and have a really good 2019.”

Pendrith has a clean bill of health after struggling with ongoing wrist issues, a partially torn tendon in his arm and a torn muscle in his palm, that disrupted his 2016 and 2017 seasons. Those injuries were especially hard on Pendrith, who is renowned for his power game.

Pendrith has the full support of Golf Canada, getting named to the 2019 Team Canada Young Pro Squad on Jan. 19. National men’s head coach Derek Ingram feels the sky’s the limit for Pendrith’s potential.

“Taylor’s one of the best prospects to come out of Canada in the last 50 years, quite frankly,” said Ingram. “He’s a unique player in the sense that he hits it so far and he’s quite straight. He’s just a tremendous player.

“If he didn’t get derailed by injuries the past two-plus years I personally think he’d be on the PGA Tour already. It takes time but he’s a tremendous talent and a guy with really good habits.”

As Pendrith waits for the Web.com Tour’s events in the southern United States to begin – the first event is the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., on Feb. 14 – he’s working on finding consistency on the green.

“I’m going to play in probably six Monday qualifiers basically until the Canadian Tour (Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada) season starts,” said Pendrith. “It would be great to play my way into a tournament and try to have a good finish there. Worst case scenario, Plan B, is to come back and prepare for a great season in Canada.

“My goal this year is to win a tournament, whether it be on the Canadian Tour (Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada) or the Web.com Tour. It would just help me get that winning mindset back.”

PANAMA CITY – Canadian Michael Gligic shot a 5-under 65 on Sunday to win the Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship by one stroke.

It was the 29-year-old’s first victory on the Web.com Tour— his first career start at the Panamá Championship. The journeyman has spent years between tours before earning Web.com Tour starts with a T13 finish at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament last December. Once the results were confirmed, Gligic was overcome with emotion, realizing he had officially won.

“I still can’t really believe it, to be honest. You come to every golf tournament to win and to actually do it is a whole different ball game, and it’s really overwhelming,” Gligic said. “I knew I was right there, and every shot really counted. I gave it my all and fortunately I was good by one shot.”

Gligic, a Burlington, Ont., native who resides in Kitchener, Ont., finished at 8-under 272 at the Panama Golf Club, one shot better than Xinjun Zhang of China.

 

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CHAMP! Congrats on the @WebDotComTour WIN, @MGligicGolf ???? – What a ride ⛳️?? – – – ? @webdotcomtour

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Zhang capped his tournament with a 66.

Gligic had six birdies in Sunday’s final round – including three straight on the ninth, 10th and 11th holes. His only blemish was a bogey on the Par-4 15th.

“I would say the turning point was when I made that really good par putt on seven, which was over a cup outside,” Gligic said. “I’d say that putt kept me going and birdieing 10 and 11 was where it was game on from there.”

After a third-round 67, Gligic was T7 as he began his final round. He sensed that he was near the top of the leaderboard but didn’t know for sure until the round was over.

“Down the stretch I didn’t really know where I stood,” said Gligic. “I’ve been trying not to look at leaderboards or anything. I knew I was close because the cameras were out and people were following.”

Gligic has spent most of his career on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada with this week being his 15^th-career start on the Web.com Tour. He referenced the constant support from his fellow Canadians and Mackenzie Tour counterparts.

“It’s great; it’s always been like that. We’re a pretty tight-knit group and regardless of whether we’re playing the Mackenzie Tour, Web.com Tour or PGA TOUR, everyone’s cheering for each other,” said Gligic. “Everyone wants to see that Canadian flag at the top of the leaderboard and fortunately it was my week this week. Hopefully those boys get it done in the next few weeks here. I think Canada is moving in the right direction and we’re seeing a lot of Canadian flags on all the tours.”

Words from the newly ? champ @MGligicGolf pic.twitter.com/DOugG0Zoiz

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) February 11, 2019

Carl Yuan (69) of China finished third at 6 under while Britain’s Ben Taylor, who opened the day atop the leaderboard, had two bogeys in his 1-over final round to fall to fourth place at 5 under.

Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch (67) finished in a tie for 19th, Albin Choi (70) of Surrey, B.C., tied for 36th and Mike Weir (70) of Brights Grove, Ont., took a share of 41st place.

Gligic rose six positions in the standings on the final day of the tournament. He took home US$112,500 for winning and earned 500 points in the new Web.com Tour Points system.

He shot a pair of 70’s to open the event on Thursday and Friday but bettered his score with a third-round 67 to climb within striking distance of the lead heading into the final.

“Down the stretch I didn’t really know where I stood,” said Gligic. “I’ve been trying not to look at leaderboards or anything. I knew I was close because the cameras were out and people were following.”

Gligic’s previous best result this season was a tie for 20th at the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic.

PANAMÁ CITY, Panamá – New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson survived windy conditions on Thursday at the Panamá Championship with a 5-under 65 to take the first-round lead. Xinjun Zhang, Mike Weir and Brett Coletta sit T2 at 4-under-par, with four players one stroke behind at T5.

The Web.com Tour kicked off its final event outside the United States on Thursday at the Club de Golf de Panamá, which has historically been one of the most difficult courses on the Web.com Tour as players battled windy conditions with gusts reaching up to 22 miles per hour. Wilkinson, who is making his 190^th Web.com Tour start this week, had seven birdies on the day including four on his front nine.

“I would say the putter was working best for me today. Given the conditions and it being really windy out here, I played pretty conservatively,” Wilkinson said. “I hit a lot of solid tee shots and was able to get the ball in play. It was tough because the wind was gusting early and that makes it a little bit more difficult when you pull the trigger.”

After two birdies on Nos. 3 and 4, Wilkinson suffered a double bogey on the par-4 fifth, setting him back to even-par. He quickly bounced back with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 to make the turn at 2-under and used birdies on 12, 16 and 17 to close out his round, earning him a career low at the Club de Golf de Panamá.

“I hit a lot of greens today and kept it on the safe side of the hole. I putted really well, and I just made one mistake with the double bogey on No. 5,” said Wilkinson. “I came straight back on six and hit a really good four-iron to about eight feet to make birdie there and then had a nice shot into No. 8 and made about a 20-footer. I was able to make some decent-length putts today so that was nice.”

The 40-year-old is seeking his first Web.com Tour victory and has 21 career top-10 finishes, two of which have come at the Panamá Championship.

Sitting one-stroke off the lead is China’s Xinjun Zhang, who fired a 4-under 66 in his first round. Zhang opened Thursday with four birdies in his first five holes followed by 13 consecutive pars.

“I had a lot of good tee shots which set up good opportunities especially with the wind out there,” Zhang said. “I had some pretty long putts for par on the front nine which were critical. Overall, 4-under is really good out there today considering how windy it was.”

Zhang finds himself in a familiar spot near the top of the leaderboard after he led the Country Club de Bogotá Championship last Thursday with an opening-round 61. Zhang was unable to hold on to the lead and eventually finished T34, but said he learned from the experience.

“I want to stay aggressive going into tomorrow,” Zhang said. “I learned from the experience last week and felt like I let my foot off the gas a little bit. I want to stay smart but stay aggressive tomorrow.”

Tied with Zhang is Mike Weir, who is making his second Web.com Tour start this season. Starting on the back nine, the 2003 Masters champion found himself 1-over after his first five holes, but rebounded with birdies on Nos. 16, 18, 4, 8 and 9.

“My ball striking was great today. I hit all but one fairway and all but one green,” said Weir. “I was pin high a lot and had a lot of close chances today. It was really all ball striking out there today.”

Despite being one of the shorter hitters in the field, the 48-year-old mentioned he feels comfortable in the windy conditions at the Club de Golf de Panamá.

“I have a lower ball flight, so I don’t have to change too much,” Weir said. “I think the firm conditions help me because I don’t hit it high but can still get some roll. I’ve always seemed to play well in tougher conditions.”

Joining Weir and Zhang at 4-under is Australian Brett Coletta, who had seven birdies and three bogeys on Thursday. Playing is his first Panamá Championship, Coletta birdied two of his final three holes and feels right at home on the firm and fast Club de Golf de Panamá.

“I just played really solid. I hung in there and had some good birdies at the end,” Coletta said. “Being from Australia we get this common wind and firm surfaces, so it’s not too unfamiliar.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA TOUR announced today that current Vice President of Marketing Partnerships, Alexandra “Alex” Baldwin, has been named President of the Web.com Tour. With the announcement, Baldwin becomes the first female in history to lead one of the PGA TOUR’s six global Tours as President.

Dan Glod, who has served as President of the Web.com Tour since January of 2017, has been elevated to Senior Vice President, Global Sponsorship Strategy and Development in a corresponding announcement.

“We are excited to announce Alex as the new President of the Web.com Tour in what is a watershed moment for our organization,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “In her role as Vice President of Marketing Partnerships, Alex has spearheaded our efforts to provide increased value to our PGA TOUR partners and I know she will have that same level of success on the Web.com Tour. We thank Dan Glod for his tremendous leadership with our partners, tournaments and membership over these last two years and know the Web.com Tour has a great foundation which Alex can continue to build upon.”

Baldwin joined the PGA TOUR in 2017 as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, where she was responsible for co-leading the Marketing Partnership team and overseeing key partner account teams including Morgan Stanley, Dell, Omni Hotel and Resorts and United Airlines, among others. In addition to spearheading partner oversight, she negotiated extensions and new programs with partners including Avis, MD Anderson, Rolex and Citi.

“I am thrilled for this opportunity to lead the Web.com Tour while drawing on years of experience in golf, sports and business,” said Baldwin. “The Web.com Tour is a tremendous avenue through which we’re able to develop the next generation of PGA TOUR stars, and I’m eager to learn as much as possible about our partners, tournaments and communities as we look to build on the Tour’s incredible 30-year foundation.”

We've announced the first female Tour President in @PGATOUR history.

Welcome aboard, Alex Baldwin! https://t.co/FMtA5x3mUl

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) January 30, 2019

Prior to joining the PGA TOUR, Baldwin was a Corporate Consulting Executive at CAA Sports in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, working with major brands on their strategy and activation plans in sports and entertainment. During that time, she worked strategically with Waste Management and the Waste Management Phoenix Open as well as Synchrony Financial, CVS Health and Concur among others.

For 10 years prior to joining CAA, Baldwin was with Boston-based Fenway Sports Management, consulting clients and driving sales efforts around premier golf properties, including the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Baldwin’s career began in 1992 as an intern with International Management Group (IMG), where she eventually rose to agent, representing the likes of LPGA stars Karrie Webb and Suzann Pettersen, as well as PGA TOUR winners Brad Faxon and Carlos Franco.

The Web.com Tour’s Country Club de Bogotá Championship begins tomorrow in Bogotá, Colombia. The event is the third of 27 tournaments on the Tour’s 2019 schedule, which will conclude with the sixth-annual Web.com Tour Finals in August and September.

Three of four Canadians were able to improve their Web.com Tour status on Sunday’s final round of Qualifying at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Ariz.

The Canadian quartet were led by Manotick, Ont., native Brad Fritsch, who marched inside the top 10 on the heels of a 10-under 62 performance. After opening the 72-hole event with an even-par 72, Fritsch rallied to finish inside the top 10 (72-66-64-62), earning 12 guaranteed starts next season.

Fellow countrymen Michael Gligic (Burlington, Ont.) and Albin Choi (Toronto, Ont.) finished inside the top 40, earning eight guaranteed starts next season.

Vancouver’s Seann Harlingten ended up T74 at 14 under—he’ll maintain his conditional status earned by reaching the final stage.

What happened, I blacked out for a while.

— Brad Fritsch (@BradFritsch) December 9, 2018

Medalist Danny Walker secured fully exempt Web.com Tour status after finishing at 27 under par for a one-stroke victory.

Walker, who finished seventh on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit this year, led the field in birdies with 33, including nine on the final day. Despite the field’s scoring average being better on the Devil’s Claw course, Walker shot one stroke better on the Cattail course over the two days.

“I set my goal to not make a bogey today because I made a couple in the first few rounds,” said Walker. “I wanted to have a clean card because there are enough birdie holes out there that if I stayed bogey-free I knew I’d make some birdies and be in good shape.

Final Qualifying

Whirlwind Golf Club
Chandler, Ariz.
Dec. 6-9

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Stage II Qualifying

Bear Creek Golf Club
Murrieta, Calif.
Oct. 30 – Nov. 2

Click here for the full leaderboard.

Stage II Qualifying
Southern Hills Plantation
Brooksville, Fla.
Nov. 6-9
Top 18 advance (and ties)

Click here for full scoring.

Stage II Qualifying
TPC Craig Ranch
McKinney, Tex.
Nov. 6-9
Top 19 advance (and ties)

Click here for full scoring.

Stage II Qualifying
RTJ Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove
Mobile, Ala.
Nov. 6-9
Top 19 advance (and ties)

Click here for full scoring.

Stage II Qualifying
Plantation Preserve GC
Plantation, Fla.
Nov. 6-9
Top 18 advance (and ties)

Click here for full scoring.

The final stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament gets underway Thursday at the Whirlwind Golf Club (The Cattail and Devil’s Claw) in Chandler, Ariz., where four Canadians will look to secure or improve their status for 2019.

The medalist at Final Stage will secure fully exempt Web.com Tour status for the 2019 Regular Season.

Finishers 2-10 at Final Stage (and ties) will secure entry into the first 12 events of the 2019 Regular Season.

Finishers 11-40 at Final Stage (and ties) will secure entry into the first eight events of the 2019 Regular Season.

The remainder of the field will receive conditional Web.com Tour status for the 2019 Regular Season, ordered based on finish, with players able to better their status via reshuffles that occur every four events, based on cumulative 2019 earnings.

Canadians taking part in Final Stage includes:

• Albin Choi, Toronto
• Brad Fritsch, Manotick, Ont.
• Michael Gligic, Burlington, Ont.
• Seann Harlingten, Vancouver

Ten Canadians will move on to the second stage of 2018 Web.com Tour qualifying school as play concluded Friday (Oct. 12.) at events taking place across the United States.

Kaleb Gorbahn of Smithers, B.C., finished runner up at 8-under, while Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., tied for 17th after finishing 2-under at the Dayton Valley, Nev., qualifying event, where the top 22 positions and tied advanced.

Click here for the leaderboard.

In Pine Mountain, Ga., Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., advanced after tying for 14th at 10-under. The top 21 and ties qualified to move on to the next stage.

Click here to view the leaderboard.

Toronto’s Richard Lee finished ninth at 7-under and Robbie Greenwell of Georgetown, Ont., tied for 13th at 3-under at the San Diego qualifier, where the top 22 and ties moved on.

Click here for the leaderboard.

Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Andrew Funk of Sidney, B.C., all finished in the top 21 and ties at the SunRiver Golf Club in St. George, Utah to advance.

du Toit finished 9th at 16-under. Another shot back was Pendrith, who tied for 10th. Funk tied for 20th at 9-under.

Click here to view the leaderboard.

Jamie Sadlowski of St. Paul, Alta., previously earned top spot at a qualifier in Maricopa, Ariz., with a score of 16-under. Vancouver’s Sean Harlingten finished 4th, one-shot back of top spot at -15. Ryan Williams, also of Vancouver, tied for 13th at -10. The top 21 and ties moved on.

Click here for the leaderboard.

Second stage of 2018 Web.com Tour qualifying gets underway Oct. 30. Click here for the full schedule.

ATLANTIC BEACH, Florida – The 2018 Web.com Tour season came to a close on Sunday in Atlantic Beach, Florida, as the Web.com Tour Championship wrapped up the sixth-annual Web.com Tour Finals. University of Virginia alum Denny McCarthy won the season-ending event, where 25 players secured their PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-19 season.

The Web.com Tour awarded a first set of 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-19 season at the conclusion of the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft-Heinz in August, with a second set of 25 solidified at the conclusion of the Finals.

South Korea native Sungjae Im began his rookie season with a win at the season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. The 20-year-old backed up his win with a runner-up finish the following week, essentially locking up a spot in The 25 at the end of the Regular Season. Im continued his momentum throughout the year, winning the Regular Season-ending WinCo Foods Portland Open to end the year with two victories and six additional top-10 finishes. Im’s performance continued into the Finals, allowing him to win the combined money list. Im became the first player in Tour history to lead the money list wire-to-wire for the duration of the season and became the first Korean-born player to be named a money list winner.

McCarthy graduated from the Web.com Tour via the Web.com Tour Finals in 2017, picking up three top-20 finishes in the four-event series to earn his first PGA TOUR card. The 25-year-old struggled in his rookie season on TOUR, however, carding just one top-10 finish in 22 starts. The three-time Maryland Open winner found his stride in the 2018 Web.com Tour Finals, notching four top-13 finishes, capped off by a win Sunday in Atlantic Beach.

By virtue of winning their respective money titles, Im and McCarthy have earned fully-exempt status on the PGA TOUR next year, which includes a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, located just minutes from Atlantic Beach.

Meet The 50 newest @PGATOUR members, as they receive their 2018-19 TOUR cards @WebTourChamp. https://t.co/2gshI6PvHM

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) September 23, 2018

Jim Knous picked up the 25^th and final card with a par-save on the last. The Colorado School of Mines alum had a breakout sophomore season on Tour in 2018, picking up five top-25 finishes in the Regular Season to earn his first Web.com Tour Finals berth. Knous continued his strong play into the Finals, where he finished T10-T25-T24 in the first three events before eventually finishing at No. 25 on the Finals-only money list.

Finishing 26^th on the Finals money list Justin Lower, who earned $41,441 to finish $490 behind Knous. Lower had a career-best season on Tour in 2019, earning a Web.com Tour Finals berth for the first time in his career. The Malone University alum was on the bubble all week, but ultimately missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 72^nd hole at Atlantic Beach CC to come up just shy.

The 25 players from the Web.com Tour Finals money list will join the 25 players from the Regular Season money list on the PGA TOUR. The 25 from the Regular Season are below: