It was quite amusing to listen to the announcers on The Golf Channel at the start of the round 5 broadcast talking about what final score will be needed to get into the top 25 to qualify for the PGA Tour. The soda I was drinking nearly shot out my nose as Curt Byrum noted that currently 25+ players were at 13 under par, did the simple math and reasoned that about 20 under par would do the trick. He and Brian Hammond went on to have a long discussion about what everyone needed to shoot to get to that number. Course conditions are perfect, no wind or rain to deal with, blah, blah, blah …..

Are you kidding me? There was barely a mention of the pressure these guys are under and the stakes could not be any higher. It’s not even the final round and some of the players have begun backing up. At the end of another perfect day for golf, the score of the Top 25 and ties had moved exactly one shot lower, to 14 under par. There’s a strong chance that number will move no more than one shot again today in the most pressure packed round some of these guys will ever play. That would put the magic number at 15 under par. As there are 24 players at 15 under, I can see it possibly going as low as 16 under par. But that’s about it.

This is must-see TV for the golf fanatic, even if you have to put up with the occasion silly statement from the broadcasting D Team. I’d pay to have Johnny Miller in the booth for this one. There will be several guys currently inside the magic number who will struggle mightily and provide us with some of the most compelling golf drama we have the pleasure of watching since the Ryder Cup. And there will be a handful currently outside the Top 25 who will get on a roll and shoot a strong final round to fulfill their lifelong dream.

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