PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Just over a month after losing his 3-year-old daughter to a genetic disorder, Hayden Springer held steady down the closing hole Monday and earned one of five PGA Tour cards at the tour’s first Q-school in 11 years.
Springer finished strong with a 1-under 69 on the rain-soaked Dye Valley course at TPC Sawgrass, securing his spot on the PGA Tour for the first time with two shots to spare.
Harrison Endycott from Australia had a more comfortable round, taking the lead and posting a 67 to become the medalist, earning $50,000 and a coveted spot on the PGA Tour next year. Other players who earned their cards were Trace Crowe, Blaine Hale Jr., Raul Pereda of Mexico, and Springer himself.
All the players who made it to the final stage were guaranteed some level of status on the Korn Ferry Tour. Springer had the advantage of already having full status from winning the Canadian tour points title this year.
Springer’s journey gained attention when he qualified for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines two years ago. During that time, he and his wife, Emma, discovered that their daughter had Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome. Sadly, their daughter Sage passed away at the age of 3 on November 13. It has been an emotional month for the Springers.
“I came into this week making sure I had enough emotional strength to play and be ready,” Springer shared with Golf Channel. “It has been a tough and emotional last month.”
The Springers also have a 1-year-old daughter named Annie.
Springer seemed to have secured his card until he made bogeys at the 12th and 13th holes. However, he made a comeback with a birdie on the par-3 14th. Unfortunately, he missed a birdie opportunity on the par-5 16th and hit his tee shot into the water on the challenging par-4 17th.
Despite the setback, Springer managed to get the ball near the green, but it landed in a bunker to the left with the pin on the left side. He made a double bogey, putting him right on the cut line with the difficult 18th hole still to play.
However, he showed resilience by blasting out of the bunker to 4 feet and escaped with a bogey. On the 18th, he safely reached the green and two-putted for a par.
The PGA Tour brought back Q-school for the first time since 2012. It had gone away from the meritocratic system when it switched to a wraparound season in 2013, and the only direct path to the big leagues was through the Korn Ferry Tour.
The Korn Ferry Tour still offers more opportunities. Springer got one of the five cards.
Endycott ends the year feeling like a winner, just one month after he finished out of the top 125 in the FedEx Cup as a rookie and faced conditional status. He played brilliantly to be medalist at Q-school. The final round was postponed one day by 4 inches of rain, and not even the extra day slowed the Australian.