There were many great stories on the 2012 PGA TOUR and from Q School and someone who was a part of both was Patrick Reed. The former Augusta State University standout and 2-time NCAA National Champion travelled all over the country to compete in Monday qualifiers with his fiancée as his caddie. Reed played in 12 PGA TOUR events and got through 6 Monday qualifiers in 2012 and now he is a member of the PGA TOUR. Journalists in the cities of PGA TOUR events tend to have stories that they write on the Monday or Tuesday of tournament week and Patrick Reed will be that story in 2013.
There were four players who made it through all four stages to earn 2013 PGA TOUR cards including Si Woo Kim who is 17-years-old. Kim falls under the Ty Tryon rule in that he will have to wait until his 18th birthday in late June to take advantage of his PGA TOUR membership. The reason that the rule exists is not because young people are not ready to play but instead it is because they are not ready for life as a travelling tour player.
Graeme McDowell won the World Challenge last weekend for his first win in two years. While he played very well in 2012 as evidenced by his presence in the final group in the final round of the U.S. Open and Open Championship, he did not win anywhere around the world. Even though the World Challenge featured only 18 players, a win is a win and as we saw this year, a win can do a lot for someone as Tiger Woods won his World Challenge in 2011 and then won three times on the 2012 PGA TOUR.
Ian Poulter has had a great close to his 2012 season with his Ryder Cup performance and his win in the WGC-HSBC Champions and that bodes well for his 2013 season. He has been a Ryder Cup hero, has won all over the world, and has been successful in numerous areas of his life but the one thing that is missing is a Major Championship. Poulter is at a point in his life where he can now focus on winning that first Major and he is just one reason why the 2013 Major Championship season will be incredibly exciting.
