SPORTS August 20, 2007 Issue

ENRICHMENT IN THE QUALIFYING SCHOOL OF LIFE

KIM SHIPPEY, SENIOR WRITER

AS WE GO TO PRESS, the world's top golfers are getting ready for the PGA Championship, the fourth and last of the 2007 major tournaments, to be played at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma (August 9–12).

Not many spectators realize how hard it is to hold your place on the Professional Golfers' Association circuit. Success in professional golf is more fleeting than in just about any other sport. There are more than 30 million golfers in the United States. Perhaps 2,000 can legitimately think about trying to make a living playing the game. You've got to keep playing well. If you don't you have to go back to school to qualify all over again for the right to play on each year's circuit. This happens every fall during an event known as "Q School" or the "fifth major." It's the PGA tour's qualifying tournament during which 1,200 or more veterans and talented hopefuls vie for the 30 slots available on the following year's circuit.

This is a test that all but the most successful players are likely to endure at some time in their careers. Each year, automatic full-tour privileges are given only to those who meet certain criteria, including tournament wins or finishing in the top 125 on the previous year's money list.