Nov. 23, 2011

Two former Gophers have made it to the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying. Clayton Rask tied for sixth place at TPC Craig Ranch in Murietta, Calif., with a four-round score of 11 under par. Bronson La’Cassie squeaked by into the final stage by tying for 15th (-2) at Bear Creek Golf Club in Plantation, Fla. The final stage tournament will take place Nov. 30-Dec. 5 at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

To earn a PGA Tour card, players must go through pre-qualification, the first qualifying stage, the second qualifying stage, and the final stage. During the second stage of Q-school, players competed at six different courses. The top 20 or so (plus ties) from each tournament advanced to the final stage.

At the final stage tournament, if a player is one of the lowest 25 finishers, or is tied for the 25th position, he will earn PGA Tour membership for 2012. If Rask and La’Cassie do not finish in the low 25, they will still be eligible for 2012 Nationwide Tour membership.

This is Rask’s second consecutive year advancing to the final stage of Q-School. The native of Ostego, Minn., played for the Gophers in 2004 and from 2006-08. He earned All-America honors as a senior. Rask won the 2010 Minnesota State Open, and has spent time on the Canadian Tour.

La’Cassie started off his Minnesota career in an impressive fashion, and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The Brisbane, Australia, native is the only four-time All-American in program history, also earning PING All-Region and All-Big Ten honors each of those years (2004-07). He won the 2006 Western Amateur Championship. He has spent time on the Nationwide Tour, the NGA Hooters Tour, and currently the PGA Australasia Tour.

For complete coverage of Q-School, visit pgatour.com/qschool.

-UM-