Former University of Minnesota golfer Clayton Rask is currently competing in the Final Stage of PGA-Tour Qualifying in Winter Garden, Florida, and is attempting to earn his first ever PGA-Tour card. A former First Team All-Big Ten selection, Rask posted rounds of 72 and 73 respectively, and sits in a tie for 75th place after two rounds of the six round tournament. The top-25 finishers plus ties earn their cards for the upcoming season.
Sitting at two over par, The Elk River native is five strokes out of 25th place at 145 and 12 strokes behind leader Chris Baryla. Rask will play his final four rounds alternating between Panther Lack Golf Course and Crooked Cat Course at the Orange Country Golf Resort.
The final round of the stage will conclude on Monday, Decmeber. 6, with live coverage of final three rounds being shown on The Golf Channel at 1 p.m. ET. Live scoring can also be followed at www. pga.tour.com/qschool.
Rask moved on to the Final Stage by finishing in the top 20 of the second stage. The PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, commonly known as "Q-School," consists of the Pre-Qualifying Stage, First Stage, Second Stage, and Final Stage.
Regardless of his finish at the Final Stage, he will earn at least conditional status on the Nationwide Tour. Players who finish 26-75 in the tournament will earn complete Nationwide Tour Cards, while the rest of the field will receive conditional status on the tour.
The Winner of the 2010 Minnesota state Open, Rask is a member Canadian Tour where he finished tied for second at this year's Canadian Tour Championship. He made five cuts in eight events and ended the season 12th on the tour's money list. Rask also earned fifth place at the Dakota Dunes Casino Open and a tie for 11th at the Times Colonist Open.
In addition to Rask, four other former Gophers competed in Q-School this year. Past All-Big Ten selections Ben Pisani and Josh Persons advanced to the Second Stage but failed to reach the Final Stage after finishing outside of the top 20. Two more Gopher golf alums, David Morgan and Andy Paulson, were unable to advance from the First Stage. All four golfers will pursue other professional playing options.
