SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – The first round of the Final Stage of PGA Tour Champions Qualifying School kicks off December 3 at TPC Scottdale’s Champions course in Scottsdale, Arizona. Two Southern Ohio PGA Section Professionals will be in the field of 78.
Sam Arnold, PGA, the General Manager of Vineyard Golf Course in Cincinnati, joins Bob Sowards, PGA, Director of Instruction at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club in Powell, among the players vying for a spot on Tour.
Sam Arnold, PGA, finished T15 at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club.
Arnold qualified for Final Stage at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club in Valrico, Florida with a T15 finish. Arnold’s second round 69 catapulted him up the leaderboard and he solidified that positioning with solid play in the final two rounds.
Bob Sowards, PGA, finished solo 3rd at Grand Bear Golf Club.
Sowards finished 3rd at Grand Bear Golf Club in Saucier, Mississippi in his first stage qualifying. Sowards opened the tournament with a pair of rounds under par including a second round 67. He finished the tournament seven under.
The PGA Tour Champions is unquestionably one of the hardest tours to get and maintain playing status. Only 36 players from the previous season are guaranteed a spot on Tour. The remaining playing slots are filled by various means. There are five Tour cards up for grabs in Final Stage Q-School this year.
The Final Stage field is a fascinating look into that tough battle for status and features a number of familiar and perhaps infamous names.
Perhaps no one in the field is more recognizable than two-time Major Champion Angel Cabrera, who is back playing professional golf after serving time in prison in his native Argentina. Cabrera returned to pro golf in early 2024 and played in 12 events on the PGA Tour Champions. He finished the year 59th in the Schwab Cup rankings, including a T5 finish at the Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie. The Masters and US Open champion is expected to resume a full-time playing schedule.
The always entertaining Ho Sung Choi is back as well thanks to his #1 finish in the Japan Golf Tour – Senior Tour. His outlandish golf swing has been featured hundreds of millions of times across social media.
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