Not in the Cards

Recent UC Irvine stars come up short after advancing to the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.

By Jim Dover
Three golfers with UC Irvine ties were among the 173 players in the California desert competing in the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in early December. The former Anteaters climbed a monumental hill to get to La Quinta by advancing through five stages and past the majority of a field that began with 969 players.
But in the end, Mike Lavery, Sean Shahi and John Chin came up short of their shot to earn a PGA Tour card. Lavery, however, did receive full exemption to play on the Nationwide Tour this season, and he hopes to use that status to reach his ultimate goal of playing on the PGA Tour.

“I certainly want to win on the Nationwide Tour,” said Lavery, who finished tied for 54th at Q-School. “In the players meeting they stressed that every tournament you are one week away from the PGA Tour, which is true. But that doesn’t happen unless you win, and that will be my first priority and my only clear goal at the start of the year.”
Lavery, who attended UC Irvine from 1999-2003 and won the Big West title in his final season with the Anteaters, started the final stage of Q-School with an opening 5-under 67 that put him in 10th position. But he knew there was plenty of work still to be done.
“The tournament is quite literally a marathon,” he said. “Six rounds of golf is a lot, and to get excited about one round of golf considering we had only played 18 holes of 108 would have been a little overzealous.”
As it turned out, he gave those shots back with a 5-over 77 on the second day. After an up-and-down middle portion of the final stage, Lavery rallied with a 4-under 68 on the final day to vault up the standings and secure his nice consolation prize. The top 27 players earned cards, with the next 50 finishers attaining full exemption on the Nationwide Tour. All remaining players received conditional status on the Nationwide Tour for making it to the final stage.

That latter group includes the other two former UC Irvine players in the field.
Chin (2006-10) was UC Irvine’s first PING All-American selection and earned a spot on the 2010 All-Nicklaus team as a senior. He has played recently on the Canadian Tour and Golden State Tour. Chin was in 126th place at Q-School after his opening round but played well enough to ascend to the 41st position after the fourth round. His final two days, however, included consecutive 1-over efforts and he finished tied for 82nd.
“I was happy that I made it to the finals, but a little disappointed I didn’t play well during the six rounds,” Chin said. “But it gives me a schedule for next year and helps me get closer to my goal of a PGA Tour card.”
Shahi (2007-09) left UC Irvine early to compete on the Asian Tour before moving to the Canadian Tour last year. A legitimate one-two punch with Chin during their college days, Shahi had a decent first round at Q-School with a 2-under 70 that left him in a respectable 61st place. But that was his best round of the final stage and he tumbled to the 159th spot after the final round.
While golf is an individual sport, the fact that three former Anteaters were at the final stage of Q-School lifted Lavery’s spirits and he was able to sneak an occasional peak at how Chin and Shahi were progressing during the week-long grind.
“I knew generally how they were doing in the tournament,” Lavery said. “They both came to UCI after I left, and I know them both, but I probably know John Chin a little bit better. John is a very good golfer.”