Colorado University Athletics
Tolan Qualifies For Valero Texas Open
It is the fifth time since he turned pro last summer that Tolan has gone through the Monday qualifying ahead of a tournament to fill anywhere from two to six spots, the fourth this year. He was pretty close in all but one of them, coming to within a shot or two.
“I can’t really you how excited I am,” Tolan said. “To go through the practice round today was fun with almost if not all of the other pros already here. I felt extremely comfortable out there, which I hope is a good sign.”
The Monday qualifier was played at The Club at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, Texas, about 90 miles outside San Antonio. Tolan started on the back nine and turned at 32, but the winds were really blowing and the first four holes on the front side were into the teeth of the wind. “I played those four even, probably a bigger accomplishment than had I birdied the final hole to make it.” He was one of four players who shot 4-under par 68s to advance.
It will be the second PGA Tour event Tolan will play in, as he gained a measureable amount of fame in 2002 when he qualified for the U.S. Open. He did not make the cut back then, but “I’ll be a whole lot less nervous this time around, not some wide-eyed 16-year old trying to compete against the best golfers in the world.”