The Honda Classic qualifier, which has long been regarded as one of the majors of Monday qualifying, did not disappoint.
With three berths in this week’s tournament at PGA National already secured, 16 golfers shot 5-under 67 on Tuesday morning to fight for the remaining spot at Banyan Cay Resort and Golf in West Palm Beach, Florida. The 16-for-1 playoff began on the par-5 10th hole with three groups, two fivesomes, and a sixsome.
Only one hole was required. Rick Lamb, who was teeing off in the second group of five, made a 40-foot eagle putt and then watched as no one else in the sixsome could equal him. Maxwell Sear had come the closest to making eagle among the non-qualifiers, missing a 12-footer in the opening fivesome.
Lamb is one of four qualifiers, along with Sam Stevens, Fabian Gomez, and Martin Contini. Stevens, an Oklahoma State graduate and current Korn Ferry Tour member who dominated the mini-tours last year, fired a 7-under 65 on Monday, finishing with a chip-in eagle at the par-5 18th.
“I didn’t know precisely what I needed, but I figured 6 under would suffice,” Stevens said after the round to reporters. “It came off well and seemed like it was going to stop close, so the fact that it dropped was just icing on the cake.”
Chase Seiffert, Jesse Smith, Mickey DeMorat, Ruaidhri McGee, J.T. Griffin, David Lingmerth, M.J. Maguire, Justin Doeden, D.J. Trahan, Turk Pettit, Brian Richey, Anders Alberston, Andy Svoboda, and Ben Griffin are the rest of the playoff losers.
Despite this, Seiffert was still able to compete in the Honda field since he was the first alternate after Tyler Duncan withdrew on Tuesday morning.
