Fall Series proves life-changing for several  It was hardly an epiphany.  Jesper Parnevik had a great Fall Series. (WireImage)
Kevin Stadler was well aware of the reality he faced after missing the cut at the PGA TOUR penultimate event. So he gave himself a good talking-to as he drove to Orlando where he faced golf's version of a do-or-die situation last week at the Childrens Miracle Network Pro-Am presented by Wal-Mart. The one-sided conversation was hardly a pep talk, though. "I beat up myself pretty good with everything I do," Stadler admitted. He had begun the Fall Series ranked 108th on the money list but had dropped down to 127th after his third missed cut in his last five starts. Stadler responded to what he called his "wake-up call," though, with a tie for 15th at Disney that moved him into the all-exempt 125 on the money list with one spot to spare. "It's not life or death, but it's a hell of a big deal," Stadler said. Stadler is one of many players who used the seven events of the PGA TOUR Fall Series -- which offered $32 million in prize money -- to lock up exempt status for 2008 or secure perks like spots in next year's majors and invitationals. George McNeill and Daniel Chopra also picked up their first victories and will join the other five Fall Series champions at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. Nine players who started the Fall Series outside the top 125 on the money list played their way into the magic number and will now have their TOUR cards for 2008. Michael Allen made the biggest leap, moving from 154th to 95th on the money list -- getting a big boost from the $648,000 he earned by finishing solo second at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Jesper Parnevik, who lost a playoff to Justin Leonard at the Valero Texas Open, jumped 49 spots in the seven weeks while Mark Hensby's tie for second at the Fry's Electronics Open helped him move 44 spots to 102nd on the money list. Mathias Gronberg, on the other hand, appeared to be in relatively good shape after a pair of top-10s, but ended up sweating out -- and getting -- the final spot on Sunday. Even those players who already had their TOUR cards locked up for the 2008 FedExCup season had something to play for in the Fall Series. Ten moved up into a higher exempt category -- led by Steve Flesch and Heath Slocum. Both players started the Fall Series outside the top 30 on the money list but played their way into the group that receives a Masters invitation. Slocum had already qualified by virtue of his spot in the top 30 on the final FedExCup points standings but Flesch, who won twice in 2008, will be making his first trip to Augusta National in three years. Six players started the Fall Series outside the top 70 but played their way in and earned a spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard while two more moved into the top 75 to get an invite to the Memorial Tournament. The players who finished between 126-150 on the money list have conditional status for 2008 which means they gain entry into tournament only after all the fully exempt players who want to play have entered. Six players who were on the outside looking in managed to cross that threshold during the Fall Series. This may not be the end of the road for everyone, though. Some of those who finished 126th to 150th may now elect to enter q-school where they are exempt into the final stage and can improve their status tremendously by finishing among the low 25 and ties who get TOUR cards. |
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