Headed for the PGA TOUR: The 28 players who earned cards

AGE: 37
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 300 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Second, four times
NOTABLES: The three-time Texas All-American, who spent 10 years among the top 100 on the PGA TOUR money list, all but secured his card with a fourth round 59 at q-school. He worked in commercial real estate and golf course development before turning pro and also has begun designing golf courses.

AGE: 22
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Two events, both as an amateur
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T69 (2008, U.S. Open)
NOTABLES: He and his twin brother, Daryl, both played in the Ginn sur Mer Classic in 2007 and missed the cut. They were the first identical twins to ever play in a PGA TOUR event. The twins, who are from Jensen Beach, Fla., both played golf at Louisville. When he was a junior, Derek was the first Cardinal to earn All-America honors. He will be a rookie on TOUR.

AGE: 26
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Exempt into the final stage by position on Australasian money list
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Has never played in a TOUR event
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Not applicable
NOTABLES: He lists Tiger Woods and kickboxers Ronnie and Ray Sefo as his heroes. Six months into his professional career, he contracted reactive arthritis in his right hip and leg. It took three weeks for doctors to make the correct diagnosis, and he was on crutches for nearly two months. He now regulates it with medication. He also appeared on The Big Break. He will be a rookie on TOUR.

AGE: 47
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 533 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: First -- seven times
NOTABLES: He is attending his first q-school finals since 1987 where he was the medalist. He has won over $14 million on the PGA TOUR. He set what was then the PGA TOUR scoring record in relation to par when he won the 1999 United Airlines Open. His sister Julie Jones was caddying for him as he shot 28 under.

AGE: 26
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 55 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T5 -- twice
NOTABLES: This is the third time he's earned his TOUR card at q-school maybe that's why he lists roller coasters among his interests. Stroud was a two-time All-American and four-time Southland Conference Player of the Year at Lamar University. Arnold Palmer and Sean Connery are his heroes.

AGE: 31
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Exempt into the finals after finished 126-150 on the TOUR money list
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 86 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T3, twice
NOTABLES: Garrigus finished strong on Monday, shooting a 5-under 31 on the back nine of the Nicklaus Course to maintain his position. He was runner-up at the 2006 q-school here. Garrigus credits his grandfather with getting him interested in playing golf. His father Tom won a gold medal in shooting at the 1968 Olympics.

AGE: 26
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Has never played in a PGA TOUR event
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Not applicable
NOTABLES: This is Oh's first trip to the q-school finals. He will be a rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2009. Oh followed his father to the golf course when he was 5, and he has been hooked ever since. He lists winning the 2003 Mark Christopher Charity Classic as his biggest thrill in golf.

AGE: 43
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced out of second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 409 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: First (1999 MCI Classic)
NOTABLES: Day broke par every round as he earned his card for the third time at the final stage of q-school. The veteran has won more than $8 million and made 246 cuts, but he went back to q-school after finishing 165th on the money list last year. He also has a growing golf course design business. Day, whose father-in-law played the Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour, credits his grandfather with getting him interested in the game.

AGE: 39
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 136 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: 2nd, 2002 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
NOTABLES: The veteran gave himself considerable job security when he earned his TOUR card. Otherwise, he would have been playing on a medical exemption with five events to win $346,345 and remain fully exempt. A priest in Los Angeles introduced him to the game, and Berganio went on to play on the same University of Arizona team as Jim Furyk.

AGE: 23
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Seven starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T31 (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard)
NOTABLES: The 2008 Wake Forest graduate played in six PGA TOUR events this year and had an immediate impact on the Nationwide Tour, finishing second twice and earning more than $148,000 in just six events. Extremely devout, his degree is in Religion. He will be a rookie on TOUR in 2009.

AGE: 31
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from first and second stages
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Has never played in a PGA TOUR event
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Not applicable
NOTABLES: He will be a rookie on TOUR in 2009. His round of 65 on Monday tied for the low of the final round of q-school and vaulted him from a tie for 29th to 11th. The North Florida grad lists playing in the 1999 U.S. Open with his father caddying as his biggest thrill in golf.

AGE: 31
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 79 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T6 (2007 John Deere Classic)
NOTABLES: Dufner, who didnt start playing golf until he was 15 went, over $1 million in career earnings on TOUR this year. A two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour, Dufner was a three-time All-SEC player at Auburn, graduating with a degree in economics. He lost to Trevor Immelman in the finals of the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links.

AGE: 29
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 60 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T7 (2005 MCI Heritage)
NOTABLES: A former Nationwide Tour Player of the Year, he learned the game from his father, who was a scratch golfer. Walker has three Nationwide Tour victories. He met his wife, Erin, when she was volunteering at a Nationwide Tour event in 2004.

AGE: 30
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the first and second stages
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 1 start
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Missed cut
NOTABLES: Kelly, who lives in La Quinta, had the biggest gallery this week as he made the final stage of q-school for the second time. His father, Bob, got him started in the game, and he lists Fred Couples and Michael Jordan as his heroes. His biggest thrills in golf are winning $45,000 in a playoff at the A.G. Spanos Open or following an 83 with a sterling 67 in the second round of the 2005 U.S. Open.

AGE: 24
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the first and second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Has not played in a PGA TOUR event
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Not applicable
NOTABLES: Aldridge only made six cuts in 23 starts as a rookie on the Nationwide Tour last year, but he has been a different player in q-school. He says he hasn't been playing scared, but he must have had a few anxious moments on the 18th hole Monday where he made a double bogey. He was steady all day until that hole, though, and had enough of a cushion to survive. He'll be a rookie on TOUR in 2009.

AGE: 30
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 184 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: First,-- four times
NOTABLES: Begay, who has been battling a nagging back injury since 2001, returns to the PGA TOUR for the first time in four years. A Stanford grad and former teammate of Tiger Woods, Begay played the more difficult Stadium Course on Monday and shot 67 in the days final group to earn his card. He shot 32 on the front, birdied the 11th hole to move to 20 under, then bounced back from his only bogey with a birdie at No. 16 to seal the deal.

AGE: 24
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the first and second stages
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Has not played in a PGA TOUR event
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Not applicable
NOTABLES: Woodland graduated from Kansas in 2007 with a degree in sociology. He was an all-around athlete in high school. He played on two state championship teams in basketball and was named all-state. He also played on a team that won the NBC Little League World Series. Woodland advanced to the PGA TOUR in his first visit to the final stage. He will be a rookie in 2009.

AGE: 31
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the first and second stages
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Has not played in a PGA TOUR event
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: Not applicable
NOTABLES: Vranesh has done everything from waiting tables to delivering pizzas to caddying as he pursued his dream. The lanky Californian made the biggest move into the top 25 starting the final round in a tie for 38th and shooting a 65 that put him on the number at 19 under. His cousin is California Angels pitcher Jon Garland.

AGE: 36
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 43 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T9 (2008 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am)
NOTABLES: Yang ended up in q-school after finishing 157th on the PGA TOUR money list last year as a rookie. He used a 66 in the final round to move from a tie for 29th to a share of 18th and regain his card. Yang, who has born in Seoul, South Korea, has two Asian Tour victories and four more wins on the Japan Tour.

AGE: 26
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the first and second stages
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 1 start
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: MC (2005 Chrysler Classic of Tucson)
NOTABLES: Watkins played in three Nationwide Tour events this year, tying for 11th at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. He was a full-time member of the Nationwide Tour in 2007 but lost his card when he finished 111th on the money list. This is his second time at the finals. He will be a rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2009.

AGE: 41
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 290 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T6 (2006 84 LUMBER Classic)
NOTABLES: Jones needed a birdie on the 17th hole to finish off a round of 66 that enabled him to finish on the number. It was his ninth trip to the finals and marked the third time, second consecutive, that he earned his card. Jones, who finished 177th on the PGA TOUR money list in 2008, is a two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour and teammate of Tim Herron's at the University of New Mexico.

AGE: 41
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 199 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: First, 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship
NOTABLES: Purdy closed with a 33 on the back nine, including three birdies in a four-hole stretch that ended at the 16th hole, to regain his TOUR card after finishing 191st on the money list. His mother and grandfather started him in the game of golf when he was still in diapers. A two-time All-American at Arizona, he was a teammate and former roommate of Jason Gore. His instructor is Pam Barnett, one of the few female teachers on TOUR.

AGE: 38
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 132 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T5 -- three times
NOTABLES: Heintz gave himself some anxious moments on Monday when he finished birdie-bogey-birdie to come in on the number. This is Heintzs ninth trip to the finals and marks the fourth time he has earned his card. He was recruited to play basketball at Yale, where he was an academic All-American, and earned a degree in economics.

AGE: 35
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 254 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: First (2002 Reno-Tahoe Open)
NOTABLES: Riley was the only former Ryder Cupper in the q-school field. He broke par in every round at q-school and rallied with a pair of birdies on the back nine to earn his TOUR card. Riley hasnt finished inside the top 125 for the last four years, playing with limited status the last two. He played with Chad Campbell at UNLV.

AGE: 38
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 158 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T3 (2007 Valero Texas Open)
NOTABLES: Gronberg is a four-time champion on the European Tour. He finished 190th on the PGA TOUR money list last year, though, and had to return to q-school. It's not his first time here, though; he won it in 2003. The Swede lists Monaco as his home, but he also has residences in New Jersey and Florida.

AGE: 41
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Exempt to the finals based on position on PGA TOUR money list
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 325 starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: 2nd (2007 Travelers Championship and 2008 John Deere Classic)
NOTABLES: Williamson had a rocky final round that included a bogey on the 18th hole, but he still managed to earn his TOUR card for the second time at PGA West and third time overall. He had played in the first three events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, including the BMW Championship in his hometown of St. Louis. A trip to q-school was necessary after he missed the cut in six of the seven Fall Series events.

AGE: 27
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from the first and second stage
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: 1 start
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: MC (2004 U.S. Open)
NOTABLES: Olson started the final round in a tie for 25th and needed a 67 on Monday to maintain his position on the number. He had an adventurous final round -- only making four pars. He played the back nine in 33 with six birdies, including four in his last five holes to earn his card. Olson graduated from Duke in 2003 with a degree in economics.

AGE: 31
ROAD TO THE FINALS: Advanced from first and second stages
PGA TOUR EXPERIENCE: Three starts
PGA TOUR BEST FINISH: T57 (2005 INTERNATIONAL)
NOTABLES: Collins didnt make a bogey Monday as he shot a 67 to earn his TOUR card in his first trip to the finals. He was born and raised in South Dakota and began playing golf one summer while his parents were taking lessons.