Photo: bsteve76/Creative Commons license
By most accounts, PGA golfer and La Quinta resident Scott McCarron had a dismal start to the 2010 PGA Tour season.
McCarron missed the cut in 11 of his first 16 tournaments, and didn’t start his turnaround until late June at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., finishing in 13th place.
Since that tournament, McCarron has made the cut in all but one event he has entered, and going into last week’s tour stop at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC, he stood at No. 142 in the FedEx Cup points race.
McCarron needed at least a sixth place finish in Greensboro in order to secure a place in the FedEx Cup chase, where only the top 125 qualifiers advance to compete for the $10 million first place prize.
McCarron started off well, shooting a 65 in the first round, and stood at -14 after three rounds. But McCarron limped to the finish, managing only a 69 for his final round, finishing in a tie for 12th and ending his bid to qualify for the FedEx Cup.
McCarron’s only hope for a full exemption for next year’s PGA tour is to wait for the fall tour events, and play well enough to finish in the top 125 in overall tour earnings. The top 125 in tour earnings automatically qualify for next year’s tour, but McCarron will be playing catchup, having missed the four events of the FedEx Cup, and a chance to increase his overall earnings.
McCarron found himself embroiled in controversy earlier this year, when in February, he pubicly criticized PGA star Phil Mickelsen for his use of the controversial Ping square-grooved wedge. Square-groove wedges are illegal on the PGA tour, however Ping secured an exemption to the rule, based on the fact that they were manufactured over 20 years ago.
Could karma have played a role in McCarron’s dismal 2010 season? Criticizing one the PGA tour’s most popular players is not considered good form, and accusing Mickelsen of cheating certainly didn’t win McCarron any brownie points.
Perhaps if McCarron is able to qualify for a full exemption on next year’s tour, he would be better suited to worrying about his own game rather than opening his mouth and removing all doubt.
Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.
UPDATE: http://www.examiner.com/sports-in-palm-springs/la-quinta-s-scott-mccarron-on-outside-looking-after-failing-to-crack-top-125-pga-s-fedex-cup August 28th, 2010 10:17 am PT
