Eagle carries Leggatt to full-time PGA spot
Cambridge golfer shines at Q-school ‘It was a perfect nine-iron for me’
Another unlikely eagle has given another southern Ontario golfer full- time status on the sport’s top tour for next year.
Ian Leggatt of Cambridge yesterday fired an eagle that helped send him to a fully exempt spot on the 2006 PGA Tour.
Leggatt’s performance came a day after Hamilton’s Alena Sharp used an eagle on her 11th hole on the final day of qualifying to earn a spot on next year’s LPGA Tour.
Leggatt was playing his third hole of the day at the Panther Lake course outside Orlando, a par four, when his drive landed some 142 yards from the hole.
“ It was a perfect nine- iron for me,” he said last night. “ I hit it nice and it took one bounce and dropped into the hole.”
It was a huge boost for Leggatt, who had had to take an unplayable lie on his first hole and carded a bogey. Even with the eagle, Leggatt knew he needed to go low to get his full- time card for next year. He birdied his 11th, 13th and 14th holes and sank a 35- foot putt to save par on his 16th hole. He finished at 12under par overall for the six days, good for a tie for 18th and just two shots from missing his card. Only the top 30 players and ties from the 108- hole tournament got full- time status on next year’s PGA Tour.
Leggatt carded a triple bogey early on day one and finished the day with a four- over par 76. But he notched a 72 on day two and followed that with sparkling rounds of 67, 68, 69 and 68.
Leggatt would’ve been able to play only 12 tournaments next year if he hadn’t finished inside the top 30. Now, he’ll be able to play as much as he wants, likely starting his season in late January at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Leggatt three years ago was considered by some to be Canada’s top male golfer. He won the Tucson Open in 2002 but has had a host of injuries over the years and underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome on his left wrist last April and again this January.
Leggatt next year will join Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and Oshawa’s Jon Mills as full- time players on the PGA Tour.
“ To me it’s another stepping stone to get back to where I was,” he said. ‘‘ I want to get back to winning again, and I won’t be happy until that happens. But this was a huge hurdle.”
Leggatt has been plagued by bad luck the last couple years. Yesterday, it was playing partner Briny Baird who became the new king of bad timing.
Baird finished the Tour season 126th on the money list, missing a top 125 spot and an automatic full- time card for 2006 by $ 2,545 ( U. S.). He could’ve gotten his card with a top- 30 finish yesterday but missed by one shot.