Kent Eger didn’t do anything spectacular on the final day of the Q-School Challenge No. 4, but he didn’t need to as his stellar play over the first two days vaulted him to a comfortable lead and secured his 2-stroke victory in the final Gateway Pro Tour event of the 2010 season at Prescott Lakes Country Club.
The Regina, Canada native was 6-under par through the first two rounds and had a seven shot lead going into the final day, shooting back-to-back 69s on days one and two in tough conditions that saw winds gust up to 30-40 mph.
Eger was the only player in the field under par after the first two rounds, and his even-par 72 in the final round was still enough to hold off a strong charge by Richard Lee, who shot a tournament best 7-under 65 to finish two shots back at 4-under par.
Eger earned $15,000 with the win, enough to move up to 13th on the final 2010 GPT money list, while Lee earned $8,000 for second place. James Drew shot a final-round 4-under 68 and finished in third at 3-under to earn $5,600 for his efforts.
Wrapping up the inaugural four-tournament Q-School Challenge, Ryan Dillon was the overall points leader with 2,605 Q-school points, thanks to his back-to-back wins in the second and third tournaments of the series. Tommy Medina won Q-School Challenge No. 1 and finished in second in the Q-School Race with 2,335 points, while Eric Meierdierks finished third with 2,102.50 points.
With their Top-3 finishes in the Q-School Points Race, Dillon, Medina and Meierdierks all earned a free entry into the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying School. Despite his win at Prescott Lakes, Eger finished just out of the Top-3 with 2,025 points, only 77.5 points behind Meierdierks.
Along with earning a free ride to Q-School, Meierdierks also takes the top spot on the GPT money list, with more than $71,000 in earnings. Former ASU star Kendall Critchfield had two victories and 11 Top-10s to finish second on the money list with $68,177, while former Big Break star Benoit Bessier had nine Top-5 finishes and 14 Top-10s to finish third in money at $65,357.
Final Gateway Pro Tour Money List Standings – Top 10
1. Eric Meierdierks $71,793
2. Kendall Critchfield $68,177
3. Benoit Bessier $65,357
4. Charlie Beljian $60,058
5. James Drew $55,688
6. Nathan Tyler $53,416
7. Jesse Mueller $52,615
8. Ryan Dillon $51,069
9. Brett Swedberg $49,086
10. Jake Younan-Wise $44,380
What a season 2010 has been on the Gateway Pro Tour. Congrats to all on a terrific year, and good luck to everyone participating in Q-School. Check back for updates to see how all of our players fare in Q-School, and we’ll see you back here in 2011 as we kick off the season with a special sponsor event at Troon North, January 4-5, 2011.