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    News — Team

    Andy Pope Makes 1st PGA Cut

    QED Style made its debut on the PGA Tour this week when Andy Pope took advantage of his Monday Qualifying for the McGladrey Classic.

    Each week, several hundred golfers try to qualify for the upcoming PGA Event. For many players this means competing in the Friday Pre-Qualifier where approximately 20 of the 100 competitors will get through to the actual Monday Qualifier. Then on Monday, those players will be joined by players from the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour and others who have enough status to exempt out of the Friday qualifier. In other words, about 100 guys who are tour tested and tour winners.

    Then, for one round, players must try to find an 18 hole hot streak as only 4 of them will earn a start in the PGA Event. Typically, this means posting a -4 to -7 round on a course you may have never played. In Andy's case, he shot -4 which was T3 but because there can only be 4 to advance he would need to beat out three other competitors in a hole by hole playoff to gain the final spot.

    Having successfully navigated the torturous Monday Qualifying, Andy would next test his skills against some of the best golfers in the world. In the first round of the McGladrey Classic, Andy played a solid even par round through 17 holes but a double bogey on 18 would put him outside the cutline. Likely needing to shoot 3 or 4 under to make the weekend cut, Andy posted a 4 under 66 on Friday to secure his first PGA weekend play.

    Normally, making the cut would have been enough to guarantee Andy two more rounds, but due to the fact nearly 90 players were at or below the cutline, there would be one more hurdle to get over (stay in the top 70). Fortunately, Andy was able to shake off an opening double bogey to shoot even par and get the opportunity play the 4th round and finish in the money at the McGladrey Classic.

    Sunday's final round of the McGladrey Classic was held on a beautiful sunny day in Sea Island, Georgia, and while Andy was not in contention to win the tournament, he certainly had a lot of motivation to move up the leaderboard as the prize money for the PGA is significantly larger than it is on the Web.com tour. For example, a 60th place finish on the Web.com pays about $1,500 compared to about $12,000 on the PGA Tour. Moving up the leaderboard, a top 25 PGA finish is worth nearly $50,000 compared to just $10,000 on the Web.com. In other words, playing in a PGA event provides a significant prize money upside.

    Unfortunately, birdies were not falling on Sunday for Andy at the rate they had been in prior rounds and the even par round would only be good enough for a T63 finish. With that said, just getting into a PGA event is incredibly difficult, not to mention making the cut, so there is no doubt this will be a huge positive as Andy starts the new season and will rank as one of the highlight of Andy's young career.

    Speaking after the round Andy told us:

    "Playing in the PGA event was a great opportunity and boosted my confidence in moving forward with my career."

    Next up for Pope will be Second Stage Q-School Qualifying for the Web.com Tour. This will be Andy's third year on the tour and he will surely take his PGA experience to the course as he tries to finish inside the Top 25 money list, which is the magic number for gaining a PGA Card.

    We want to congratulate Andy and wish him the best of luck in Q-School, where he will be joined by fellow QED Style team members, Zahkai Brown, Clay Ogden and the guys from TourQuest (KC Lim, Paul Imondi, Mark Baker and Chris Gilman).

    QED Style is proud to outfit all of our players. QED Style: golf apparel for the demanding golfer and experienced gentleman. Shop Andy's favorite pieces, the Logan Polo and Payson Pants.

    5 Team Members set for 2nd Stage Q-School

    Big congrats to the five QED Style Team Members who advanced through First Stage Q-School qualifying! Unfortunately, for most of the nearly 1,000 competitors there were simply Too Many Fives, but for those who kept their nerves in check, more challenges await.

    The path to the Web.com Tour is a virtual minefield of obstacles. The process starts with Pre-qualifiying where 430 men play in one of six events. From those tournaments, 268 players (62%) made it into 1st Stage Qualifying. For those who get through Pre-Qualifying, life does not get easier as they will be faced with a whole new group of competitors who were exempt from Pre-qualifying. Included in the the 1st Stage field will be players with years of competitive experience who may have even played in a few PGA Tour events. It is then not surprising that only about 70 of the 430 Pre-Qualifier entrants will make it through to 2nd Stage.

    1st Stage Q-School is the starting point for golfers who have enough Tour Status to exempt them from Pre-Qualifying but not enough to exempt them into 2nd Stage. Spread over the course of the month of October, 1st Stage qualifying is held in 12 different locations. Like 1st stage, golfers will need to finish approximately top 30 to move on (exact cut lines are determined by the number of participants and strength of the field).

    We are proud of all of our team members who participated in these early stages and want to congratulate the five team members who will be competing in the 2nd Stage of Q-School. While winning 1st Stage does not come with any specific prize, high finishes do give the competitors preference in 2nd Stage locations. This means that both Zahkai Brown, T9 and Clay Ogden, T16 will likely get their top location choice.

    In addition to Clay and Zahkai, Team QED Style will be represented by TourQuest members Mark Baker, KC Lim, Chris Gilman and Paul Imondi. Team TourQuest has spent the past year traveling the country competing in PGA Monday Qualifiers as preparation for the Web.com Q-School. That preparation seems to be paying off as each guy showed a ton of grit during 1st stage Qualifying. Most notable is Paul Imondi, who needed every stoke of his final round 65 to get through his 1st Stage.

    Mark Baker wearing Silver Logan Polo

     

    Joining these 5 men will be Andy Pope, who was exempt from the 1st Stage due to his top 100 finish on the Web.com money list. Andy will be looking to repeat his great run through 2013 Web.com Qualifying. Last year, Andy finished T11 and played in all the Web.com events.

    2nd Stage Q-School begins November 11th, 2014. There will be 6 different locations that conclude on November 21st. For those who make the 2nd Stage cut, Final Stage and a Web.com Tour Card will await them.

    Interview with Andy Pope

    We recently sat down with QED Style team member Andy Pope to discuss the Web.com season, his favorite courses and what it is like to play in South America. This interview took place a day prior to the Rex Hospital Open, held at TPC Wakefield Plantation, where Andy would finish T29.

    We are about a third of the way through the Web.com season, how has it gone so far?

    Andy Pope: This year has been pretty good although I have not played as well as I wanted to. The biggest difference is that I knew I would be in the first 8 events which has has taken a little pressure off compared to years past when I had to play good right away just so I could reshuffle up. Plus, just knowing the courses, where to stay, where to eat has made it easier and more comfortable.

    The 1st part of the Web.com season takes place in Mexico and South America. What is it like to play outside of the US?

    Andy Pope: It can be a little tough with the language barrier, but the courses are good and it's fun to see different parts of the world. The biggest challenge is adjusting to the altitude because the ball travels so much farther.  Everyone plays the same course, so it benefits the guys who can make adjustments to their game.

    What are your favorite tour stops?

    Andy Pope: For sure the one we are at this week, TPC Wakefield. TPC Avondale is always a favorite of a lot of players but unfortunately it is not on the schedule this year. Omaha is great because it is one of the few places that really creates a PGA Tour-like atmosphere for the Web.com. All in all, most of the courses do a great job of setting up the tournament and taking care of us. I guess my favorites are the TPC courses.

    What would you tell people who don't know much about the Web.com Tour?

    Andy Pope: That the players are just as good as the guys on the PGA Tour, and it's harder to make a cut. I doubt many people realize we just went from 60 and ties to 65 and ties, which is still less than the PGA Tour which takes 70 and ties. Hey, just look at all the past champions and past Major winners down here. You quickly realize how much talent is on the Web.com tour.

    So you are wearing a QED Style Holden Polo today. Is that your favorite QED shirt?

    Andy Pope: Yea, I wear this shirt a lot but my favorite is probably the Logan because it does so well in the heat. But hey, I have seen you guys have some new stuff around the corner so maybe there is a new favorite in there for me.

    Thanks and good luck out there.

    NOTE: Andy would go on to place T29 in this event and follow that up with a T35 at the Cleveland Open. Andy has now posted a T35 or higher finish in 4 of his 5 last starts. Andy will play this week at the Air Capital Classic in Wichita Kansas.

    TourQuest Joins Team QED Style

    Four men chasing their dreams of making the PGA Tour, that is the essence of TourQuest. While golf brands have "teams" that consist of players who wear their gear or use their equipment, TourQuest is actually a team of guys who have banded together to support each other. Founded by Sam Goulden, the goal of TourQuest "is to give players with the desire, drive, and determination to succeed at all costs, the opportunity to do so while promoting the “grind” and love of the game which is synonymous with high level competitive golf.

    While instant success stories like Jordan Speith captivate us, they are extremely rare. For most professional golfers, the PGA is the result of years of hard work, travel and living on meager budgets. Having twice sold all of his possession in order to finance his golf career, Sam Goulden knows firsthand how difficult the road to the PGA is.

    "The idea of TourQuest was a result of my meeting guys who, like me, were committed to the game. Even though golf is an individual sport, there is a lot to be gained by creating a team of people who share common goals. It is my hope that as a team we will be able to support and push each other which will ultimately make each person a better player."

    Sam Goulden - TourQuest Founder

    In 2014, Sam Goulden, Paul Imondi, Chris Gilman and Yves Nicollier, will play in nearly every PGA Monday qualifier as they prepare for the Web.com Q-School next fall. While this approach may not be conventional, Sam believes that the experience they will gain playing against this high level competition will ultimately prepare them for the grind of going through the three stages of Web.com qualifying.

    Over the next 10 month, the TourQuest team will be sharing the inside world of Monday Qualifying and life on the road. We will be posting updates on our blog but you can also follow the TourQuest team on Twitter and Instagram as they will offer a rare look into life inside the ropes. You can also read more about the TourQuest team on Sam Goulden Golf website.

    Andy Pope Finishes T11 at Web.com Finals

    Six brutal days at PGA West is what 154 players would have to endure as Final Qualifying wrapped up play on December 17th for the 2014 Web.com Tour. Split between the Nicholas and Stadium courses, this final event represented the culmination of 3 1/2 months of qualifying. Over 1,100 players participated in the qualification stages, and now those who remained would be battling for position for the 2014 season.

    Web.com qualifying began at the 1st Stage for Andy Pope as he was exempt from Pre-Qualifying due to his prior year’s status. In the 1st Stage, Andy took medalist honors and carried that momentum into the Second and Final Stages. In the Final Stage, Andy got off to a quick start by shooting 68 and 65 on the first two days. After a -1 71 on Saturday, he made a charge by carding a 66 on day four. After Round 4, Andy (seen wearing a Periwinkle Logan Polo), spoke about the event and reflected on his play through the weekend.

    Moving into the final two days, Andy was inside of the top 10 but fell to T11 on the final day as birdies were elusive. Still, over the course of the 6 rounds, Andy carded 2 eagles, 22 birdies, 77 pars and just 2 bogies.

    The 2014 Web.com season kicks off Feb 6-9 at the Panama Claro Championship in Panama City. Keep up with Andy and all of the QED Style Team members on our Team Page.