New Zealand No1 Danny Lee has missed qualifying for the PGA
Tour in La Quinta, California, by one shot.
There were six rounds in the final qualifying event with 172
players competing for only 25 places on the PGA Tour in 2013.
The 22-year-old Rotorua professional carded a 2-under-par 70
at the Stadium Course in the final round of the six round
event to come up just short in a five-way share of 27th
place.
If Lee had qualified it would have been the fitting
conclusion to a remarkable comeback.
The former US Amateur Champion, who had opened with rounds of
72 and 75 to be in a share of 150th place, played the
following four rounds in 19 under par to give himself a
chance of returning to the PGA Tour.
But the former World No1 amateur will return to the web.com
Tour in 2013 and play the occasional event on the PGA Tour
with conditional status.
Lee will rue the double bogey he made on the par-5 fifth hole
that was the difference between him qualifying for a full
card. He made two birdies coming home on the 11th and 16th
but it was not enough.
He was not alone as Manawatu professional Tim Wilkinson was
also counting a day of missed opportunities.
The former PGA Tour pro, who also began the final round only
one shot back from the qualifying mark, lost his momentum
with a 1-over-par 73 in the sixth round to slip back to tied
49th.
Wilkinson finished on a 13-under-par total to miss the cut by
four shots and, like Lee, will return to the web.com Tour.
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