Monday qualifiers: 3M OpenMonday qualifiers: 3M Open
There’s a new Mr. Monday in town. Veteran pro Chris Naegel has successfully navigated the lottery-type foray of PGA TOUR Monday qualifying for the third time this month, carding 7-under 64 at Victory Links GC and surviving a 4-for-2 playoff to earn a spot in this week’s 3M Open. Also advancing through the playoff was 40-year-old Andre Metzger, a Dakotas Tour legend who will make his first PGA TOUR start. Australia’s Daniel Gale and University of Tennessee alum Rick Lamb matched 8-under 63s to earn tee times Thursday at TPC Twin Cities with no playoff needed. In all, 64 players competed for four spots in this week’s field. For all scores from this week’s qualifier, click here. Here’s a look at the four players who earned spots in this week’s 3M Open via Monday’s qualifier … Daniel Gale (8-under 63) Age: 26 Hometown: Sydney, Australia Alma mater: N/A PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Set for first career PGA TOUR start after making nine birdies Monday against one bogey … Has spent 2022 season on PGA Tour of Australasia, with a pair of runner-up finishes among 10 top-25 finishes in 12 starts … Australia native now resides in Castle Hill, Georgia … Started playing golf at age 6; attended Jack Newton junior golf program in Australia … Was awarded Renay Appleby Award in 2013 as part of Jack Newton program … Currently stands No. 546 on Official World Golf Ranking. Rick Lamb (8-under 63) Age: 31 Hometown: South Bend, Indiana Alma mater: University of Tennessee PGA TOUR starts: 32 Cuts made: 12 Best PGA TOUR finish: T3, 2017 John Deere Classic Notes: Made six birdies and an eagle Monday to earn his spot in the field … Knows how to win as a Monday qualifier, having done so at the 2016 LECOM Health Challenge on the Korn Ferry Tour … Has a twin brother, Scott, who has spent time on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica … 2-for-2 in made cuts this season on TOUR, having finished T30 at The Honda Classic and T15 at Corales Puntacana Championship … Played 31 events on 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour, making 15 cuts and finishing No. 129 on Points List. Andre Metzger (7-under 64; advanced via playoff) Age: 40 Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota Alma mater: Lamar PGA TOUR starts: 0 Notes: Longtime grinder earned his first TOUR start in emotional fashion with a birdie on the third playoff hole of Monday’s qualifier … Has found great success on the Dakotas Tour, on which he had accrued double-digit victories … Has spent time as a pizza delivery driver while funding his pro golf dreams … Has made 26 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, highlighted by a T19 at the 2019 Chitimacha Louisiana Open … Won a high school state basketball title at Norman High School in Oklahoma. Chris Naegel (7-under 64; advanced via playoff) Age: 39 Hometown: Wildwood, Missouri Alma mater: Missouri Baptist PGA TOUR starts: 7 Cuts made: 4 Best PGA TOUR finish: T16, 2022 John Deere Classic Notes: Demonstrating a knack for qualifiers this summer. After earning a U.S. Open spot via Final Qualifying – then finishing T56 at Brookline – he also gained John Deere Classic entry via Monday qualifying, proceeding to a notch a TOUR-best T16, and Monday qualified into last week’s Barracuda Championship (MC). He stood T6 into the final round at TPC Deere Run before closing with a 2-over 73 … Currently holds 52 non-member FedExCup points as he chases the equivalent of a season-ending top-200 position that would secure Korn Ferry Tour Finals entry; the No. 200 spot currently holds 83 points … Best TOUR-sanctioned finish is a solo fourth at the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2019 WinCo Foods Portland Open, including a hole-in-one during the final round … Was a frequent travel buddy of TOUR winner Adam Long, a fellow St. Louis-area native, during their formative years in professional golf.