Monday qualifiers: Valspar Championship

Here’s a capsule look at the four players to earn Valspar Championship tee times via Monday’s open qualifier … Blake Kennedy (5-under 67) Age: 27 College: Clemson University Turned pro: 2016 PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 0 Notes: Will make his first PGA TOUR start since the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship … Earned conditional status for the first half of the 2020 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica season at PTLA Qualifying Tournament – Weston Hills CC … Won 2019 SwingThought tournament at Belmont Lake CC … Qualified for the 2014 U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club … Was a part-time starter on Clemson’s 2014 team that reached the NCAA Tournament …. Worked at Ruth’s Chris Steak House after college to help finance his professional golf career. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (5-under 67) Age: 32 Turned pro: 2008 PGA TOUR starts: 91 Cuts made: 51 Notes: Will make his eighth start of the 2021-22 season … Has made majority of starts this year on exempt status via 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals … Best finish this season came at the Puerto Rico Open (T28) … Won the 2021 22nd Singha Thailand Masters … Played four events on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour with best result coming the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron (T20) … Played 17 events on the 2020-21 PGA TOUR, making five cuts, with best finish coming at the Bermuda Championship (T11) … Played 20 events on the 2018-19 PGA TOUR, making 13 cuts … Had top-5 finishes in the WGC-Mexico Championship and WGC-HSBC Champions that year … Became first player from Thailand to earn membership on the PGA TOUR by virtue of earning as many as or more non-member points as the No. 125 player in the FedExCup standings after the Wyndham Championship in 2018 … That year, he made 11 cuts in 14 starts, finishing in the top-10 twice, both T5 results in World Golf Championships events … Represented Thailand at the 2018 Olympics and finished T5 … Recorded top-10 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard in back-to-back years (2015 and 2016) … Finished T25 at the 2013 PGA Championship … Competed at the 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018 World Cup … Was previously known as Anujit Hirunatanakorn but changed his name, a Thai tradition that is said to bring good luck … Stands No. 234 on Official World Golf Ranking. Andrew McCain (5-under 67) Age: 27 College: University of Maryland Turned pro: 2018 PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 0 Notes: Will make his second career PGA TOUR start … Last start was the 2020 Honda Classic … Played three events on the Korn Ferry Tour between 2018 and 2021 … Competed in eight events on the 2021 PGA TOUR Canada …. Finished T17 at the Rolling Green Championship and T27 at the Forme Tour Championship … Finished T20 at the 2019 Canada Life Championship … Played in 21 events on The Dakotas Tour between 2017 and 2021, with best finish coming at the 2017 Bobcat (second) and 2020 The Ridge/Sioux Center (T2) … Won the 2015 Minnesota State Open as an amateur. Luke Guthrie (4-under 68) Age: 32 College: University of Illinois PGA TOUR starts: 104 Cuts made: 59 Notes: Will make his first PGA TOUR start since the 2019 U.S. Open … Currently a member on the Korn Ferry Tour via advancing to Final Stage of the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament … Finished T10 at the 2020 Panama Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour … Last played full PGA TOUR season in 2016 … Finished T10 at that year’s Fortinet Championship … Made 18 of 26 cuts on the PGA TOUR in 2014 with two top-10s including a T8 finish at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday … Made 14 of 27 cuts in his rookie season (2013) and made it to the FedExCup Playoffs … Won the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2012 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron and WNB Golf Classic … Helped Fighting Illini win four consecutive Big Ten Conference Championships and won seven times as an individual … Won a pair of Big Ten titles in 2011 and 2012, becoming first to do so since Luke Donald (2000-01 at Northwestern) … Named the 2012 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year … Two-time Illinois state champion at Quincy Senior High School. 2021-22 Monday qualifier statistics Top-25s: Martin Contini (T16, The Honda Classic); Grant Hirschman (T17, Sanderson Farms Championship); Patrick Flavin (T17, Butterfield Bermuda Championship); Patrick Flavin (T22, Puerto Rico Open) Best finish: Martin Contini (T16, The Honda Classic) Most times qualified (2): Patrick Flavin; Kyle Wilshire; Ben Silverman Last event’s qualifier results (Puerto Rico Open): Patrick Flavin (T22), Christian Salzer (MC), Alejandro Tosti (MC), Brett Stegmaier (MC) Next PGA TOUR qualifier: Valero Texas Open qualifier, contested at The Club at Comanche Trace (Hills/Creek) in Kerville, TX on March 28

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