Could John Oda be this season’s version of Austin Cook? Oda, who turned pro last fall, does not have any PGA TOUR status, but will be making his fourth start of the season at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He earned his tee time at TPC Scottsdale by shooting 7-under 65 on Monday at McCormick Ranch Golf Club’s Pine Course in Scottsdale, Arizona. Oda was the medalist in the Phoenix Open’s Monday qualifier, which awards three spots in this week’s PGA TOUR event. Oda finished T8 in his pro debut after receiving a sponsor exemption into the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. That earned him a start at The RSM Classic, where he missed the cut. Oda is now 2-for-2 in Monday qualifiers this season. The Honolulu native qualified for his hometown TOUR event, the Sony Open in Hawaii, for a second consecutive year and now has a spot in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Cook is a PGA TOUR rookie who won The RSM Classic in November. He first gained attention in 2015, when he finished in the top 25 in five of seven TOUR starts. He Monday qualified three times, received two sponsor exemptions and got into two events after finishing in the top 10 the previous week. Oda finished T67 at this year’s Sony. He’s earned 89 non-member FedExCup points, which most years would be sufficient for him to qualify for the Web.com Tour Finals. Players who earn non-member points equivalent to the amount earned by No. 200 in the FedExCup standings are eligible for the Finals. Three players – PGA TOUR member Cameron Tringale, Richard Lee and Eddie Olson — will participate in a playoff for the final two spots in the field. All three shot 66 on Monday. The playoff will resume at 8 a.m.
Click here to read the full article…
