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Former Golfers Qualify for PGA Championship
July 02, 2015 | Men's Golf
FLOURTOWN, Pa. - Former University of Louisville men's golfers Grant Sturgeon and Adam Rainaud finished in the top 10 at PGA Professional National Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club.
After finishing in the top 20 overall, both players earned a berth in the 97th PGA Championship, Aug. 13-16, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc. Sturgeon tied for third after shooting an even par 282 (70-69-69-74=282), while Rainaud tied for 10th after shooting a 2-over par 76-70-70-68=284. Rainaud moved into the top 10 after firing a 2-under par on Wednesday.
Sturgeon battled his swing all day, but the Winged Foot assistant prevented a blow up in the final round of the PGA Professional National Championship and secured a spot. The Port Chester resident was tied for the lead with Deepdale assistant Ben Polland after three rounds, but he lost ground with a 4-over 74 that left him at even par for the championship..
"Obviously, this is bigger than probably any win I might have this season,'' Rainaud told MassLive.com. "I'd rather finish 10th and qualify for the PGA Championship, than win just about anything else I'll play. "It's by far my best (10th place finish). I'm pretty pumped.''
The assistant pro at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Conn., began the final round tied for 31st place, two strokes off the medal to finish in the top 20 and qualify for his first major championship. He finished two strokes clear of the qualifying cut, as five players tied for 20th place at 4 over.
"I thought I needed to be 1 under today, because I figured 3-over would get in,'' Rainaud said. "I had an 8-footer for par at 18 and when I made it, I was 100 percent sure I was in.
"From the 14th hole in, that's the toughest part of the golf course. The last two days, I went out early and posted a good round. Then I kept moving up because everyone else was moving backward.''
He made four birdies, including three on the back nine, during the final round. Only one other player (Brian Cairns, 3 under) posted a lower final round score than Rainaud.
"I drove it well, hit a lot of greens and made a few extra putts,'' said Rainaud, whose brother Scott Rainaud caddied all week. "I one-putted six of the last seven holes today. That's what got me in.'' Rainaud, 29, is the reigning Connecticut Section PGA Player of the Year and last year qualified for the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship.
"Playing in the Travelers will really help me,'' Rainaud said. "The PGA is a bigger deal, with a better field. But I had two good rounds at the Travelers and I came pretty close to making the cut. "And if I said last year that I was maybe 'just happy to make it,' I won't say that at the PGA,'' Rainaud said. "It's my job. It's my goal to play as well as I can there.''
Sturgeon played for the Cardinals from 1999-02, while Rainaud, who was a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and All-American, competed at UofL 2004-08.
