Tyson Alexander Making Charge to Get First PGA Tour Exemption
Friday, June 17, 2022

    When Tyson Alexander graduated from Florida in 2010, the son of legendary Gator golf coach Buddy Alexander turned pro immediately. It's been 12 years since, and Tyson will be 33 next month, on the 13th. In all that time, he's played in just one PGA Tour event, the 2018 Barbasol Championship - he shot 71-71-142, 2 under par, and missed the cut. There's an excellent chance that will end this season.

  Tyson has played in 78 events on the Korn Ferry Tour and its predecessors, making 44 cuts and earnings $538,419. He won the recent Veritex Bank Championship for the second time, his only two victories on that tour. He also has one second, 10 top 10s and 16 top 25s, but never enough in one season to move up to the big time. 

    Yesterday, Tyson posted the lowest round of his career, an 8-under-par 62 at the Wichita Open, and he's tied for first heading into round 2. So far this season, besides the lone victory, he has 3 top 10s, 4 top 25s and earnings of $201,047. He's 13th on the Korn Ferry money list and 15th on the points list with 725. If he can remain in the top 25 in earnings, next year he'll be competing on the tour he's been trying to reach all these years.  

    Tyson now lives in Jacksonville Beach, but still plays out of Gainesville. He played bogey-free yesterday and made eight birdies - two on par 5s, four on par 3s, and two on par 3s for his nines of 30 and 32. He appears ready to reach his long-time goal.

    Round 1 wasn't as good to Ted Potter, who shot 39-35-74, 4 over par, and is tied for 149th in the field of 158. He made two birdies, four bogeys and a double, and he'll need a near-miracle today to make the cut.

    At the U. S. Open at Brookline, they're trying to survive amidst the constant chatter about the LIV Tour and the group of PGA players who have defected and are currently under PGA Tour suspension. They include Phil Mickelson, Ocalan Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson, who have opted to take advantage of the riches of the Saudi Arabian sheikhs. 

   Phil is history after a first-round 78, ditto for Louis with a 77. Dustin is okay after a 2-under 68. Adam Hadwin played late and leads with a 4-under 66, one better than a group of five at 67, including Rory McIlroy, who played early and led for a good part of the day as the late players were the victims of the severe afternoon winds.   

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