Max Kennedy’s round of 68 at the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic Open Qualifier in Florida wasn’t enough for him to join Shane Lowry and Seamus Power in the field this week.
Kennedy’s four-under total was a fine effort on his Monday Q debut but he found out about the perilous low scoring environment as he missed out on a playoff for the four available spots by two shots.
The Royal Dublin man was three-under-par before play was suspended and returned to the Palmer Course at The Tesoro Club in Port St Lucie early on Tuesday to complete his final two holes.
The 23-year-old needed a birdie, birdie finish at the 8th and 9th to have any chance of joining the group of players on five-under for a playoff opportunity to win one of the four spots available in the PGA Tour event.
Kennedy made a good stab at it, birdieing the par-5 8th but unfortunately for him, he could only make a par on his final hole and missed out on the three-man playoff for two of four qualfiying spots by two shots.
It was a quality field that teed it up in this Monday Q for what was previously known as the Honda Classic and the Dubliner will gain confidence from his eleventh place finish as he edges closer to his PGA Tour debut in next week’s Puerto Rico Open.
Kennedy earned his PGA Tour start as a reward for winning the General Hackler Championship during his final year at the University of Louisville.
The former Ireland international at amateur level has gained plenty of exposure to the big occasion in recent months, playing at the LIV promotions event for the second time while he came within a whisker of earning a full DP World Tour card and now has full status on the HotelPlanner Tour.
He has already left an impression on Pádraig Harrington who was impressed by the youngster after playing a practice round ahead of last year’s Amgen Irish Open.
“Max is really only starting off his journey. Max is very similar to who I was at that stage, a later developer, quite determined, dedicated,” Harrington said.
Leave a comment