Buckley Cruises to Round 1 Q-School Lead
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2019-04-03
Phoenix, Arizona — Through 18 holes at Wigwam Golf Resort’s Gold Course, Hayden Buckley has sprung to the top of the leaderboard following a masterful bogey-free 65.
“Starting early, the dew on the ground made the greens a little bit softer and a little slower, I struggled with that a bit, but I made an eagle early so that was a nice way to start,” said the 2018 University of Missouri graduate.
“It was one of those days where I wanted to hit a lot of greens because they’re tough and some of the pins were in pretty tucked spots.”
Buckley, who made the cut at both the Sanderson Farms Championship and the Panama Championship after chasing PGA TOUR Monday Qualifiers earlier this season, missed only three greens on Tuesday at Wigwam.
“I made it work today,” said the 23-year-old.
“I stayed patient, I didn’t even realize I was playing that well, it just felt like a calm day and I rolled in a few late and it worked out.”
Aided by his Monday qualifying experience, Buckley noted that there are many takeaways from those rounds that translate to a Q-School event.
“You know going into one of those (Monday Qualifiers) that you have to shoot a 65, or go really low and make a lot of birdies,” said the four-time collegiate winner.
“Coming here, knowing you have four days, I think you take a similar mindset in that you have to hit greens and give yourself opportunities for birdie, but at the same time, play it safe and wait for opportunities to come.
“There’s a balance between being aggressive and knowing you have three more days.”
Prior to turning professional, Buckley was already a success story in his own right.
Not heavily recruited out of high school despite junior success, Buckley signed with Missouri University but made no starts his opening-Fall semester.
Working hard over the Winter, Buckley started every event with the team in the Spring and by his senior year was named 1st Team All-SEC and Mizzou Male Athlete of the year.
Buckley’s closest chaser is Jake Knapp, who is one-off the lead.