This is a list of the Fall 1976 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates. The tournament was held at Rancho Viejo Resort and Golf Course in Brownsville, Texas. It was known for its "miserable weather."
Tournament summary A number of notable players did not graduate onto the PGA Tour. They included Curtis Strange, then considered by some the top amateur in the country. Strange finished with three consecutive bogeys to miss qualifying by a shot. It was considered "the most stunning development" of the event. In addition, "sure-fire bets" Phil Hancock and Wayne Levi were also unsuccessful.
A number of notable players were successful, however. Strange's teammate from Wake Forest, Jay Haas, did graduate. In his third attempt, Mark Lye qualified for the PGA Tour. After several successful seasons abroad, Australian Graham Marsh earned his PGA Tour card for the first time. Lye and Marsh tied for third place. The newly turned professional Keith Fergus earned medalist honors by a sizable margin defeating Mike Sullivan by ten shots.
List of graduates #PlayerNotes1 Keith Fergus2 Mike SullivanT3 Mark Lye1 PGA Tour of Australia win Graham Marsh4 European Tour wins. 9 Japan Golf Tour wins5 Jimmy WittenbergT6 Vicente Fernández1 European Tour win. Jay Haas George Kunes Jeff Mitchell Greg PitzerT11 Dick Mast Alberto RivadeneiraT13 John Abendroth Jim Barker Mark Pfeil Bobby StrobleT17 David Canipe Bruce Ford Richard Friedman Jack Newton3 European Tour wins. 1 PGA Tour of Australia win Doug Schryer Ray Sovik Larry WebbT24 Ray Arinno Jim Booros Peter Jacobsen Don Pooley Mike ReidLed 1976 U.S. Open after first round Ron Streck Source:
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