George Washington University Athletics
Persons Gains Conditional Status on PGA Tour China
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Former George Washington golfer Jack Persons gained conditional status on the PGA Tour China by completing qualifying school on Jan. 22.
Persons, who turned pro last September, finished in 17th place among 120 golfers with a 5-over 288 (77-74-70-72) at the Pingan Bank Global Qualifying Tournament held Jan. 18-22.
Since graduating from GW in 2015, Persons has been working to ultimately gain his Web.com Tour card to play in the PGA Tour, a long-term goal for his career as a pro golfer. Completing qualifying school and finishing the tournament with conditional status is only the first step in the long process.
"Right now I'm excited and relieved," said Persons. "It was a long week and it took a lot of focus and determination to finish well. The third round was the turning point for me, as I shot 70 in some of the windiest conditions I'd ever played in. I hit some very good shots down the stretch in the final round as well, and I'm proud of how I handled the pressure."
A native of San Francisco, Persons had a standout career at GW, capping his senior year with a repeat in All-Conference honors at the A-10 Championship and finishing first on the team with a 74.03 scoring average.
This upcoming year, Persons will be practicing and playing in smaller events in the months leading up to the PGA Tour China season. He has signed up for qualifiers for the Northern Trust Open and Honda Classic, two PGA Tour events scheduled for later this month. Persons will then look to finish as one of the top five players on the PGA Tour China Order of Merit, which would give him a Web.com Tour card for the 2017 season.
"Jack has put in a lot of hard work since turning pro and this is a great step in his career," said GW head golf coach Chuck Scheinost. "We're all very proud to have Jack representing GW in the professional ranks and look forward to watching his continued growth."
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