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It's Graduation Day for Mallinger
by Tod Leonard, San Diego Union Tribune
December 4, 2006
INDIO -- When John Mallinger had to shut his golf game down with a
shoulder injury in September, it was like a football player getting
hurt before the playoffs.
The first of the PGA Tour's Qualifying School tournaments loomed in
late October, and the 27-year-old Escondido High grad, who has yet to
reach golf's big leagues, was looking at that grueling process and
wondering how he'd get through it.
"Now it looks like the injury was a little bit of a blessing in
disguise," said Mallinger's coach, Jamie Mulligan.
Unable to even play practice rounds before all three stages of Q
School, Mallinger has focused his energies on the putting green, and
that has made all of the difference for him in the final test at PGA
West.
Mallinger one-putted eight consecutive times yesterday in the fifth
round to shoot 1-under-par 71 on the easier of the two layouts, the
Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. "If I didn't have my putter today,"
Mallinger said with a wry smile, "I would have shot a million."
All of the putts were inside 15 feet, and all of them are huge at this
stage. Going into today's final round, Mallinger was tied for 14th at
10-under. The top 30 finishers, including ties, after today will be
full-time members of the tour next season, and Mallinger is two shots
inside that bubble.
There are seven players tied for 22nd behind him, with another five
locked together in 29th place. All of the leaders must play the more
daunting Stadium Course in the final round.
"There's no reason for me to be excited right now," Mallinger
said.
"I'm glad I have a place to play next year, that's the first thing.
But I came here to get my tour card, and that's the reason we're all
here."
George McNeill, a 31-year-old who spent this past year working behind
the counter at a private club in Florida, was the leader after 90
holes. McNeill shot a 5-under 67 on the Nicklaus Course yesterday and
was two strokes ahead of Rich Barcelo.
Tied for third at 15-under were tour veteran Cameron Beckman, Michael
Boyd and former UCLA star John Merrick.
Merrick also is a student of Mulligan's, and he and Mallinger have
been staying at Mulligan's home in nearby Rancho La Quinta, where
they've been spending their free time fishing in a nearby pond.
Mallinger looks unshakable, even though he has never been to the final
stage of Q School before. He has made only one double bogey this week,
and he's one of only six players to have posted five rounds of par or
better.
"All the boys we were work have a veteran attitude beyond their
years," Mulligan said. "John is the eldest of those, and he
probably
exudes it more than all of them."
Mallinger has been toughened by many trials since he graduated from
Long Beach State. This year alone he said he played on six different
tours, including the Canadian, where he lost back-to-back tournaments
in playoffs. Late in the season, the Escondido native played in 14
straight Nationwide Tour events to try to climb up the money list. He
ended up 78th ($69,515).
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