The Fayetteville native fired a final-round 62 to finish second at the Georgia 1 Stage 2 site and advance to the final stage of Q-School from Dec. 14-17 at TPC Sawgrass.
By: Chris Werner
USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Intern
December 4, 2023
After a third round of even par 72 on the Deer Creek Course at the Landings Club in Savannah, Georgia, Luke Long spent the late afternoon of Nov. 16 grinding on the driving range.
Although he had been safely in qualifying position through the first two rounds of Stage 2 of PGA Tour Q-School, with a 67 on Day One followed by a 73 in Round 2, a second straight round in the 70s dipped the Fayetteville native and former ASGA standout below the cut line to advance to the third and final stage.
So, Long, who graduated from Houston in 2021 before playing a fifth year collegiately at Arkansas in 2022, did what many of us have done after a poor round: he went to the range to try and figure it out.
But the second-place finisher on this season’s All Pro Tour money list did what many of us fail to do, at least in one range session: he actually figured it out.
He figured it out so well in fact that what followed in the final round was a number that vaulted him 19 spots up the leaderboard, from a tie for 21st at 4-under-par into a tie for second at 14-under, and secured him a spot in the Final Stage, where he’ll compete for a PGA Tour card from Dec. 14-17 at TPC Sawgrass’ Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
His closing 62 at Stage 2 — 10 birdies and no bogeys — tied a career-low and came after he made a few tweaks to his swing.
“In the second and third round, I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I did the first day,” Long said in an interview with the ASGA. “When the wind picked up, I started getting a little steep on it, just to try and flight it down. And then the third round, I was dealing with a lot of big pull draws, real inconsistent strike and stuff.
“So after the round,” Long continued, “I went to the range and was on the range for a little over an hour just trying to iron some things out … Ended up moving my ball back a little bit, changed my grip, changed some body mechanics just a little bit just to see the ball coming out at the proper window with a little bit less curve and not hitting those pull draws.”
Long also decided to adjust his putting lines ahead of the most important round of his career.
“On the greens, I had been struggling underreading them,” Long said. “So in the final round, I committed to what I felt like was overreading them but ended up being the proper read. And everything just kind of fell into place at the right time.”
With those adjustments, Long burst out of the gate in Round 4, racking up six straight birdies from holes 2-7, and then added four more on the back nine.
Long said there wasn’t a specific point in the round where he realized he was going to fire a low one, but he recalled seeing the ball fly out of the window he wanted on nearly every swing of the fourth round.
Although he made multiple tweaks mid-tournament, Long said he never lost confidence in his game because of what he proved to himself this season on the All Pro Tour and in October at Stage 1 of Q-School, where he was the medalist.
“A year ago, I don't know if I would have been able to [change my game in between rounds.] I would have been able to put a bandage on it but not like that,” Long said. “I had total confidence in the move that I found between the third and fourth round. When the back’s against the wall, you just gotta be committed to it. Instead of trying to guide anything out there, it was kind of an all-or-nothing deal.”
And Long got all he could out of that last round, but one more birdie sure would’ve been nice in hindsight.
With his medalist finish at First Stage, Long secured status on the PGA Tour Americas through the Latin America swing of the 2024 season — a six-event stretch in South America from late March to mid-May.
If Long had found one more birdie at Second Stage and tied Bryson Nimmer for medalist, he would’ve earned Korn Ferry Tour status subject to the second reshuffle of the 2024 season.
PGA Tour Q-School Tour Status Exemptions
Although Long said locking up Korn Ferry Tour starts for next season would’ve been great, he noted that his finishes at first and second stage will have a large positive impact on his 2024 playing schedule.
Along with the PGA Tour Americas starts, Long will receive conditional Korn Ferry Tour status, a reward for advancing to the final stage, and will receive a heavily discounted price when entering Monday qualifiers.
“It’s definitely a lot of stress lifted off my shoulders,” Long said. “I’ll have more control over my schedule next year. I’ve got conditional status on Korn Ferry which will be helpful for a couple of things, unfortunately, I don’t have any guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour yet, but I’m definitely relieved.”
While he was aware of what one more birdie could’ve done in Second Stage, Long reiterated there are PGA Tour cards available at Final Stage.
“Very excited for the opportunity,” Long said of what’s at stake at Final Stage. “Looking forward to playing for guaranteed starts. I’m not going to go down there just to be happy to be there. I’m going to compete and if I keep playing the way I have been I feel I have a really nice chance to finish very highly.”
Long will compete in a field of around 100 players, including multiple PGA Tour winners. The final two rounds of the Final Stage will be televised on Peacock and Golf Channel.
