DETROIT – A 5-foot par save to close out the Rocket Mortgage Classic may prove to have significant career ramifications for former U.S. Amateur champ Doc Redman.
Redman has largely struggled since turning pro last summer, and this year has been playing mainly in Canada on the Mackenzie Tour. But he shot a 62 to take medalist honors in the Monday qualifier in Detroit, and the former Clemson standout began the final round in a tie for fifth.
While no one was catching Nate Lashley at Detroit Golf Club, Redman shot a 5-under 67 including a nerve-testing par save at the last to take solo second place at 19 under, six shots behind Lashley. It means a hefty paycheck of $788,400 for Redman, and the top-10 finish guarantees a spot in next week’s 3M Open instead of his previous plan of driving across the Ambassador Bridge to Windsor, Ontario, for a Mackenzie event.
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Redman also snagged the second of two spots available via the Open Qualifying Series, which would have gone to Rory Sabbatini had Redman bogeyed the 72nd hole. Redman forfeited spots in both The Open and the U.S. Open that came with his U.S. Amateur win when he turned pro last year, but he’ll now make his second career major start at Royal Portrush.
“That was kind of the whole deal with it. I gave it up because I thought I’d have opportunities in the future to play as a pro, and if things went well I’d play tons of them,” Redman said. “I think saying that it would happen this year is probably a stretch. You wouldn’t think that, but I’m excited for it. I’ve never been over there, and I think it’s going to be a unique challenge.”
Redman’s solo runner-up finish also earned him special temporary PGA Tour status, allowing him to accept an unlimited amount of sponsor invites for the remainder of the season. Including his T-18 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship on a sponsor invite, Redman now has 344 FedExCup points, which puts him on the precipice of earning a full PGA Tour card for next season.
Should he equal or surpass the final point total of No. 125 on this season’s points list, a mark that was 377 points last season, Redman will be fully exempt for 2019-20. It’s a big leap for a player whose main goals entering the week were focused on earning Korn Ferry Tour status for next year.
“I’m just going to try to continue to play well when I go out and play,” Redman said. “I think it was good this week, but it definitely wasn’t my best. I know everyone else says that too, but I don’t see why there’s any reason why I can’t continue to play well.”