HANG ON, MR. BRANSHAW ...
With just two full-field events remaining on the PGA Tour schedule, David Branshaw, who grew up in Oswego, finds himself slowly slipping toward "Bubble Boy" land.
Heading into this week's Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort, Branshaw finds himself in 119th place on the money leaders list with $693,705. As you all know, only the top 125 retain full playing privileges next year with Nos. 126-150 having partial exemptions and a waiver through the first round of Q-school.
So, what does B-shaw have to do to ensure that he keeps his card outright? Well, a finish like Horseheads' native Joey Sindelar had last week certainly wouldn't hurt.
Sindelar was 116th on the money list entering last week, then secured his card for another year with a tie for 9th in the Frys.com Open. The finish was worth a whopping $112,000 and pushed Joey into 103rd place with $802,507. He's safe.
Right now the Man on the Bubble is Brian Bateman. In 125th place, he has earned $645,153. Branshaw, with $693,705, has a $48,000 cushion that may be just enough even if he misses the final two cuts. But he would probably feel much better with at least one top-25 finish.
Other Upstaters on the PGA Tour seem to be in good shape to keep their playing cards. Jeff Sluman (Rochester) is easily in with $1,239,384 in earnings and stands in 70th place. Dudley Hart is 109th with $762,736.
In compiling these figures, it prompted interest in how much the 125th money amount has increased in recent years. Here's the list from 2000:
2000 -- $391,075
2001 -- $406,352
2002 -- $515,445
2003 -- $487,495
2004 -- $623,262
2005 -- $626,736
2006 -- $645,153 (with two full-field events and the season-ending Tour Championship remaining).
The growth is even more dramatic if you go back in time before Tiger, who turned pro in the final quarter of the 1996 season and played his first full season in 1997.
1986 -- $63,395
1989 -- $99,454
1990 -- $123,908 -- (1st year you had to be over $100,000 to keep your card)
1996 -- $167,852
1998 -- $228,304
1999 -- $326,893
At this rate, you've got to bet that in maybe 5 to 7 years it will take $1 million to keep your card. This year, 88 players have already passed the seven-figure mark, and seven more have won more than $900,000.
THE OTHER BUBBLE WATCH in the next two weeks involves Skaneateles native Tom Scherrer, who's on the Nationwide Tour.
Scherrer stands in 69th place with $79,226 with two full-field events remaining, plus the Nationwide Tour Championship. Only the top 62 get into that season-ender, and No. 62 stands at $90,000 (that player, by the way, is PGA Tour player Kevin Na, who won the only N-wide event he played in this year. He's unlikely to play in the N-wide Tour Championship).
As for earning a promotion outright to the PGA Tour, Scherrer would have to jump into the top 20. No. 20 right now is Brenden Pappas, who has $185,907. A normal N-wide victory is worth $90,000, so Scherrer would not only have to win one of the next two events, but also cash well in another to gain his card that way.
Last year, Scherrer missed regaining PGA Tour privileges (which he had in 1996 and from 1999-2003) by one spot -- or $2,683. He went into the Tour Championship in 19th place and needed to finish 21st or better (the promotion spot moved to 21 because Jason Gore won a battle-field promotion to the PGA Tour by winning three times on the N-wide tour last year).
Well, Scherrer started out the Tour Championship with rounds of 70-77-74 and lost his seemingly assured promotion by a couple shots. Meanwhile, Branshaw won the finale and moved way up the money ladder to earn his second trip back to the Bigs. Maybe that can happen again this year ... to Scherrer.
Chris
cwagner@syracuse