The number of Aggies competing at the highest level of golf has doubled.
With the addition of former A&M golfers Martin Piller, Shane Bertsch and Bronson Burgoon, there are now six Aggies holding hallowed PGA tour membership cards for the 2015-16 season.
These Aggies join Bobby Gates, Jeff Maggert and Ryan Palmer as the only Aggie cardholders next season. With only 125 golfers holding tour cards, this accomplishment is magnified and allows the six to compete in any of the PGA Tour’s official events throughout the year.
Bertsch (1991-92) and Piller (2005-08) each achieved all-conference honors during their time in Aggieland, with Bertsch being named to the All-Southwest Conference team in 1991 and Piller selected as All-Big 12 in 2007.
Burgoon (2006-09), meanwhile, earned All-America accolades in both 2007 and 2009 while playing a major part of the biggest moment in Texas A&M men’s golf history. To cap off his senior season, Burgoon hit a 125-yard gap wedge from the rough to within three inches of the 18th hole at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio. The shot won his match and clinched the 2009 NCAA Division I men’s golf title for the Aggies, the first and only one in school history.
While those three Aggies were earning the right to play on the Tour, cardholder Ryan Palmer finished up his weekend at the Barclays, the first event of the PGA playoffs this past Sunday. Enduring hardship with the passing of his father in a sport-utility-vehicle rollover, Palmer went on to shoot 9-under to finish with a tie for sixth place with Daniel Summerhays and Sang-Moon Bae.
“When I get inside the ropes, I get those four hours to not think a whole lot about it and really try to play golf with some peace and comfort,” Palmer said.
Three Aggies earn PGA tour cards
September 1, 2015
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