1 day Ago By By Grant Salsman
Charlie Crockett and Jack Lundin are back at a familiar place: The Club at Old Hawthorne. Since graduating in May, muc h has changed for both golfers. They have turned professional, and golf is now their livelihood.
Both had standout careers at Mizzou. Lundin earned second-team All-America honors and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference first team in 2024. He joined Missouri after transferring from Nebraska following his freshman season in 2021.
Crockett was a PING All-Region Central Team member in 2023 and made the All-SEC second team. Why are two professionals who are trying to make their way in their careers back at Mizzou? Crockett, originally from South London, appreciates returning to mid-Missouri for the fall weather. Lundin believes that one of the best parts about being back is the life advice he gets from the coaches.
“Coach (Glen) Millican has been around golf for 25 years plus,” Lundin said. “You know that there are always people that you can learn from who have experience and have had success.” In the Americas, the PGA oversees three professional tours: the PGA Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour Americas.
Mini-tours are a step below the PGA Tour Americas and are considered unaffiliated tours. Think of these tours as rookie ball or independent baseball leagues. Last summer, Lundin played on the Dakotas Tour, a mini-tour based in North and South Dakota.
In six events, Lundin earned $51,700 and earned Player of the Year honors. Lundin’s season included two wins and five top-five finishes. Ryan French is the creator of Monday Q Info — a website that tells the stories of the players chasing the top tours in the world.
The players show the dedication and sacrifice it takes to get to the next level. “It’s wildly expensive,” French said. “It costs around $60,000 a year if you want to play a full mini-tour season.
Financially, it’s really difficult. The reason that most players stop playing is they run out of money.” The goal of these tours is not to remain but to advance and move forward.
For most, the path to advancement lies in qualifying school, commonly known as Q-school. Q-school features a series of tournaments in which golfers compete to earn status on tours like the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas. Golfers who progress through three stages have a chance to compete at the prestigious TPC Sawgrass in a bid to gain their PGA, Korn Ferry or PGA Tour Americas cards.
The PGA Tour is where stars such as Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler play, but every year players who do not perform lose their status on the PGA and are relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour. If a player does not rank in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings, they lose their privilege to play on the PGA Tour. As of now, the PGA Tour has 125 members every year, but come 2026, the Tour is limiting that number to 100 and reducing field sizes in tournaments.
If a player does not perform on the Korn Ferry Tour, they are dropped down to the PGA Tour Americas. On that tour is where you will find Crockett. Crockett shot a dramatic 66 on the final day of PGA Tour Americas Q-school to get a card and status for the 2025 season.
“I have some form of employment on the PGA Tour Americas, which is great,” Crockett said. “You still have to go to Q-school and better your job. That’s what the whole point of Q-school is.
It’s really tough, because you can play well and get nothing for it.” Q-school can attract golfers of all calibers to attempt to reach their dreams of playing on the PGA Tour. In September, Lundin started his journey at Pre-Q-school in Kansas.
He was joined in the field by former NFL quarterback Tony Romo. Romo fumbled around the course for three rounds, shooting 21-over for the tournament and making 17 bogeys. Lundin fared a little bit better, finishing in fourth place while shooting 3-under par.
In October, Lundin shot 7-under par during first-stage qualifying in Nebraska. The Mizzou grad advanced to the second stage and will travel Tuesday to Dothan, Alabama, to play at the RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks. It could be the most important tournament of his life, and if he advances to the third and final stage, he will have a chance to gain status on the PGA Tour, a life-changing event for Lundin.
On mini-tours, golfers must pay for each tournament entry, and the payouts are smaller. They serve as a chance for professional golfers to keep their dreams of playing on the PGA Tour alive. French, who is an expert on mini-tours, explained why Q-school is so important.
“It’s the only event that really matters, and it’s the biggest event of the year for guys without status,” French said. “Guys like Charlie, if they miss a Q-school, they have another year of waiting.” Life on these tours can be lonely and daunting; both golfers are appreciative of the support and help that they have from their families.
“It sucks for family and friends because you don’t get to see them,” Crockett said. “Being good at being on your own is a skill that you need to have if you’re going to be a pro golfer. It’s not always glamorous.
” A product of Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Lundin was able to live at home while starting his professional career on the Dakota Tour. “It was nice for me that I did start on the Dakota Tour back at home, so I got to be with my family and have that support behind me,” Lundin said. “They’re very supportive and want me to try to pursue my dream of playing on the PGA.
” Crockett did not make it through the first stage of PGA Q-school in October but advanced through multiple stages on the DP World Tour Q-school, which is an affiliate tour of the PGA with many events played in Europe. Crockett advanced to the final stage in Tarragona, Spain, at Infinitum Golf on Nov. 8-13 after shooting 1-under par in the second stage.
It wasn’t meant to be for the Englishman at the final stage, as he finished even-par over four rounds, placing 130th. Just 18 fewer strokes would have secured Crockett a DP World Tour card. In less than a year, both golfers have taken significant strides toward their dream of playing on the PGA Tour.
No matter where their journeys go, they will always find their way back to the place that shaped them — Mizzou..
