Baker shoots 71, misses cut at PGA Q School tournament

FLORENCE, S.C. – Hermon’s Mike Baker, the assistant pro at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course, shot a one-under-par 71 in the fourth and final round of the PGA Qualifying School tournament at the Country Club of South Carolina Friday, but he failed to qualify for the final stage.

Baker, who now lives in Bradley, finished in an 11-way tie for 33rd with a four-round total of four-under-par 284.

Golfers in the top 23 (or tied for 23rd) made it through to the final stage of qualifying for the 1999 PGA tour at La Quinta, Calif., on Nov. 18-23. Three alternates were also decided following playoff rounds.

There were five other second-stage tournaments and Baker said the alternates from his tournament would have been the first three golfers to be added to the La Quinta field if any of the qualifiers from the six second-stage tournaments dropped out.

Baker said he bogeyed the last two holes, missing a pair of four-foot par putts, which prevented him from qualifying for the playoff rounds. If he had parred one of the two holes, he would have joined seven golfers at 283 playing off for the final alternate spot.

Had he parred the last two holes, he would have at least been an alternate and would have played off for the final two qualifying spots with four other golfers who shot 282s.

Baker also said he missed 14-foot birdie putts on holes 15 and 16.

“I played solid again today,” said Baker from his hotel room. “I hit it right at the flag all day. But I had a tough time with the Bermuda greens down here. I wasn’t able to read the greens. I haven’t played on them in a year and a half. I had two good putting rounds and two mediocre putting rounds.”

He said the frustrating part was that some of the qualifiers didn’t hit the ball as well as he did.

Perry Moss led the qualifiers with a 65 Friday which gave him a four-day total of 273.