Frys.com Open could help golfers stay on Tour

Even though the Frys.com Open comes a week earlier this year than it did in 2007, the fifth out of seven designated Fall Series events still is all about making up ground on the money list and retaining your PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 125.

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Ask Marc Turnesa who broke through last week in Las Vegas to earn $738,000 and jump from No. 138 on the money list to No. 75 and virtually lock up his right to play on the big tour for the next two years. OK, so Turnesa decided to pull out of the Frys.com late Sunday evening, but you get the point.

Scottsdale's Michael Allen also gets it. He moved from No. 135 to No. 117 last week, which is probably good enough to keep his card - although you never know. He'll be kicking himself come the end of the season should his tie for third last week in Vegas not hold up. Then again Allen, who led after last year's first round of the Frys.com, could sew it up over the next four days at Grayhawk Golf Club with a decent outing.

Several other players in this week's 132-man field are focusing on the finish line, and why not do it with two tournaments to spare before the PGA Tour wraps up its season? After all, that's what the Fall Series was originally called: the Quest for the Card.

Matt Jones knows this only too well. The former Arizona State All-American is in his rookie season, and the Aussie who lives in Scottsdale slid from No. 126 to No. 129 last week. So did Scottsdale's Tom Lehman, who went from No. 129 to No. 134 and then withdrew from the tournament because of an unspecified injury.

Fortunately for Lehman he has a safeguard, as Tom Terrific sits No. 18 on the PGA Tour's all-time money list with $20,228,878 in career earnings.

Because he has never finished out of the top 125 in his previous 16 seasons, he can evoke the one-time, all-time money exemption should he fail to keep his card the old-fashioned way.

Jones on the other hand will be relegated back to PGA Tour qualifying school should he come up short, or possibly the Nationwide Tour. At the moment Jonesy has $720,929 - plenty good enough in the past - but probably needs more like $800,000 when all is said and done this time around.

Basically, that's why most of the guys are playing this week, especially veterans like Davis Love III, who enters this week somewhat shockingly as the "bubble boy'' on the money tree, meaning he's No. 125.

Billy Mayfair knows what it's like to have to grind, although that has nothing to do with why the former ASU All-American is playing here. Hey, he's the local hero, a kid who grew up in Phoenix and lives in Scottsdale.

"Oh, yeah, it can get tough right about now for a lot of guys. You just want it so bad,'' noted the 42-year-old Mayfair, who has made the top 125 in 19 out of his 20 seasons on the PGA Tour. "I was fortunate in that the only year I didn't finish in the top 125 (2004) I was able to use the all-time money (exemption).''

Mayfair says it's hard to remember those early days when he struggled like a lot of guys are doing now.

"I'm lucky in that I'm an old guy who's still out here,'' he said with a laugh. "And this has been a pretty good year for an old guy (No. 42, $1,675,683).''

For all practical purposes this is Mayfair's last shot at winning in 2008 after finishing second earlier in the season at the Canadian Open to another former ASU All-American, Chez Reavie. And Mayfair has a bit of a track record in this second-year event, having finished in third place last year when he closed with birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes but still failed to catch the winner, Mike Weir.

"Well, I am still playing at Disney,'' he said of the tournament that takes place in two weeks and wraps up the season. "But that's more or less a trip for (8-year-old son) Max, as I'd be content with two rounds (and missing the cut) and just spending the weekend there at the (amusement) park.''

So who does Mayfair think will win this week if it's not himself? Will it be another guy groping to keep his card like last week?

"There are certainly a lot of guys who live around here who are entered here at Grayhawk,'' he said. "It wouldn't surprise me if one of the locals wins it.''

Agreed, considering there are no fewer than a mind-boggling 23 of them, which represents about 18 percent of the field. And for the record, eight of them played for ASU.

My pick? Well, if it can't be Mayfair, one of the truly good guys in golf, I like the 49-year-old Allen, who has always played well at Grayhawk and is about due after coming close last week in Vegas - his 319th tournament without a win.

E.V. pros in theFrys.com Open

Michael Allen

Jason Allred

Aaron Baddeley

Alejandro Canizares

Tim Clark

Todd Demsey

John Douma

Robert Garrigus

Mark Hensby

Matt Jones

Billy Mayfair

Parker McLachlin

Ryan Moore

Arron Oberholser

Jin Park

Pat Perez

Ted Purdy

Jeff Quinney

Chez Reavie

Kevin Stadler

Kevin Streelman

Kirk Triplett

Bubba Watson