By Alex Myers
By now, you’re well aware that being a tour pro is tough, and that making it through a Monday qualifier is more difficult than making it through a Metallica concert without your ears ringing. That being said, this story involving Steve Allan is too good not to share. Well, too good unless you’re Steve Allan.

The 46-year-old Aussie played flawless golf in back-to-back Monday qualifiers for Korn Ferry Tour events, firing a pair of bogey-free 64s. So what’s the problem? He didn’t qualify. For EITHER tournament.

Thanks as always to Ryan French, AKA Monday Q Info on Twitter, for bringing this remarkable—and rough—story to light.

Want to be a pro golfer? Steve Allan edition.

Last week at the KFT Monday Q Steve Allan made 8 birdies, 0 bogeys, shot 64…. and didn't get thru

Today at the KFT Monday Q Steve Allan made 7 birdies, 0 bogeys, shot 64….and didn't get thru

— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) July 6, 2020

That’s 15 birdies and no bogeys over 36 holes, and it wasn’t good enough. Ouch.

If it’s any consolation to Allan, who won the 1998 German Open on the European Tour and has two career runner-ups on the PGA Tour, he wasn’t alone when it came to feeling low despite going low. Last week, Allan was one of four players to shoot 64(!) and not qualify. And this week, there were actually three players who shot 63(!!) and didn’t earn one of the eight spots up for grabs.

OK, so actually qualifying is probably the only thing that could make him feel any better. So hang in there, Steve, keep shooting 64s, and one of these weeks you’ll qualify. Maybe.

The post This might be the most hard-luck Monday qualifier story we’ve ever heard appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
As someone with a (very) small stake in an English golfer toiling away on European developmental tours, I’ve become well aware of the less glamorous side of pro golf. But while the majority of golf fans focus on the guys collecting multi-million-dollar checks on TV, most tour pros are budgeting their travel expenses down to dinners at Chili’s. And in the past year-plus, no one has shined a light on this segment of the sport more than the popular Twitter handle Monday Q Info.

Ryan French is the man behind the account, which has already picked up more than 22,000 followers and provides updates, stats, and most importantly, incredible stories from Monday qualifiers and professional tours that don’t get air time. French has become a go-to source of information for fans, tour pros, and golf media. And with a new PGA Tour season getting underway this week—meaning a new slate of Monday qualifiers for those events as well—we asked him to share some of his vast knowledge about the mostly unseen part of the pro game.

French joined the Golf Digest Podcast to talk about the world of Monday qualifying, share some stories from caddying on the mini-tours, introduce us to some unsung heroes around the country, and tell us which PGA Tour rookie we should be rooting for this season. Plus, Sam Weinman and Stephen Hennessey joined me to discuss our PGA Tour sleepers, Brooks Koepka’s ESPN SportsCenter commercials, and which sports golf can learn from when it comes to enforcing slow play. Please have a listen:

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/sleepers-for-upcoming-season-new-fall-events-monday-q-info-ryan-french

The post The man behind Twitter’s “Monday Q Info” on the less glamorous side of pro golf and which PGA Tour rookie you should root for appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.