Monday qualifiers: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Doug Ghim is one of this year’s highly-touted prospects. George Cunningham found success in Canada after graduating from Arizona. Cole Nygren is making his TOUR debut, but he’s beaten the pros in another form of competition. All three made it through the Monday qualifier for this week’s Shriners for Hospitals Open, as did veteran pro Rob Oppenheim. Here’s a closer look at the players who earned their way into the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. GEORGE CUNNINGHAM (64) Age: 23 Hometown: Tucson, Arizona Alma mater: Arizona PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 1 Best finish: T29, 2018 RBC Canadian Open Notes: Finished second on the 2018 Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit after turning pro earlier this year. … Was in the top 10 in half of his 12 starts. … Won in his third start, at the GolfBC Championship, and had a runner-up and two third-place finishes. … Was a second-team All-American at Arizona in 2018. … Birdied his final five holes Monday. ROB OPPENHEIM (64) Age: 38 Hometown: Andover, Mass. Alma mater: Rollins College PGA TOUR starts: 54 Cuts made: 27 Best finish: T8, 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Notes: Has played two seasons on the PGA TOUR, finishing 158th in the 2016 FedExCup and 180th last season. … A T15 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he holed a 261-yard shot for an albatross, was his best finish last season. … His lone Web.com Tour win came at the 2015 Air Capital Classic. … Earned his first PGA TOUR card at age 35 after Lucas Glover bogeyed the final hole of the Web.com Tour Championship, allowing Oppenheim to earn the final card by $101. … Had left the course and was pumping gas when he learned that he had qualified for the PGA TOUR. COLE NYGREN (65) Age: 23 Hometown: Longmont, Colo. Alma mater: Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo PGA TOUR starts: Debut Notes: Won last year’s Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas, beating PGA TOUR player Colt Knost in the final match. Brad Faxon also was in the field. … Nygren entered the competition one day after falling one stroke short in the Shriners’ Monday qualifier. … Was a first-team all-conference selection at Cal Poly in 2017. DOUG GHIM (66) Age: 22 Hometown: Arlington Heights, Ill. Alma mater: Texas PGA TOUR starts: 8 Cuts made: 5 Best finish: T20, 2018 Wyndham Championship Notes: Finished 71st while competing on a sponsor exemption in last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship. … Winner of this year’s Ben Hogan Award as the top player in college and amateur golf. … Was low amateur at the Masters (T50), co-medalist at the Big 12 Championship and winner of an NCAA regional. … Also was a member of the 2017 Walker Cup team that included Sanderson Farms winner Cameron Champ. … Was runner-up in two USGA championships, the 2017 U.S. Amateur and 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links. … Best pro finish was a T8 at the European Masters in September. … Beat Walker Cup teammate Maverick McNealy, Sean Dale, Taylor Montgomery and amateur Harry Hall in a playoff for the final spot in the Shriners. THIS SEASON’S QUALIFIERS Qualifiers: 8 Made cut: 5 Best finish: T4, Aaron Baddeley (Safeway Open) Top-10s: 1 Top-25s: 2 SANDERSON FARMS QUALIFIERS T26. Chad Ramey, 67-70-70-73 T63. Dawson Armstrong, 69-73-71-74 72. Tim Wilkinson, 72-71-78-76 MC. Garrett Osborn, 79-71

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