Seven times in his first eight years on the Champions Tour, Allen Doyle made more than $1 million. The time he missed, he made $939,896. Top-10 finishes, meanwhile, occurred at a .447 clip. So as you digest his numbers for 2007 - $472,248, with just four top 10s in 23 starts - be warned that you best not question his motivation for 2008.
"When I tee it up in [Hawaii, for the season opener Jan. 18], I'd be willing to take all bets that I'll be in the Tour Championship," said the pride of Norwood.
Doyle was referring to last week's select-field spectacle, which went on without him for the first time since his rookie year, 1999. Finishing 38th on the money list, Doyle was outside the top 30 for the first time. He had never finished worse than 17th, so clearly, 2007 was not his best. Still, at 59, he's got a fire in his belly.
"I still love playing," he said. "I want to prove again that I'm still a competitor. The game is still a challenge. When it's not, I'll quit."
Doyle's '07 season started in fine fashion - four top-10 finishes in six starts and a near win at the Ace Group Classic in Naples, Fla. Then things slowly went downhill, and over his last 17 tournaments, Doyle recorded just two top-20 finishes. There was a problem with his feet, except with Doyle, you best not hint at a health issue, because excuses are not part of his makeup.
With his homemade swing, blue-collar background, and late entry into pro golf, Doyle has always been the underdog and forever has relished the chance to outplay the bigger names. He still has that hockey mentality, so consider that the puck has gone into the corner for 2008.
Don't be surprised when Doyle comes out with it.
Pressure player
There were stagnant stretches to his season, but when it came to a finishing kick, James Driscoll provided a good one. Having entered the Nationwide Tour Championship 24th on the money list, and knowing the top 25 would earn PGA Tour cards for 2008, Driscoll watched as those sitting 26th (Michael Letzig) and 27th (Tom Scherrer) burned it up early at Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif. With little wiggle room, Driscoll rose to the challenge and with rounds of 64-71-67-67, the onetime US Amateur runner-up from Brookline finished at 15-under-par 269 and tied for eighth, which enabled him to maintain the 24th spot on the money list. While Letzig (265, second) and Scherrer (266, T-3) passed Driscoll on the money list, the two-time State Amateur champ held firm, while Skip Kendall and Dave McKenzie fell out of the top 25. Most impressive was the way Driscoll played down the stretch, when his status was very much in question. He finished birdie, birdie, birdie to nail down his return to the PGA Tour, though it remains to be seen how many early tournaments he will get into. That's a concern for another day, however. For now, he can toast a mission accomplished and cherish the fact he won't have to go to Qualifying School.Back to school
With just two bogeys over his final 55 holes, Jamie Neher of Weston played his way through the first stage of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament at Martin Downs Country Club in Palm City, Fla. Neher shot 70-68-71-66 -275 and finished in a share of 10th to move into the second stage. The news was also positive for Weymouth native and two-time Mass. Open champion Andy Morse, as he shot 73-70-74-68 -285 to finish eighth in Auburn, Ala. At the site in Valdosta, Ga., Jason Caron of South Yarmouth (71-73-71-73, T-9) and Fran Quinn of Holden (73-78-72-69, T-18) also got through the first stage. So, too, did Jeff Martin, a New England PGA standout out of Point Judith CC in Narragansett, R.I. He shot 72-69-72-68 and finished T-12 in McKinney, Texas. There were, however, some bumps, as Michael Carbone of Brewster (72-73-66-71, T-31) and Justin Peters of Pembroke (69-73-69-75, T-47) both fell short at Martin Downs, and Tim Acquaviva of Andover (76-77-76-79) missed at Valdosta . . . Notable names who fell short included onetime teenage phenom Ty Tryon, who was tied for 49th at Auburn, and Robert Floyd, son of Raymond, who was joint 73d in Palm City . . . There are six second-stage events that begin Wednesday.On they go
Continuing their efforts to make the Champions Tour, locals Kirk Hanefeld, Mike San Filippo, and Rick Karbowski advanced through regional qualifiers. At MetroWest in Orlando, Fla., Hanefeld shot 285 and finished tied for ninth, while San Filippo, at 289, was 15th. At Redstone in Humble, Texas, Karbowski shot 292 and was joint 10th. Joe Clark Jr. of Owl's Nest in New Hampshire and Brian Hebb of Littleton fell short. The odds remain long as Hanefeld, San Filippo, and Karbowski prepare to tee it up in the 72-hole finale, which begins Tuesday at Eagle Trace CC in Coral Springs, Fla. That's because the Champions Tour in 2008 will once again reward its Q School graduates with . . . not much. Instead of full status or even some status, the top 30 and ties will earn the right to play in the weekly Monday qualifiers, from which seven to nine players will get into the Tour stop that week. "It's a grind, to say the least," said Hanefeld, the director of golf at The International in Bolton. He went through 23 Monday qualifiers in 2007, played in just 11 Champions Tour events, and even though he earned $117,558, that was good enough for just 87th on the money list. "I'm not fully committed to doing it again next year, but I want to give myself another option. What keeps me going is that the opportunity is still there, if you play well," said Hanefeld.Soaring Hawks
In a recent collegiate tournament hosted by Old Dominion in Kitty Hawk, N.C., the University of Hartford rolled to the team title, helped in large part by A.J. Oleksak of Feeding Hills, who shot 69-69 to finish tied for second. He was joined there by Garrett Medeiros of Rumford, R.I., a freshman at Wofford, while Evan Harmeling, a freshman from North Reading, shot 71-68 for Princeton to finish joint fifth alongside Pete Alminas (69-70) of Winthrop University via East Longmeadow. Nick MacDonald of Lebanon, N.H., finished ninth to help the Hartford cause . . . At the UTSA Invitational in Kerrville, Texas, onetime Hopkinton High standout Keegan Bradley shot 70-70-72 to finish seventh, while Kevin Velardo of Peabody (71-74-68) was tied for eighth to lead St. John's to victory. George Zolotas of Danvers shot 75-74-73 and finished 31st to help the Red Storm. Boston College finished 12th, led by Needham's Craig Kublin (224) . . . The BC women concluded the fall portion of their schedule by placing ninth in a tournament hosted by Texas State in Austin, Texas. The Eagles were paced by freshman Kelsey Rocker and sophomore Megan Martinek, who shot 236 to get into a tie for 20th . . . Duke beat Georgia to win the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship in Reunion, Fla. Freshman Kimberly Donovan of Hopkinton helped the cause with a 5-and-3 win.Mass. victory
The Oakley CC entry of Jeff Barnes and Dana Smith prevailed on the 20th hole to defeat the lads from Rhode Island in the NEPGA Assistants Pro-Pro Match Play Championship at The Country Club. Barnes provided the winning margin with a 10-foot birdie putt in overtime . . . Tom Tobey of Bay Pointe CC in Onset defeated Paul Parajeckas of Pleasant Valley CC, 2 and 1, to take the NEPGA Match Play Championship at Turner Hill CC in Ipswich, then shot 1-under 71 to share low pro honors with Brian Spitz of Black Rock CC in Hingham in the George S. Wemyss Scholarship Pro-Am at Myopia Hunt Club. Continuing the torrid pace, Tobey returned to his home course and shattered the scoring record with a 10-under 60. He recorded nine birdies, an eagle, just one bogey, and finished birdie-birdie. Tobey and two others had shared the record of 64 . . . Kevin Wood of the host club shot 1-under 71 and won by two in an NEPGA Chapter Pro-Am at Salem CC in Peabody. Scott Johnson of Oakley was second . . . Congratulations to Tom Tetrault, the longtime head professional at Fall River CC, on his induction into the New England PGA Hall of Fame.Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com.
