[Golf Topic] '39-Year-Old Driving Range Pro' Killin "PGA Tour Monday Qualifier Pass Sparks Attention"

39-year-old 'Practice Range Pro' J.J. Killin became the center of attention by passing the Monday qualifier of the Texas Open with ballet. Photo by PGA Tour website

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae Noh] ○..."I have laid the foundation for a life turnaround."

This is the story of 39-year-old "practice range pro" J.J. Killin (USA). On the 30th (Korean time), he passed the Monday qualifier for the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour. In a one-day 18-hole tournament, he shot 5-under-par 67 to tie for 4th place with Blake Elliott, and after a fierce playoff extending to the 7th extra hole, he earned his qualification certificate. He said, "I won't stop at just passing the Monday qualifier," adding, "Who knows, maybe a magical thing like winning the tournament will happen."

Killin is a golfer and father raising a 10-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son. Although he played on the PGA Tour in 2012, he found it difficult to continue a player’s life wandering here and there, leaving his family behind, so since 2017 he has been working as a teaching pro at a practice range in Lubbock, Texas. The last time he competed in a PGA Tour event was already five years ago. Unable to give up his dream of the professional stage, he has attempted the Monday qualifier more than 20 times but has repeatedly faced disappointment.

Passing the Monday qualifier is considered a narrower gateway than winning a PGA Tour event. Active players with lower priority rankings also apply, and only 3 to 4 players are selected at most. Sometimes, it becomes a shortcut to sudden stardom. Corey Conners (Canada) passed the Monday qualifier at the 2019 Valero Texas Open and went on to win, even grabbing the last remaining Masters invitation. Although he has yet to secure a second win, he has established himself as a respectable mid-level player.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.