This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Daniel Summerhays was mystified as he sat in the post-round scoring area of the 2016 U.S. Open last June and heard Brendan Grace talk about hoping to qualify for the Masters via his play in the tournament in Pennsylvania.
Thanks to that conversation, Summerhays was fully aware of the stakes six weeks later as he stood on the 18th tee in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. A birdie on the par-5 hole would just about clinch a top-four finish and get him to Augusta National Golf Club in 2017.
"I just pounded it right down the middle," Summerhays said. "It was fun to perform when you know what's on the line."
After hitting a 7-wood shot onto the green and two-putting for a birdie, Summerhays moved into third place and stayed there. He's the only player in the Masters field who qualified strictly via the category of a top-four placing in another major tournament, but he'll take it. That's because he had a shot at qualifying 15 years ago, when he was a Davis High School golfer, and came really close in 2015.
Summerhays reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 U.S. Amateur at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where Masters founder Bobby Jones is celebrated. The two finalists earned Masters berths, so Summerhays was two wins away from an invitation. "I don't think I would have appreciated as much then as I do now," he said, "just because I know how hard it is to get there."
That was reinforced two years ago. He finished 31st in the FedEx Cup standings in the PGA Tour's 2014-15 season, and the top 30 players qualify for all four majors. Harris English knocked him out of the 30th spot by making an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 18th hole in the season's final event prior to the Tour Championship.
"I definitely was disappointed," Summerhays said shortly after that near-miss, "because the door was open and I saw what was behind that door, I really did. And it was closed."
So qualifying for the Masters via the PGA Championship became even more meaningful to him. Summerhays shot 70-67-67-66 at Baltusrol, where his cousin Joe was in the field via one of the 20 berths awarded to club professionals. "I looked around and thought, holy smokes, that's a great accomplishment," Joe Summerhays said. "It's hard to understand the demands that those type of courses put on your game."
As they played together in a practice round, Joe Summerhays watched his cousin work on his swing, not worrying about the results. "I really admired that," he said. "For me, it was the exact opposite; I was just trying to not embarrass myself. He was really comfortable with that scene."
Summerhays played solidly all week, then made his move in the final round with birdies on six of the last 10 holes. Next stop: Augusta National.
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The Masters
P At Augusta, Ga.
First round Thursday, 1 p.m. MDT
TV • ESPN