PGA Tour regular Tony Finau will be joined by a part-time Utahn in this month's PGA Championship. Craig Hocknull, who spends his summers as the director of instruction at Glenwild Golf Club in Park City, qualified again for the major tournament via a top-20 finish in the PGA Professional Championship at Bellair in Bluffton, S.C.
Davis Park Golf Course assistant pro Zach Johnson, who also played in the 2018 PGA, was eliminated in a six-way playoff for the last two spots Wednesday.
Hocknull, an Australian who works in Arizona during the winter, shot 72-72-71-73 to tie for 17th place. He rallied with birdies on consecutive par-5 holes, No. 12 and 13. That enabled him to absorb an 18th-hole bogey and make the PGA field. Eight club pros from Utah have qualified for the event in the past six years. Hocknull shot 72-73 in the PGA Championship in St. Louis in August, missing the 36-hole cut.
Johnson made a big move Wednesday with a 70 and got into the playoff, but was eliminated on the second hole after three players made birdies. Johnson had shot 75-73-72 in the first three rounds.
Two other Utahns made the 54-hole cut to 70 players (plus ties). Tommy Sharp (74-72-75-71) tied for 34th and Steve Schneiter (70-73-75-77) tied for 59th.
The PGA Championship will be played May 16-19 at Bethpage Black in New York, moving to a new spot on the PGA Tour calendar. Finau will be looking to contend in another major after tying for fifth in the Masters in mid-April.
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