Kris Ventura, Justin Suh lead the way at first Monday Qualifier of the season

The 2021-22 PGA TOUR season officially starts Thursday at the Fortinet Championship, but the field was finalized at the first Monday qualifier of the season at Hidden Valley Country Club.

In Monday qualifier fashion, the day ended in a 4-for-2 playoff that first saw established PGA TOUR veteran Michael Kim get through for the third spot. It took six playoff holes to determine the final spot, however, and first-year professional Joshua McCarthy was the last man in. He recorded three birdies in his last four holes of regulation to lock up his spot.

'(I'm) just really thrilled and can't wait to come out this week and compete, represent myself and Pepperdine, too. I have the Pepperdine shirt on today and couldn't be happier,' Joshua told PGATOUR.com on Twitter after the round.

Sam Saunders, grandson of the late Arnold Palmer, and K.K. Limbhasut were eliminated in the playoff.

Kris Ventura and Justin Suh were medalists shooting -8 (64), respectively. Suh was the only qualifier to post a bogey-free round and will look to capitalize at the Fortinet Championship after qualifying Monday.

'To go bogey-free at Windsor was just an accumulation of solid approach shots and being fairly conservative off the tee. The course wasn't very long so I knew if I was in the fairway I could give myself a good shot at birdie each hole,' Suh told PGATOUR.com.

Suh came into Monday refreshed after missing the cut at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour two weeks ago.

'I actually took it easy this off-week and came into this Monday with a fresh mindset. Before this week, I flew to California after missing the cut in the second event of Korn Ferry Finals to work with my coach (Bill Johnson) all day Saturday, so we were able to figure some stuff out. Since then, I've been diligent to just practice what we'd worked on,' Suh said.

QUALIFIERS

Kristoffer Ventura (64)
Age: 26
College: Oklahoma State University
Turned pro: 2018
PGA TOUR starts: 49
Cuts made: 18
PGA TOUR earnings: $860,487

Notes: Ventura returns to familiar territory this week after a T7 finish at Fortinet Championship last year. Played a complete 2020-21 PGA TOUR schedule, recording three Top 25 finishes and two Top 10 finishes. Gained PGA TOUR status in 2019, thanks to victories on the Korn Ferry Tour at the 2019 Utah Championship by Zions Bank and the 2019 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Chevrolet. He started the 2019 season with minimal Korn Ferry Tour status due to an emergency appendectomy before the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament. Was a member of Oklahoma State's 2018 National Championship team. Ranked 458 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Justin Suh (64)
Age: 24
College: University of Southern California
Turned pro: 2019
PGA TOUR starts: 23
Cuts made: 8
PGA TOUR earnings: $440,283

Notes: Suh made six cuts in 11 events during the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season. He finished in the Top 25 three times, with the most recent coming at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (T11). Was only six shots off the 54-hole lead at Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship before a final-round 1-over 73 saw him fade T14. Finished in the Top 25 once in 11 PGA TOUR starts between 2019-20. Suh represented the U.S. in the 2018 Palmer Cup, and went 3-1-0 at Evian Golf Club in Evian-les-Baines, France. Defeated K.K. Limbhasut in his singles match. Limbhasut missed qualifying this week in a 4-for-2 playoff. Ranked 531 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Joshua McCarthy (66)
Age:
College: Pepperdine University
Turned pro: 2021
PGA TOUR starts: 0

Notes: McCarthy will make his PGA TOUR debut at the 2021 Fortinet Championship after completing his fifth season at Pepperdine University in May. He ranked seventh in career scoring average at Pepperdine (71.91). He also notched 64 rounds under par, fourth on Pepperdine's all-time list. He earned three-time All-Region and three-time All-WCC first team. He was the third member in program history to play in three NCAA Championships. Was a member of De La Salle High School's golf program for two North Coast section titles and one Northern California title. Was ranked as high as 51 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Michael Kim (66)
Age: 28
College: University of California-Berkeley
Turned pro: 2013
PGA TOUR starts: 159
Cuts made: 67
PGA TOUR earnings: $3,317,286

Notes: Michael Kim's 66 was lower than any round he recorded in 30 events last season. Kim has spent previous six seasons on the PGA TOUR, with his lone win coming in 2018 at the John Deere Classic. In the last three years, he has missed 51 cuts in 71 events. He advanced to the FedEx Cup playoffs three years in a row between 2016-18. Kim has previous success at the Fortinet Championship, finishing T3 in 2017. Kim represented the U.S. in the 2013 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup. He attended Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, and if he weren't a golfer, he would like to try his hand as an ESPN golf analyst. Ranked 1185 in Official World Golf Rankings

NOTES

2020-21 Monday Qualifier statistics

Last event's qualifier result (Wyndham Championship): Jacob Bergeron (MC), Austin Eckroat ($26,560), Connor Arendell (MC), and David Lingmerth ($26,560)
Total money earned by Monday qualifiers on TOUR last season: $1,123,182
Best finish of the 2020-21 season by a Monday qualifier: M.J. Daffue (T12, Sanderson Farms Championship)
Next Monday qualifier: Sanderson Farms Championship at Deerefield Golf Club in Canton, Mississippi (September 27th, 2021)

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