Special to the News

Former All-SEC Auburn golfer Jason Dufner earned his 2009 PGA Tour Card on Monday after an 11th place finish in the final stage of the PGA Qualifying School held Dec. 3-8 at the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament and TPC Stadium Courses in La Quinta, Calif.

Dufner, a three-time All-SEC selection for 1997, 1998 and 2000, carded a 66-71-69-68-70-68—412 to earn his place on the 2009 PGA Tour. Monday marked the first time the Cleveland, Ohio native earned his card through the Q-School.

Dufner made his way to the big stage in 2004 and 2007 following top-10 finishes on the Nationwide Tour Money list in the preceding seasons.

As a professional, Dufner has accumulated over $2 million since his first conditional appearance on the PGA Tour in 2001. In all, the former Tiger has made the cut in 38-of-79 PGA Tour events including two top-10 and nine top-25 finishes.

On the Nationwide Tour, Dufner has made the cut in 81-of-123 events with 18 top-10 and 39 top-25 finishes, along with wins at the Wichita Open and LaSalle Bank Open.

Also on the 2009 PGA Tour will be another All-SEC Auburn golfer in 2007 Nationwide Tour runner-up Roland Thatcher, returning on a medical extension after withdrawing in 2008 with a wrist injury.

Former Tiger and 2007 SEC Tournament champion Patton Kizzire also advanced to the final round of Q-School, earning conditional status on the 2009 Nationwide Tour.

The class of 2008 graduate accumulated eight top-10 finishes that included a win at the 2007 SEC Championship.

“I’m excited to be part of a tour,” said Kizzire. “Q-school was fun. I had heard all about it. It was grueling. There were a lot of guys I competed with in college in the earlier stages. The last stage was a lot of veterans.”