RICHMOND, KY (July 11, 2021) – As the PGA TOUR nears its return to Kentucky, one of the final steps in completing the field for the 2021 Barbasol Championship is the conduction of the Monday Qualifier. For the third consecutive time since the tournament moved from Alabama to Kentucky, Boone’s Trace National Golf Club will be the site of this event on Monday.

84 players as of this writing are in the field hoping to earn one of four spots that will solidify the player a spot in the Barbasol Championship, which will begin on Thursday from Keene Trace – Champions Trace in Nicholasville.  Each competitor has just 18 holes at Boone’s Trace National to go as low as possible and earn their place in the championship later this week. Should there be a tie for fourth place, a sudden-death playoff will be conducted until an even four players are determined.

The players making up Monday’s field include past PGA TOUR winners, U.S. Amateur finalists and players just simply dreaming of competing on golf’s biggest stage. They know they must go ultra-low, as the 2019 edition of this Monday Qualifier required a score of 64 (-8) to get in the tournament field. Some of the intriguing names in the field on Monday include the following players, with their starting time off the 1^st tee in parenthesis:

• John Augenstein (8:30 a.m.) – A Kentucky native seeking a spot in his home-state’s tournament. Augenstein was the runner-up in the 2019 U.S. Amateur from Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. He is not far removed from his best TOUR finish to this point in his young professional career, which was a T20 in the Charles Schwab Challenge.
• Eric Axley (8:20 a.m.) – The winner of the 2006 Valero Texas Open and a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour. Axley also posted a top-ten finish in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
• Robert Garrigus (8:30 a.m.) – Another former Tour winner, having prevailed in the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic. The ensuing summer, he finished T3 in the 2011 U.S. Open when Rory McIlroy dominated at Congressional Country Club.
• Smylie Kaufman (8:40 a.m.) – One of American golf’s players with the highest-rising stock in the mid-2010s, Kaufman’s struggles since then have been well-documented, but his work ethic and desire to reach the level he once reached is quite noticeable. He was the winner of the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and was paired with Jordan Spieth in the final group of the final round at the 2016 Masters Tournament.
• Chase Koepka (8:10 a.m.) – The brother of the four-time major champion who is a solid player in his own right, regardless of the last name he shares with Brooks. He made a recent start in the Travelers Championship a few weeks ago after being denied of that opportunity in 2020 when he qualified before a COVID-19 situation led to a withdrawal. While he missed the cut at TPC River Highlands, he has two other TOUR starts this season which were both made cuts. Those came at The Honda Classic and Valspar Championship.
• Tain Lee (9:40 a.m.) – Lee got on people’s radars in June’s Palmetto Championship from Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina when he took the 36-hole lead as the 1,882^nd ranked player in the OWGR. He missed the top-ten by a stroke there which would have earned him an automatic place in the Travelers Championship, but such is the fickle nature of professional golf.
• John Rollins (12:30 p.m.) – A three-time winner on the PGA TOUR in the 2000s. While his results since then have not been to the level he desires, he has made the cut at Keene Trace both times since the Barbasol moved to Kentucky which means this week could signal a spark in his career should he qualify.
• Billy Tom Sargent (9:50 a.m.) – Another emerging star from Kentucky in the sport, Sargent seeks a spot in his home-state’s tournament while he has bounced around the Korn Ferry Tour, Latino America Tour and Forme Tour throughout the season. He finished in the top-five at the 2020 Kentucky Open.
• Trey Shirley (11:40 a.m.) – Another top-five finisher in last year’s State Open, but Shirley was the runner-up last year at Triple Crown Country Club. Two years ago, he came out on top from the Kentucky Open when he won at Big Spring Country Club – Harmony Landing Course.
• Tyler Strafaci (8:00 a.m.) – The reigning U.S. Amateur champion who prevailed at Bandon Dunes in Oregon last August. He has made six starts on TOUR in the 2020-21 season, which includes two of the three major championships.
• Michael Visacki (8:50 a.m.) – Visacki became a viral sensation earlier this season when he qualified for the Valspar Championship. Kentucky’s Justin Thomas then gave Visacki a check encouraging him to keep grinding in pursuit of reaching the PGA TOUR full-time. He has continued his good play since then, as he was the medalist in the Barbasol Pre-Qualifier on Thursday at Cherry Blossom Golf Club.

Click here to view all first-round tee times

All players will start their rounds on the 1^st tee, which will be what is traditionally the 3^rd hole at Boone’s Trace National. The accustomed 1^st and 2^nd holes at the facility will play as holes 8 and 9 in this Qualifier before players make the turn to play the inward nine which will play in its usual rotation.

Golf House Kentucky will have full coverage of the Monday Qualifier on its Twitter page throughout the day. If a playoff is needed, it will be live-streamed in its entirety on Twitter. Additional coverage and insights will be provided on Twitter from Monday Q Info and Neil Johnson (Monday Q Neil), who will also be competing in the event. The general public is permitted to attend the event for free as well.

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