What a great story this is. A former Navy officer, Billy Hurley III, has made it to the final stage of Q-School thanks to an 18-under four days at Southern Hills Plantation Club. The 28-year old has fulfilled his obligation of four years in the Navy, and now is determined to fulfill his lifelong goal of playing on the PGA Tour. After spending the last 16 months on a destroyer ship in Pearl Harbor, where he only played a total of five rounds of golf, he is looking to become the first Naval Academy graduate to play full time on the PGA Tour.
Hurley spent four years at the Naval Academy and graduated in 2004. In his senior season, he won six of the 12 events he played in. After graduating, he had to enlist in the Navy where he served as a combat electronic division officer on the U.S.S Gettysburg and taught Economics at the Academy. After being denied the request to serve only two years, he served on the front lines of protecting Iraq’s oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
I hope he continues his great play and is able to get playing status on the PGA Tour. Thank you Mr. Hurley for serving our country and good luck in the finals in a couple weeks. If he doesn’t happen to get status, I hope he is able to get a few exemptions in 2011.
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