Raul Pereda, who won the final round at the PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, didn’t play just for himself.
Para Mexico was the name of the place.
And por la familia.
Pereda is a 27-year old Jacksonville University graduate who may win a few tournaments on the PGA Tour. He could realize the dream of every child to win a major championship or Players Championship.
He’d have a hard time coming up with a back-nine finish like the one he had on Monday at TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley.
Pereda, who was one shot short of earning a PGA Tour Card for the 2024 Season, managed to take a final bogey in stride and proudly held one of five cards at the end the 72-hole qualifying event where the players were blasted by Mother Nature. This added to the tension and jangled nerves of the players as they tried to get to the Tour.
Pereda chipped twice for birdie on Nos. Pereda birdied Nos. 10 and 13 and then putted a gutsy 5-footer into the hole at the monster par-4 17th to finish with a score of 69. He tied for fourth place with Hayden Springer’s (69), and hit the exact number needed to finish in the top five and earn a Tour Card.
Pereda brings Mexico to the Tour
Harrison Endycott, of Australia, won the medal with a score of 15-under-par 265. Former Auburn golfer Trace Crowe finished second with a score 11-under. Blaine Hale Jr. from Oklahoma finished third on a 9-under. were the only five players to earn Tour Cards.
Pereda’s banners were more than a Medieval Festival: he was the third JU-player to make it onto the PGA Tour after Donnie Hammond, Russell Knox and he achieved his goal of once again representing Mexico on the PGA Tour.
Pereda, who shot 66 on the third day at Sawgrass and finished within the top five of the standings, spoke about what Abrahan Ancer, now playing for LIV Golf in Mexico, and Carlos Ortiz meant to him.
Pereda did not question their LIV decision and he was grateful for the help he had received.
He said that his main motivation in qualifying was to represent his country. He knew he would be a good fit for the PGA Tour after last season, when he competed during the early rounds of World Golf Championship Mexico Open.
He said, “I must get Mexico back onto the PGA Tour.”
Mission accomplished.
Pereda said, “I am very proud of my efforts.” “This is to them [his family] and for my whole country who are supporting me.”
The Pereda team is large, loving and devoted
Pereda was the youngest child of five and moved to the First Coast when he was 14 years old to live at Sawgrass Country Club with his brother Paco. Paco is an industrial engineer at Continental Tires. Pereda, who completed high school online, went to JU where he played for the Dolphins four years.
It took him five years to earn his PGA Tour card as a professional. On Monday, his brother was also present. Their parents, Claudia Pereda and Francisco Pereda, were also present, though Francisco Pereda only came out for the final, as he had spent the majority of Sunday at the emergency room due to kidney stones.
He said, “This is the result of my hard work all my life,” during an interview after the round in which he wept several times. The intense pressure from Q-School was released. “And we are here.”
Please note the word “we”.
Pereda has a large support network. It is unlikely that any PGA Tour rookie would have a bigger group of supporters than Pereda. Pereda received hugs and backslaps after dropping the final putt from his caddie, six-time European PGA Tour champion Anders Forsbrand. He also received hugs and a backslap from JU golf coach Mike Blackburn, athletic director Alex Ricker Gilbert, and former JU player Russell Knox, who had just shot 65 at Sawgrass and tied for 28th, earning full Korn Ferry Tours Status.
Pereda recovers calmly after early disaster
Pereda managed to keep his emotions under control for the majority of the round despite errant tee-shots into hazards on Nos. The double-bogeys and bogeys at Nos. 6 and 7 were a result of a bad shot. He parred his next two holes, but he was one shot behind top five players and missed the 10th hole to the left.
He immediately chipped in to make a birdie and get back into the top five. Pereda, who had three consecutive pars, missed the green on the par-3 229 yard 14th hole and chipped it in.
Pereda said, stiflingly, that he had gotten good lies for both chip-ins. He also remembered something a sports psychology told him about a previous round of golf.
He said, “He told me to think of this as a boxing match.” “You’re gonna hit… I was hit early in the first round and still had 12 holes left to go so I thought I would throw some punches.”
Pereda is a dancer who ‘dances to his emotions’
Tom Burnett, Pereda’s longtime swing coach, said that it was part Pereda’s mental development.
Burnett stated, “Instead fighting his emotions, he began to dance with them.” “He learned to manage them.” He was very good at managing his courses.
Pereda says that after years of trying unsuccessfully to get off the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, he finally learned what he needed: embrace your nerves.
He said, “I was shaking at one point and was very nervous. But I believe that I have gotten to really know myself.” “It wasn’t that I had it under control but I knew how I could play with it.”
Pereda is so adept at this that Forsbrand did not feel the need for him to receive a pep-talk after his initial stumbles.
He said, “Nothing Special.” He was still in it. He was still in the game. It was just two swings a bit loose, but apart from those, he was doing well.
The final hole is a battle of tears
Pereda’s calmness almost evaporated after he made par on the converted par 5 par-4 17th. He was able to see that a Tour Card was within reach after making the par-4 17th. The hole was a converted par 5.
He said: “I wanted a cry after making that putt on the 17th green… I also wanted a cry when I drove on 18 because it was probably one of most important tee shot out there.” “I didn’t check the leaderboard when putting off the green. But [when I saw it] after lagging within 5 feet, I thought, ‘yeah I’ve got this.
“I started crying right when I hugged Anders because we worked so hard in the past year and we accomplished a lot, especially mentally, and it gave me the chance to be here today, and manage everything as best I can.”
His brother Paco was also in tears. He is a member of the brother’s team.
He said, “Oh my goodness.” “I can’t even describe how happy I am. Raul has been working so hard. You can tell how mature Raul is by the way he handled the situation today and the pressure he was under.
Raul Pereda, welcome to the PGA TOUR! RaulP96 did not have @KornFerryTour status when he entered Q-School.
He is now the only active PGA TOUR player of Mexican descent. pic.twitter.com/CUVTviFNS7
— PGA TOUR December 18, 2020
Pereda now represents his family and country on the PGA Tour. He intends to make the most of his opportunity.
He said, “This is new.” I need to keep my head when it comes to how to handle all of these situations. “I’ve got the game but I need to learn how to manage it all.”
Blackburn is one of Pereda’s many supporters.
Blackburn stated, “You could tell that he was special.” He was always an excellent ball striker. “When he was able to put together those 100 yards, and more, he became elite.”
