7th-Place Finish at IRC Secures PGA Tour Americas Exempt Status for Hitchner

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Davis Lamb was a senior at Notre Dame for the 2019-20 college golf season. That was when the tournament schedule went out the window as a result of Covid. Basically, the season for Lamb and the Irish -- and everyone else -- was cut in half.

Weather did pretty much the same thing last week to the Inter Rapidisimo Championship. The sixth and final event in the six-tournament Latin America portion of the PGA Tour Americas schedule was plagued by heavy rain, and had to be reduced to 36 holes. 

And after Lamb shot an 11-under par 61 in the first round at Club El Rincon de Cajica, a shortened tournament was probably a good thing for him. He had only to follow that with a 68 to claim first place with a 36-hole total of 129. 

Because the tournament was reduced to 36 holes, however, the victory isn't official. But the $40,500 he made for winning moved Lamb up to No. 2 on the PGA Tour Americas Points List, with $53,483.

The 27-year-old from Bethesda, Md., who made three eagles in the 61 and no bogeys in either of his rounds, edged Abel Gallegos by a single stroke. Gallegos had a pair of 65s. 

Four behind him, there was a four-way tie for third, and Derek Hitchner was another stroke back, five behind in seventh place at 135. 

The former Minnesota State Amateur champion from Minneapolis needed a good week. He started it at No. 105 on the money list, but the $7,537 that he earned moved him up to No. 44 on that list, with $9,405 -- and he also moved up to No. 45 on the points list.

(Using the points list, which is virtually the same as the money list, to determine the status of players seems like a contrived and convoluted way to operate the various PGA Tours. Why not just use the money list, the way they used to do it?)

As a result, he retains his fully exempt status for the North American part of the PGA Tour Americas schedule. That will have nine tournaments, beginning July 3rd with the Explore NB Open in Fredericton, New Brunswick. 

The top 60 players on the points list are fully exempt for that. Nos. 60 through 80 on the points list are conditionally exempt. 

Included in that 60-to-80 group is Ben Warian, the former University of Minnesota star from Stillwater. He arrived in Bogota ranked No. 67 and shot 70-72--142, which put him in a  tie for 54th. So he made $692, putting his total for the year at $4,851.

Warian is now 69th on the money list and also 69th on the points list.