Can a guy named 'Major' go all the way at q-school? He hopes so

Courtesy of Augusta State

Major Manning won on the Hooters Tour this year and is hoping to take the next step this week at q-school.

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Russ Manning just liked the name.

And no, before you ask, he's not a military buff. Actually, Russ was a student at the University of Florida when Major Ogilvy was earning All-American honors as a running back at archrival Alabama. So several years later, when his son was born, Russ decided to name him Major.

More on Q-school

• Tee times: Nicklaus course Stadium course • Ross: Kim shows up to support friend • Q-school: Kanada shares early lead • Chart: The many roads to q-school

"Everybody gave me a rash about it," Russ Manning acknowledged on Wednesday. "But we couldn't think of any other name. It just goes together -- Major Manning."

Now his 24-year-old son is trying to make a name for himself in another sport -- firing a 65 on the Stadium Course at PGA West that left him tied for the lead after the first round of the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament. Craig Kanada and Joey Lamielle also shot 7 under, both playing on the Nicklaus Course, and the trio owns a one-stroke advantage over six others.

Manning, who came one stroke shy of making the final stage last year, has never played in a PGA TOUR event. But the former Augusta State standout will find himself with a TOUR card next year if he can finish among the low 25 players and ties when the draining, 108-hole test concludes on Monday.

As the 6-foot-4 Manning walked toward the scoring trailer on a chamber-of-commerce day in the California desert, a dark-haired woman waited by his golf bag -- the stand variety with his name embroidered in script on the bottom pocket -- and recorded those long strides with the video function on her cell phone. He grinned sheepishly and rolled his eyes as he later confirmed it was his mother, Sandy.

Manning admitted to being nervous on the first tee, but it didn't take long for the Floridian to get going Wednesday. He made eight birdies and one bogey on the course that is generally regarded as the more difficult of the two in the rotation -- including five birdies in a row beginning at the ninth hole.

"I have no complaints," Manning said. "It was a good solid round. ... I tried to keep a positive attitude all day. I didn't want to say one course is easier than another. We know it, but you don't want to think that way -- just go out and play good golf and see what happens. And hopefully you can make a few putts -- that always helps."

Manning, who started playing with a plastic set of clubs when he was 4 years old, has competed on the Hooters Tour for the last 18 months. He picked up a check for $33,566 -- the biggest of his career -- when he won the Capital Chevrolet Classic in June. The victory was a big confidence boost for Manning, who had spent the last two-and-a-half months sidelined with a back injury.

Manning can joke about it now. But he wasn't laughing when that mechanical bull at a Washington Road nightspot threw him for a loop -- literally, as well as figuratively -- during the week of the Masters. He won't make the same mistake twice, either.

"I was having a good time all my college fellows," he said. "You learn from things like that -- especially when you just finished second the week before. You hurt yourself, and you're out for two-and-a-half months. It makes you think about what you're going to do from there."

Manning, who plays out of LPGA National in his native Daytona Beach, was an All-American at Augusta State. Among the perks of playing for the Jags was the annual outing at Augusta National. The team would warm up, play the Par 3 Course, eat lunch in the clubhouse and then go out and test their games on what is possibly the most famous golf course in the world.

"It was awesome," Manning grinned. "It was a dream. The first year out there out there, I was taking pictures all day."

Manning's game certainly appears to be peaking at the right time. He tied for eighth in the first stage of q-school and fourth in the second -- and by virtue of making the finals, Manning will have conditional status on the Nationwide Tour come Monday at the very least.

"(If I can) go out and play some consistent golf, I'll be as happy as I can be," Manning said. "It does take a little pressure off my shoulders (to know I'll have a place to play). I'm just trying to move up from the Hooters Tour and play better courses, which is what this is. Hopefully, I'll keep playing good. ... When you're prepared, it makes it a little easier out there. You can just go out and have fun."