Q-school could become even more challenging with extra day

By nightfall the roster of the 2010 PGA TOUR should be filled. Unless, of course, the sixth and final round of the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament doesn't end on Monday, and that's a very real possibility given the earlier weather delays. Then things could get really interesting. The final round of the final stage of q-school is unlike any round you can imagine. As much as you try to stay in the moment you just can't help but consider the outcome.

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Let me explain from a competitive standpoint why q-school is different than other tournaments. There are 25 winners this week. So a player doesn't necessarily need to be at his best to be in contention. Ideally you play well enough at q-school that you have left some margin for error by the time you get to the final 18 holes -- or in this case, the final 24 holes for the leaders. But looking at the leaderboard and having been a party to the madness of q-school on too many occasions, I can tell you definitely that no player is safe going into the final day or day and a half as the case may be.

Troy Merritt is nine strokes ahead of the number (the number being the top 25) and he is probably as comfortable as possible. But only five shots separate a tie for third and the tie for 20th where the real drama will unfold. These guys aren't just playing in a golf tournament they are playing for their livelihoods, their dreams and their shot at greatness. Pile that onto a round and a third of golf and anything can happen.

By my count there are 56 guys who don't have to play their best round of the year today to get their PGA TOUR cards for 2010. Quite simply that means that there are likely to be a few more broken hearts than normal at this year's death march that is q-school.

If you are right in the thick of things, say tied for 12th or 18th, you have one thing in mind on Monday. You want to get off to a good start. You know that if you shoot any score under par that you are likely going to graduate to the TOUR. If you can get off to a good start then you can start counting off holes. Two under on the eighth tee and you are 10 pars away from the promised land. Three under on the 11th tee and you are seven pars away from all your dreams becoming a reality.

Any sports psychologist will tell you this is not only the wrong way to approach the game but a terrible mindset mid-round. But I don't know a single player who has ever competed in the finals of q-school -- much less ever navigated those perilous waters successfully -- who didn't think that way. I did it three times and I can tell you that there is no way to keep those thoughts from your mind.

In all the finals that I ever played -- and that's a lot -- I never faced what this group could be facing today. These guys may not finish. As a matter of fact it is likely that the deciding four or five groups will have several holes left to play on Tuesday morning -- seven days after the finals started. There is no prescribed mindset for that.

At one of the last finals that I ever played I was five shots inside the number with six holes remaining in the final round. After a perfect drive on a par 4 my caddy disappeared for a few minutes to do what I assumed was a little personal business. I found out over a few beers that night after we successfully finished in the top-10 that he had not gone to water the indigenous foliage as I had assumed. He had excused himself to lose his lunch. He was that nervous.

I was in the flow of the round, counting off holes and feeling comfortable in the way I was playing. However, I can only imagine what it would have been like if I had been in the situation to come back and finish the last four or five holes the next day knowing exactly what I needed to do to get through.

In the flow of the round you have an idea of where you stand but you don't know exactly at any given time. If this final round rolls into Tuesday these guys are going to know exactly where they stand and exactly what they need to do. Some will rise to that occasion but I promise you an equal number will fold. Someone is going to have a train wreck because that is what happens at q-school.

Former PGA TOUR player John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.