Third-round notes: Q-school by the numbers

Seven pre-qualifiers, along with 13 first- and six second-stage regionals were held to reduce the field. A total of 173 players advanced to the final qualifying stage, which will consist of six rounds with no cut.

The top 25 players and ties will receive PGA TOUR cards for 2012. The next nearest-number-to-50 will earn fully exempt Nationwide Tour cards for the first 10 events in 2012, and the remainder of the field will receive conditional Nationwide Tour status.

Seven players qualified by making it through all three stages -- Gator "Richard" Todd, Glenn Northcutt, Wes Roach, Erik Flores, Jess Schutte, Travis Wadkins and Paul Haley.

• A total of 513 players teed off in the seven pre-qualifiers and competed for 258 spots (and ties).
• A total of 969 players teed off in the 13 first-stage qualifiers and competed for 284 spots (and ties).
• A total of 450 players teed off in the six second-stage qualifiers and competed for 122 spots (and ties).
• A total of 39 players were exempt into the final stage of the tournament.

THIRD-ROUND NOTES

Weather: Partly cloudy. High in the mid 60s. Winds light and variable.

Leaderboard: 1. Will Claxton 203 (-13); 2. Bobby Gates 205 (-11), Matt Jones 205 (-11), Seung-yul Noh 205 (-11); 5. Vaughn Taylor 206 (-10), Billy Hurley III 206 (-10); 7. Harris English 207 (-9) Brian Harman 207 (-9)

• Will Claxton has made only one career start on the PGA TOUR. He finished T67 at this year's Transitions Championship. Claxton earned conditional status on the 2011 Nationwide Tour after finishing T139 at the 2010 Qualifying Tournament. Claxton made four cuts in nine starts on the Nationwide Tour this year. His only top-25 finish was a T17 at the Mexico Open. Claxton is a 2005 graduate of Auburn University, where he was a member of the Tigers' 2002 Southeastern Conference Championship team.

• Scott Verplank (1997), Frank Lickliter (2007) and Troy Merritt (2009) are the only players since 1992 to hold/share the lead after each round of the tournament. Verplank is the only player to hold the lead outright for all six rounds.

• Seung-yul Noh fired an 8-under 64 Friday to move into contention for a PGA TOUR card. Noh is a 20-year old from Seoul, South Korea. He was named the Asian Tour's 2008 Rookie of the Year. He won once on the Asian Tour in 2008 and again in 2010 at the Maybank Malaysian Open, a co-sponsored event with the European Tour. Noh played in six PGA TOUR events in 2011.

• Brian Harman, a 2009 graduate of the University of Georgia, charged up the leaderboard Friday with a 7-under 29 on his final nine (front) at the Stadium Course. Harman double-bogeyed No. 18 to make the turn at 2-over for the day, but rallied with birdies at Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 to finish with a 5-under 67. He is at 9-under 207 and T7. Harman played on the 2009 United States' Walker Cup team.

• Best rounds of the day: 63 -- Robert Streb (NT); 64 -- Stephen Gangluff (NT), Seung-yul Noh (SC), Brett Wetterich (NT)

Scoring averages (both courses are par-72):

The toughest holes after two rounds:

• Lee Williams (67) and Chris Tidland (65) both made holes-in-one at the par-3, 8th hole (154 yards) on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.

• Daniel Summerhays shot an even-par 72 today with seven birdies on his card at the Stadium Course. Summerhays had four bogeys and a triple-bogey as well. Summerhays (209/-7/T19) leads the field with 19 birdies through 54 holes.

• Beniot Beisser also shot an even-par 72 with seven birdies (NT). Beisser (222/+6/T151) had five bogeys and a double-bogey.

• Robert Streb opened with scores of 73-78 before rebounding with a 9-under 63 today at the Nicklaus Tournament course. Streb, a 2009 graduate of Kansas State, ran off six birdies in a row (Nos. 8-13) during his round. Streb moved up 84 spots in the field (from 157 to T73) with his effort. He is at 2-under 214.

• David Duval, 2001 British Open Champion, shot a 1-over 73 at the Stadium Course, finishing bogey/double-bogey/double-bogey. Duval is at 1-over 217 and T115 after three days.

• Former PGA Champion Rich Beem (67NT) is at 5-under 211 and T33 at the mid-point.

• Former U.S. Open Champion Lee Janzen ((68/NT) is at 2-under 214 and T73.

• Former PGA Champion Shaun Micheel (74/SC) is at even-par 216 and T107.

• Sam Saunders (72/SC) is at 2-under 214 and T73.

• A total of 55 players are making their first appearance at Q-School Finals.

• Three past Q-School medalists are participating this week at PGA West: 2000 medalist Steve Allan (T101/+1), 2003 medalist Mathias Gronberg (T57/-1) and 2009 medalist Troy Merritt (T15/-5).

The Coachella Valley has hosted the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament several times over the years. This is the fifth time that the current two-course rotation of the Nicklaus Tournament Course and TPC Stadium Course has been used.

Leaders at previous Qualifying Tournaments held at PGA West -- Nicklaus Tournament (NT)/TPC Stadium (SC):

Scores needed to secure PGA TOUR status at PGA West in previous years:

There are five 2011 Nationwide Tour graduates in the field hoping to improve their eligibility standings for the 2012 season. All five have earned PGA TOUR cards for next year. These players will not count toward the top 25 and ties who will earn their PGA TOUR card through Q-School, or against the next number nearest 50 to determine fully-exempt Nationwide Tour membership.

• Andre Stolz withdrew after the third round.

• The field will be re-paired following the fourth round. The leaders will play on the Stadium Course in round five and on the Nicklaus Tournament Course in round six on Monday.