Dick Mast, 72, qualifies for Sanford International with 66
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CARY, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 14: Dick Mast walks on in the eighth tee box during the first round of the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club on October 14, 2022 in Cary, North Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Earns PGA TOUR Champions tee time via three-spot open qualifier
In a game that seemingly gets younger by the day, Dick Mast is aging like a fine wine.
Mast, 72, earned a spot in this week's Sanford International via the open qualifier (conducted on Tuesday), carding a 5-under 66 and surviving a playoff to earn one of three available spots in the field at South Dakota's PGA TOUR Champions event.
Dennis Hendershott (64) and Hyeong Geon Kim (65) earned the first two spots, while Mast's 5-under 66 matched the scores of Mark Walker and Jay Jurecic, requiring a playoff for the final spot in the field at Minnehaha Country Club. The 72-year-old Mast advanced against Walker, 55, and Jurecic, 52.
The qualifier was contested at Bakker Crossing Golf Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Click here for all scores from the qualifier.
Mast has been on the grind for some time, his career including three wins on the inaugural Korn Ferry Tour in 1990. He has made 360 career starts on the PGA TOUR, in addition to 107 Korn Ferry Tour starts. The Sanford International will mark Mast's 191st career start on PGA TOUR Champions.
The native of Bluffton, Ohio, also Monday qualified for last year's SAS Championship (finishing 73rd). The Sanford International marks his first PGA TOUR Champions start of 2023.
Mast's first TOUR start came at the 1974 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational (now known as the Farmers Insurance Open). He opened the week with a 66, en route to a T16 finish.
Nearly 50 years later, he's still got it, with a 66 on Tuesday cementing his 658th TOUR-sanctioned start.