Andres Gonzales earns PGA Tour card

With one day left in the six-day grind that is PGA Tour Qualifying School, Andres Gonzales knew he had one more big test to pass.

He'd shot even par or better for five straight rounds, including a 68 in the third round, to go with a trio of 71s and an opening-round 70. A pretty good few days, to be sure. But he needed more.

"I was at 6 under, and the cut at that point was at 8 or 9," he said. "In my mind, I thought I needed to shoot 5 under in the last round. That was my goal. And I knew if I stuck to my game, I was very capable of that."

So the 2006 UNLV graduate was looking for a 67, hoping that would be enough to finish among the top 30 and earn his PGA Tour card.

"Unfortunately, I shot 4 under," he said. "But fortunately, it was good enough."

Indeed. Gonzales carded a 68, among the best scores of the entire field in the pressure-packed final round. He finished with a 10-under 419 total, leading a five-way tie for 22nd to finish just one stroke above the cutline -- not that he paid too close attention to where that line was drawn.

"The first time I looked at the leaderboard was the night before the final round," he said of the event held from Dec. 1-6 at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden, Fla. "In a tournament like that, where there's no cut, I just knew I had to play solid golf every day."

And with no cut, there was a mass of humanity each of the six days, with 153 players vying for PGA Tour cards or, short of that, exempt or conditional status on the secondary Nationwide Tour. With Gonzales knowing he'd played his best, he would have been pleased to earn full-time Nationwide status, which would have been a step up for him.

But that's not what brought the 27-year-old to Florida for the tournament.

"I went in, and I expected to leave with a PGA Tour card," he said. "If not, I was content with Nationwide, but in the last year and half, I really felt like I'd matured as a player, really believing in myself. And I started driving really well. And if I start driving well, I play well. It's the backbone of my game.

"So I went in with the mindset that I'm good enough, and I know I'm good enough. I believe in my game."

Perhaps the thing Gonzales was most satisfied with was keeping his composure under such demanding circumstances.

"I was very pleased with the way I handled my nerves," said Gonzales, specifically noting the final three rounds after his third-round 68. "The rest of the tournament was hit-and-miss, but I kept my composure the whole time. The last three rounds, I was the happiest with myself. I was able to get scores of even par or better, even with a B-minus game."

It certainly wasn't B-minus in the final round, though. Only three players bested Gonzales -- one shot 66 and the other two shot 67s -- and only 11 others matched his 68. But when the round was over, he still wasn't sure that he'd done enough.

"At the end of the day, I had to wait about an hour and a half to see if 10 under was good enough," he said. "If not, I was completely content, because I was happy with how I played. The Nationwide Tour was good enough, and better than last year."

He played seven tournaments this past season on the Canadian PGA Tour, where he posted a pair of top-10 finishes. He won the Saskatchewan Open in 2009. He also had one Nationwide start this year. But the PGA Tour is a whole new reality.

"It's still sinking in a little bit," Gonzales said. "It'll be my first time out there. Every emotion hit me when they told me I'd made it. It's pretty exciting just to know that I'm of that caliber -- really exciting, actually.

"But I've got to go out there and play good golf still. I won't get into every tournament."

In other words, despite the milestone, he now has to set new goals.

"I've reached a goal I've been trying to reach my entire life," he said. "Some guys reach that goal and kind of forget to set a goal beyond that. I celebrated for a couple days, but then I sat down and re-evaluated my goals. I'd like to be rookie of the year. I'd say that's my No. 1 goal."

He's already gotten plenty of support from the UNLV fraternity. While with the Rebels, Gonzales roomed with Ryan Moore, the most successful amateur golfer in school history and one who already has a great deal of PGA Tour experience and success. Moore has been plenty supportive.

Bill Lunde threw a party for Gonzales and his wife, Kristin, to celebrate the achievement, and among the other PGA Tour-playing Rebels to show up was Charley Hoffman.

"That was really nice, throwing a welcome-to-the-PGA Tour party for me and my wife," he said. "Bill invited a lot of my friends -- guys he doesn't even hang out with. It was really a lot of fun."

Now Gonzales gets to join an ever-expanding family of Rebels on the PGA Tour, and he gives credit to all of them.

"They've all been successful on the PGA Tour and have been nothing but helpful and supportive of me in my journey," he said. "They all believed in me, they've been on my team. We're our own little family. I'm happy those guys have helped me out and encouraged me as much as they have."

Hoffman went so far as to give Gonzales a little PGA Tour sampler.

"He took me out to TPC Las Vegas, and I met a bunch of the professionals in town," he said, mentioning Dean Wilson and Bob May, among others in a region bursting at the seams with PGA Tour talent. "That really got my head on a swivel, like 'What am I getting myself into?' Then I realized that these guys are just human beings who happen to play really good golf."

And Gonzales aims to join them in just a few weeks. He's still based in Olympia, Wash., with an apartment there, though he spends a lot of time at his Las Vegas condo, as well. But his travel schedule is sure to keep him away from both points in the coming months.

Not that he'll be complaining. He just hopes to fully take advantage of the opportunity.

"I'm just glad I've given myself the opportunity to reach goals that I've had forever," he said. "This goal I've reached opens up opportunities to reach bigger goals that I've had. I'm excited to compete with the best players in the world.

"I'm still jazzed about the whole idea."