Top 20 finishers at Sunriver will be living on Tulsa Time

Everyone in the field this week wanted to claim the Walter Hagen Cup. But 19 players along with champion Chip Sullivan earned a very special consolation prize -- a berth in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in August.

By John Kim, PGA.com Coordinating Producer

SUNRIVER, Ore. -- Being crowned the winner was the primary goal of all 312 PGA Professionals who started the week at the 40th PGA Professional National Championship. But there was another very important goal for the field -- finishing in the top 20 to earn a spot in the 89th PGA Championship to be held Aug. 9-12 in Tulsa, Okla.

Micah Rudosky, the PGA Head Professional at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez, Colo., battled back from an opening-round 76 to finish the tournament at 1 over par and will be one of the players representing the Association at Southern Hills.

"I would have loved to have won," said Rudosky, who will take part in his first PGA Championship, "but making the top 20 was the important thing."

"I'm excited," beamed Matt Seitz of Hutchinson, Kan. "I'm very excited, very grateful for the opportunity. Of course, I'm a bit apprehensive as well. I don't really know what to expect. But no one wants to go there and embarrass themselves, so I'll work hard to get as ready as I can and do my best."

Kelly Mitchum, from Pinehurst (N.C.) Country Club, will be making his third appearance at the PGA Championship after his third top-10 finish in this event.

"I'll try to stay loose," Mitchum said of his preparations to play on such a renowned stage. "It's hard to practice too much because I have a full-time job, but I'll work on my driver and just try to approach it in a relaxed and confident manner."

The final 20 was not settled until a playoff that involved six players who finished at 3 over par battled for the final five spots.

The opportunity to tee it up besides the likes of defending PGA Champion Tiger Woods and other prominent touring professionals is both an honor and an opportunity for these players.

Greg Bisconti of the Metropolitan Section closed with a 1-under 71 to earn one of the coveted spots and -- for him -- a return trip to the PGA Championship.

"I really enjoyed my experience at Medinah," Bisconti said, "so it was definitely a goal of mine to get back to that. I don't think it's realistic to expect a guy that works in other capacities 60 hours a week to compete with the TOUR players, but if we put some good rounds together, making the cut is a realistic expectation."

Brian Whitcomb, the president of the PGA of America, stressed the importance of having a strong contingent of PGA Professionals representing the association in Tulsa.

"A strong PGA Professional presence is integral to the PGA Championship," he said. "I am so proud of these 20 players, and they will do a tremendous job representing the PGA of America. The very foundation of the PGA Championship is based on what these guys do so, by definition, this is their championship. They will do a great job."

Kevin Burton, the Head Coach at Boise State University, summed up many players' feelings about heading to Tulsa. "I'm so excited about representing Boise State, Idaho and the entire Rocky Mountain Section," he said. "It's just neat that we have someone to in that Championship."

The 20 players representing PGA Professionals at the PGA Championship are:

1. Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va.
2. Mike Small of Champaign, Ill.
3. Ryan Benzel of Seattle, Wash.
4. Butch Sheehan of Rancho Mirage, Calif.
5. Tim Thelen of College Station, Texas
6. Matthew Seitz of Hutchinson, Kan.
7. Don Yrene of Scottsdale, Ariz.
8. John O'Leary of Reston, Va.
9. Kelly Mitchum of Southern Pines, N.C.
10. Micah Rudosky of Cortez, Colo.
11. Phil Schmitt of Baton Rouge, La.
12. Erik Wolf of Palm Desert, Calif.
13. Greg Bisconti of South Salem, N.Y.
14. Scott Hebert of Acme, Mich.
15. Kevin Burton of Boise, Idaho
x-16. Bill Amundsen of Black River Falls, Wis.
x-17. Robert Gaus of St. Louis, Mo.
x-18. Brad Lardon of Bryan, Texas
x-19. Matt Call of Castle Rock, Colo.
x-20. Robert McGrath of San Jose, Calif.

x = earned berth via playoff