From college to TOUR: Four players who can pull it off

Lecka/Getty Images

As runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Amateur, Ben Martin played in the 2010 Masters and U.S. Open.

It's not easy for a kid to come out of college and play his way onto the PGA TOUR. Sure, it happens, but most college players -- regardless of their pedigree -- will most often find themselves cutting their competitive teeth on the Nationwide Tour or on one of the numerous developmental mini-tours.

FINAL STAGE

Q-school leaderboard
Inside the pressure
MacKenzie back again
Mayfair tries to improve status

There are exceptions. Rickie Fowler didn't quite make enough money after leaving Oklahoma State to skip q-school, but earned his card and wound up on the Ryder Cup team. Brendon Todd graduated from Georgia and survived the pre-qualifier and all three stages to earn his card. Nicholas Thompson graduated and Cameron Tringale both graduated from Georgia Tech and immediately earned their TOUR cards.

But it just isn't that easy. Just because someone is an All-American in college doesn't give them a pass to play on the PGA TOUR. Just ask Chris Kirk. He was the No. 1 college player when he left the University of Georgia, but it took him three seasons on the Nationwide Tour, where he won twice in 2010, before he earned his PGA TOUR privileges for 2011.

But there's nothing wrong with trying. Here are four guys to watch this week at q-school. Each one has earned some sort of All-American accolade and has battled through the process to reach the final stage of qualifying at Orange County National in Orlando, Fla. It won't be easy for them to get through; only the top 25 and ties from the 166-man field advance. But don't bet against them, either.

• Dustin Garza, Wichita State: Garza understands how to win, a trait that will help him this week. He won seven times last year and helped Wichita State win the Missouri Valley Conference for the third straight season. He won 13 college tournaments, which moved him past Tiger Woods and into second place in college rankings. Garza made his professional debut at the Travelers Championship and didn't make the cut. He won an Adams Golf Pro Series mini-tour event in September.

• Richard Lee, Washington: Another in the line of fine players from Seattle. Lee spent two seasons with the Huskies after transferring from Bellevue Community College. Lee came on strong late in the season, finishing third at the Pac-10 Championship (when he opened with a 64) and winning the NCAA West Regional. Lee isn't your average college graduate; he's married and has a 2-year-old daughter.

• David Lingmerth, Arkansas: He followed the traditional route to Arkansas -- from Tranas, Sweden, to the University of West Florida to Fayetteville, Ark. He tied for fifth at the SEC Championship as a senior. Lingmerth competed for Europe in the Palmer Cup, but has opted to try to play the PGA TOUR rather than return home and compete on the European Tour. His uncle, Goran Lingmerth, was a kicker for the Cleveland Browns in 1987.

• Ben Martin, Clemson: The runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Amateur, Martin has quite a pedigree. In 2010 he became the 14th Clemson player to be named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team on three occasions. As a senior he finished third in the NCAA Regional and ninth at the NCAA Championships. He played in the Masters in 2010 and has twice played in the U.S. Open. He graduated in December 2009, but came back to take postgraduate classes so he could continue to compete on the golf team. He competed on the eGolf Tour, won an event and earned $43,850 in only five appearances.

Of that quartet, only Martin escaped the prequalifier -- the stage which requires players to fog a mirror and prove they can break par. The other three will be playing in their fourth do-or-die event. Even if they don't get their PGA TOUR card, they'll come away with some sort of status on the Nationwide Tour. But that's not what they came all the way to Florida for; they're in it for the big prize. Given the odds they've beaten so far, it wouldn't be prudent to be against them now.

Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.