Wagner (Mr. 126) seeks more status at q-school's Final Stage

Greenwood/Getty Images

Johnson Wagner has conditional status for 2011 on the PGA TOUR but could earn full status this week at q-school.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Johnson Wagner had hoped to be in Bank of America Stadium back home in Charlotte on Saturday when Virginia Tech plays Florida State for the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

FINAL STAGE

Full Leaderboard
Stanley sharp in debut
Round 1 Notebook
Full Field
Course overviews

Instead, Wagner will be in a Florida hotel room that night watching the game on TV. That's because the former Hokies standout is playing in the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament for the fifth time this week.

Johnson made the decision to come to q-school at Orange County National after narrowly missing a spot in the all-exempt 125 on the 2010 PGA TOUR money list. He gave himself a shot -- finishing in a three-way tie for third at the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic -- but finished up about $33,000 and one spot shy of keeping his card.

Wagner actually had a chance to win that tournament, but a double bogey on the 16th hole proved extremely costly. Still, it was his best finish on TOUR since the victory in the Shell Houston Open in 2008 so that week was quite a confidence-builder.

In addition, Wagner still has status on TOUR for 2011 due to finishing between 126-150 on the money list. But q-school offers him a chance to improve his position in the pecking order.

"I was just short (at Disney) but I played great there," Wagner acknowledged. "I'll get plenty of events where I'm at now. I was so stressed out all year about where I was going to finish on the money list that finishing way I did -- it was a great finish. I probably could have cleaned up the last few holes a little bit and not been here but this is just a way to keep sharp going into the Sony Open."

That said, Wagner didn't exactly get off to the start he had hoped for during Wednesday's first round at Orange County National. He bogeyed his final hole at Panther Lakes for a 1-over 72, but the veteran knows there are five rounds remaining to get in position to earn one of the 25 TOUR cards.

"You could really shoot yourself out of it today but I hung in there," Wagner said. "It was a good day. I did not have my game. I got up and down a lot for pars and hit lot of lag putts to a foot. I wasn't really stressed out there for as poorly as I played. My coach came in today so we're going to go work on the range and figure out the ball-striking a lot."

Wagner feels like the flat stick has held him back this year; he ranked 101st on TOUR in putting average and 115th in putts per round. He says he's also learning to balance fatherhood -- he and his wife have one child with another on the way -- and golf.

"I just think it took me a little bit to grow into being a dad and a golfer," Wagner said. "... I have a new appreciation for (the game). Instead of being out here trying to protect a job you have to go out and get it. I think I've gotten that a little better over the last month -- you can't just allow things to happen, you have to go out and get them."

Hence, the trip to q-school, his first since 2005. Wagner said he's much less stressed this time than in years past, though.

After all, he had prepared himself for the worst. When Wagner came to Children's Miracle Network Classic ranked 153rd on the money list a trip to the second stage of q-school loomed on the horizon. He might have needed to use his status as a past champion to compete in 2011.

Instead, he has options. And if he plays well this week, things will only get better.

"Other than a couple of guys off the Nationwide Tour who are coming to try to improve their number, there's nobody in a better position than I'm in," Wagner said. "Every year I've been to finals, I've had a Nationwide Tour card. Now at least I have something to fall back on. ... I'll get plenty of starts and plenty of starts early to try to get in THE PLAYERS and a couple of the invitationals.

"I could win early and it would never be an issue. I'm just happy to be playing golf."