Jan. 26, 2011

LA JOLLA, Calif. - Scott Gordon, the first player in UC Davis men's golf history to earn his PGA Tour card, will tee off at his first PGA Tour event Thursday at the Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla.

Gordon's group is set for a 10:30 a.m. tee time on the Torrey Pines North Course. The tournament features some of the world's best golfers, including reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

A competitor on the 2008 Nationwide Tour, Gordon earned his PGA Tour card after he finished in a tie for 27th with a 9-under, 420 after the final round of tour qualifying at the Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge Dec. 6. The top 25 and ties were guaranteed full PGA Tour status, but two players already had their cards due to their standing on the Nationwide Tour money list and were solely competing to improve their position. That extended the cut line to include Gordon.

A 1999 graduate of Jesuit High School in Carmichael, Gordon was the recipient of the Colby E. "Babe" Slater Award, an honor given to UC Davis' top male athlete, during his senior season in 2004 after a school-record 71.54 average. He tied a then-school record with a 65 in the final round of The Nelson Invitational and was in the top 10 in four Division I tournaments.

Gordon joins former Aggies Bill Keller and Dave Wilcox as UC Davis graduates who have competed in a PGA Tour event. Keller played at the Reno Tahoe Open in 2002 while Wilcox participated in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.

Thursday and Friday coverage of the Farmer's Insurance Open will be featured on the Golf Channel beginnning at 3 p.m. (EST) while Saturday and Sunday's rounds will be shown on CBS starting at 3 p.m. (EST). A full leaderboard is also available at pgatour.com.