When the regular season finale meets the Monday qualifier battlefield, magic happens – and this time, a familiar face punched his ticket to Greensboro

The 18-hole open qualifier at the Bermuda Run Country Club’s East Course offers spots for the four lowest medalists. Scotty Kennon, Austin Duncan, Stephen Franken and Tain Lee all carded 6-under 65s to earn the four spots in the field. When four golfers fire identical rounds of 65 at a Monday qualifier, you know the competition was fierce and the dreams were burning bright.

The Wyndham Championship represents the final opportunity for players to make their mark before the FedExCup playoffs begin. For these four Monday qualifiers, it’s not just about making the playoffs – it’s about proving they belong on golf’s biggest stage. Each 65 told a different story, but they all ended with the same result: a chance to tee it up at Sedgefield Country Club.

Tain Lee: The Journey Continues

Among the four qualifiers, Tain Lee’s story resonates with anyone who’s ever chased a dream that seemed just out of reach. Lee, a 31-year-old journeyman and former NCAA Division III individual champion, took the solo lead in just his third career PGA Tour start during his memorable run at the 2021 Palmetto Championship.

What makes Lee’s journey so compelling isn’t just his Monday qualifying success – it’s his persistence through the ups and downs of professional golf. Lee’s fortunes, literally, turned in January, when he Monday-qualified for the Farmers Insurance Open, made the cut, tied for 69th and cashed for $15,375. That breakthrough moment opened doors that had been closed for years.

Lee’s path hasn’t been conventional. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help matters, limiting an already finite number of playing opportunities. He didn’t log a world-ranked start last year. Yet here he is again, grinding through Monday qualifiers and earning his shots on tour through pure determination.

The Monday Qualifier Reality

Monday qualifying isn’t glamorous. There are not many places more miserable in the pro golf world than a pre-qualifier. A pre-qualifier is played on the Wednesday or Thursday before the Monday qualifier and is played to control the size of the field on Monday. Lee knows this grind better than most, having battled through pre-qualifiers in miserable conditions just to earn the right to compete on Monday.

The numbers tell the story of how difficult this path really is. Consider: The 2010 NCAA Division III champ, out of Claremont McKenna College (Calif.), would be just the sixth Monday qualifier to win on Tour, joining Jeff Mitchell in 1980, Fred Wadsworth and Kenny Knox in 1986, Arjun Atwal in 2010 and Corey Conners in 2019. Only six Monday qualifiers have ever won on the PGA Tour – that’s how steep the mountain is.

What’s at Stake This Week

For Lee and his fellow Monday qualifiers, the Wyndham Championship represents more than just another tournament. What started in Hawaii in January is coming to its conclusion this week in North Carolina as the FedExCup Regular Season wraps up at the Wyndham Championship. This is the final chance to make a statement before the playoffs begin.

Lee has shown he can compete at this level. He has made the cut in all three PGA TOUR starts this season: Farmers Insurance Open (T69), Valero Texas Open (T59) and Palmetto Championship at Congaree (T14). That consistency from a Monday qualifier is remarkable and shows he’s not just happy to be there – he’s ready to compete.

The Human Side of Professional Golf

Stories like Lee’s remind us why we love this game. “A lot’s been going on in the world this past year, but for me the past couple years, few years, got married, had a kid, and things have changed a little bit,” Lee said Friday. Behind every Monday qualifier is a person balancing family, finances, and the relentless pursuit of a dream that most people would have abandoned years ago.

When Tain Lee tees it up at Sedgefield Country Club this week, he’ll carry with him not just his own hopes, but the dreams of every golfer who’s ever wondered if they were good enough. Sometimes the most inspiring stories don’t come from the marquee names – they come from the guys who refuse to give up, who show up every Monday ready to prove they belong.