UNLV duo are officially PGA Tour members

They grew up 5,100 miles apart, both with a childhood love of golf. They became friends and teammates at UNLV, competitors on the Korn Ferry Tour, occasional practice partners and dinner companions.

And now, in a bid of serendipity, Taylor Montgomery and Harry Hall are both headed to the PGA Tour in September.

Montgomery wrapped up his card several weeks ago thanks to a stellar season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Another close call — he’s had his share of those — on Sunday vaulted him to fifth in the final regular-season points standings.

A victory in Illinois in May put Hall well within the top 25, and a solid summer resulted in his 17th-place position and the precious promotion.

Both are excited about what the future holds. Montgomery, for one, couldn’t wait for the weekend to end in Nebraska when everything became official.

“I think everybody inside the top 15, 16 that know they’re getting their card are ready for that beer at the end of the round,” he said Friday.

Hall was reflective of his journey from West Cornwall Golf Club to Las Vegas and now the PGA Tour.

“I just tried to take a step up the ladder every year, and that’s what I did,” Hall said. “There was steady progress, and hopefully I can keep doing that for the rest of my career.”

For Montgomery, the season helped put behind the agony of 2021, when he finished 26th in both the regular-season standings and the Korn Ferry Finals — one spot shy of a card in both instances.

He says those outcomes made him stronger.

“I just tried to get better,” he said. “It was really my ball striking last year that held me back, because I putted better last year than I did this year for sure. It was amazing that I even had a chance at a PGA Tour card in my opinion, with how bad my iron play was last year.”

Hall, who had a top-10 finish as a sponsor’s invite in last year’s Shriners Children’s Open, is already thinking big. Really big.

Jim Barnes, a member at West Cornwall, won three of the four major championships in the 1910s and 1920s. Hall hopes to close the missing link.

“If I can get the Masters, it’ll be a cherry on top,” he said.

Kang set to return

Danielle Kang, sidelined since early June with a tumor on her spine, is returning to the LPGA Tour.

The Las Vegas golfer has been private about her condition, providing few updates as the six-time winner has visited specialists and dealt with the issue.

But she announced on her Instagram account that she plans to play the CP Women’s Open in Ottawa the last week of August.

“I know you missed us,” she wrote to go with a picture of her and caddie Olly Brett, providing no other details.

Moving on

Six players with Las Vegas ties have moved on to the BMW Championship, the PGA Tour’s second playoff event limited to the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings.

Xander Schauffele (No. 6), Collin Morikawa (No. 20), Maverick McNealy (No. 32), Seamus Power (No. 36), Adam Scott (No. 45) and Kurt Kitayama (No. 48) will play this week, aiming for a spot in the top 30 and a berth in the season-ending Tour Championship.

Seasons ended over the weekend for David Lipsky (No. 84), Scott Piercy (No. 110), Nick Watney (No. 114) and Doug Ghim (No. 116).

Nevada State Mid-Amateur

Tongun Lako Losarah shot three rounds in the 60s to win the Nevada State Mid-Amateur last week on the Snow Mountain course at Paiute Golf Resort.

Lako Lorarah finished at 11-under 205 for a three-shot victory over Tanner Johnson. Joseph Fortunato was third, seven shots back.

Yada, yada, yada

Somebody at the USGA certainly has a sense of humor. Pairings for this week’s U.S. Amateur included this threesome with a wink and a nod to “Seinfeld”: Las Vegan Hazen Newman, Mark Costanza and Campbell Kremer.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.