During the week of October 24th thru 27th, 2006, Ledgeview's own James Lepp competed in the first stage of Q-School at Cypresswood Golf Club, in Spring, Texas.

James improved every day, shooting rounds of 73, 70, 68, and 66, for a four round total of 277, 11 under par. This left James in a tie for fourth place. The low 26 and ties, including James, now move on to the second stage of Q-school.

Keep it up James. We are all rooting for you back here in Abbotsford.

Oct. 27/2006

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By DAN KINVIG
Abbotsford News
Nov 04 2006

James Lepp has gone back to school in his quest to become a regular on the PGA Tour, and so far, he's passing with flying colours. The Abbotsford golfer cruised through the first stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School last week, getting better with each successive round. Lepp shot 73-70-68-66 at Cypresswood Golf Club in Spring, Texas to finish tied for fourth. The top 26 golfers from that event moved on to the second stage of the Tour's three-step qualifying process.

According to Lepp, his strong play can be partially attributed to a bit of advance scouting. He had his choice of 11 first-stage venues, and he did his best to find a course that suited his game. "I called all the Q-school courses and asked what kind of courses they were before I signed up for an event," he said. "They said this course (Cypresswood) had lots of room off the tee and wide fairways. I figured that would be good for my game, because I'm not driving it very straight. "I just scrambled around and hit a lot of really good iron shots and was able to make some birdies. I don't feel great about my game, but I feel good that I can actually shoot some good numbers even though I'm not feeling good about it."

Lepp, who counts the 2005 NCAA championship among his triumphs, closed the book on his much-decorated amateur career by turning pro this summer. But he struggled on his first go-around on the PGA Tour as a pro, missing the cut in all three events he played on sponsor's exemptions - the Buick Open, the Deutsche Bank Championship and the Canadian Open. As such, getting back on track at Q-school was encouraging.

"It wouldn't have mattered if it was the PGA Tour or the Ledgeview Amateur - it's just not fun playing poor golf," Lepp said, reflecting on his first run on the PGA Tour as a pro. "I wasn't really confident going into any of them, so I wasn't surprised I missed the cut."

Lepp tackles the second stage of Q-school at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, California later this month. He's not sure what he'll do next season if he falls short of his tour card. "There won't be any more sponsor's exemptions, I would guess, next year," he said. "The Canadian Tour would be a possibility, but I'll weigh my options and see what's best."