In the end, Jim Rutledge needed to find a couple more strokes. After shooting a final round 70, the Victoria, B.C. native came up just shy of earning full-time status on the Champions Tour in 2011.
Rutledge finished with a four day total of 10-under 278 on the TPC Eagle Trace course in Coral Springs, Florida which left him in a tie for eighth at the end of regulation play. Only the top five are guaranteed access to full-field events on the Champions Tour.
Rutledge opened with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to leave him out in 34 but played the back nine in even par with a bogey on No. 12 and a birdie on No. 14.
Rutledge will have to be content with conditional exempt status after finishing within the top 12. He's also eligible to compete for spots in Monday qualifying tournaments before each event in 2011.
The latter is how Rutledge managed to get into almost half of the 14 Champions Tour starts he made in 2010. The 51-year-old earned $290,000 (US) this past year which only put him 54th on the money list, which wasn't enough to secure full-time playing privileges.
Keith Clearwater won the Q-school event with an even par 72 on Friday - the only round he failed to score under 70 - for a four day total of 16-under par.
"It feels good to finish something and get it done," Clearwater said. "It was a tough day, so I was very pleased to make the putts when I needed to and keep that distance I had most of the day. But now this allows me to make my schedule for next year and play every week, so I'm looking forward to that."
Frankie Minoza, who led through the first two days, made the biggest move in the final round to secure his Tour card. His final round 67 saw him move up seven places into a tie for second with Phil Blackmar and Lee Rinker at 13-under par.
John Morse earned the fifth and final spot after winning a three man playoff against Roger Chapman and Robert Thompson with a birdie on the first extra hole. Playing in the last group of the day and only needing a par to claim one of the five exempt spots, Morse missed a four-foot putt for par on No. 18 forcing him into a playoff.