ST. LOUIS — Before 2022, St. Louis native Chris Naegel only had four starts on the PGA Tour. Now, he's set to make four starts this July alone.
On Monday at The Orchards in Washington, Michigan, Naegel shot a 6-under 66 to tie for the best round of the day and qualify for the Rocket Mortgage Classic this upcoming weekend in Detroit, Michigan.
Naegel has also qualified for the John Deere Classic (finished T-16), Barracuda Championship (Missed cut) and 3M Open (Missed cut) this July. All of those qualifiers came on Mondays as well. Not a bad way to start his weeks.
"It's been kind of a whirlwind," Naegel said. "Some pretty good golf, lots of travel, you know kind of asked to go here and there. But mainly just trying to play some good golf."
The 39-year-old is a native of Wildwood and a Marquette High School graduate.
Naegel's biggest day in 2022 came when he qualified for the U.S. Open for the second time in his career. This time, he finished tied for 56th.
A member of Meadowbrook Country Club, Naegel feels the love from his hometown course.
"Meadowbrook has been awesome. I've had support from them for many, many years. Definitely extended family of mine. I can't keep up with the texts and emails rooting me on. There's a couple of guys who have done fairly well in the gambling aspect of it, so I'm happy for them. And maybe they'll grab me for a beer when I get back. So it's been fun," Naegel said.