Tour Player, Caddie Swap Roles to Qualify for U.S. Mid-Am

MCCALL, ID (September 10, 2017) - Geno Bonnalie is a PGA Tour caddie who happens to be a pretty good golfer himself. So when he saw that there would be a U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier held close to an upcoming tour stop, he decided to enter. Now he has punched his ticket to the Capital City Club in Atlanta for next month's championship.

Related: 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying Roundup

Bonnalie was scheduled to caddie for his good friend and tour player Joel Dahmen in this week's Albertson's Boise Open on the Web.com Tour. On Sunday, the pair traveled to Jug Mountain Ranch Golf Club in McCall, Idaho, about two hours north of Boise for the 23-for-1 qualifier.

Playing in the first group, and with his boss Dahmen on the bag for the qualifier, Bonnalie got off to a hot start, making birdies on his first three holes. It was up and down from there--two dropped shots by the turn, then a birdie on 10, a bogey on 12, a birdie on 13 and a bogey at the last for a one-under 71.

Bonnalie had to watch and wait to see if his score would hold up, and it did. Two groups behind Bonnalie, Reid Hatley (last year's Washington Mid-Amateur champion) posted even-par 72. Sean Packer posted the same score in the second-to-last group of the day. When no one in the final group could match his score, Bonnalie took the medal and the only qualifying spot into the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

This will be Bonnalie's first USGA championship. Now it's up to Dahmen to return the favor and win the Albertson's Boise Open this week at Hillcrest Country Club.