Brendan Steele finished in the money in the last official-money tournament of the 2012 PGA Tour season.
He posted 67-75-72-68 — 282 last week at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to finish in a tie for 40th place. He earned $16,045, bringing his final official earnings for the year to $840,965 placing him 110th on the official money list.
The Idyllwild native entered 24 official tournaments on the PGA Tour this season and made the cut in 14 of them. He had six top-25 finishes including three top-10s. He finished 130th in FedEx Cup points and currently stands 181st in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Since he finished in the top 125 on the official money list, Steele would have qualified for his 2013 PGA Tour card on the strength of this year’s performance alone. But he had already earned full exemption for next season when he won the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio last year.
Against his fellow PGA Tour professionals, Steele stood well this season in several statistical categories, including 14th in hitting greens in regulation from 150 to 175 yards out (69.08 percent), 17th in total driving efficiency and 20th in putts from 5-10 feet (60.32 percent).
Steele will appear in unofficial events before the end of the year, including defending his championship with teammate Keegan Bradley in the Franklin Templeton Shark Shoot Out in Naples, Fla., Dec. 7 through 9.
