Golf World Monday - December 10, 2012

12. 10.2012

tim rosaforte the long road of a q-school hero

steve lebrun arrived home to a hero’s welcome thursday night. everyone he cares about most—his wife and two daughters, his parents and his brother’s family—all greeted the Q-school graduate as he walked through the concourse at palm beach international airport. travelers took note of the homemade signs celebrating his playing status on the pga tour.

er in palm beach county. that paid him $75 a day.

“i’d sit in class and hardly had anything to do to be honest with you,” said lebrun, whose résumé also includes working with his brother, brian, a firefighter and paramedic, doing cleanup jobs after two hurricanes hit palm beach county.

to get his confidence back. at the second stage of Q school in 2009, lebrun finished bogey-double bogey to miss advancing to the final stage.

lebrun leaned against a chain link fence outside the scoring trailer and called home. for the first 90 seconds, husband and wife could only cry into their cell phones.

“i had about the same feeling
ed loar had when i was play-
ing with him [in the finals this
year],” lebrun said. “every-
body was counting on me.
i came to the last two holes
and couldn’t do it. “
“it’s been a long time com-
ing,” said lebrun, a rookie at
age 34.

after years of injuries, self-doubt and a dwindling bank account, lebrun had the six days of his life in la Quinta, calif., culminating last monday when he finished t- 2 to earn his first tour card.

“we were cutting down
trees, pulling up carpet
and gutting apartment
buildings with water dam-
age,” lebrun said. “that was
a tough time. i was getting
married and worried i’d not
have any money to get me
started on a new life. i was
doing whatever i could just to
make a couple bucks.”
in late ’09 lebrun hooked up
with Jeff leishman, a teach-
ing pro in Jupiter, fla., who
has worked with long-time
journeyman tom gillis who,
eventually, had success on
the pga tour. with no status
in 2010, lebrun took to one-
day south florida mini-tour
events, putting up his own
money for entry fees, hoping
to cover his investment.

“what makes it even sweeter was sitting in those school rooms as a substitute teacher, lugging all those trees,” lebrun said after rookie orientation and the flight home to florida. “my dad taught me at a young age, sometimes you have to do what you have to do to get by. it’s life.” and now steve lebrun’s life is finally on the pga tour.

it was a long way from 2004,
when lebrun had only partial
web.com status and a torn
labrum in his shoulder (which
was eventually operated on
in 2006). along the way he
worked as a substitute teach-
the blue-collar mentality
came from working along-
side his dad, a charter boat
captain in lantana, fla., mak-
ing three fishing excursions
a day. when his shoulder
healed, lebrun would play
the south florida mini-tours
lebrun’s second child, rose,
was born the night before
this year’s second stage. so
when he earned his card by
playing the final 36 holes at
pga west in eight under par,