Jose

Coceres

Coceres closed with a 3-over-par 38-36=74 but had ample breathing room thanks to a 66-69-67 start. The field included such notables as Andres Romero, who finished alone in third place, and five-time Champions Tour winner Eduardo Romero, who shared 12th place in Argentina on Sunday. Coceres hasn’t played anywhere since the 2009 Byron Nelson due to a wrist injury. Whenever the 48-year-old return to the PGA TOUR, he’ll have six starts on a Major Medical Extension to earn $598,323 and retain status. If this weekend’s appearance was his way to announce his return, then he might make for a sneaky hired gun in fantasy formats in 2012.

In what was the penultimate event of the inaugural season for the newly aligned circuit, the 49-year-old Argentine finished two strokes adrift of fellow countryman, Ariel Canete, who posted 9-under-par 275 to secure his second victory of the season and expand on his lead in the Order of Merit. Coceres hadn’t played competitively since his title at Olivos Golf Club 12 months ago. If he ever returns to the PGA TOUR, he should still have six starts remaining on a Major Medical Extension to earn $598,323 and retain status. He hasn’t played the PGA TOUR since May 2009 due to a wrist injury.

The 50-year-old hasn’t teed it up on the PGA TOUR since the 2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship due to extended complications related to an injury in his left wrist. However, he’s fared well in a pair of starts in his native South America, winning an event in 2011 and returning to share runner-up honors last December. He still has six starts remaining on a Major Medical Extension to earn $598,323 and retain status, but doesn’t warrant any fantasy consideration.

The 50-year-old Argentine split 13 (of 14) fairways today but landed only seven greens in regulation. Normally, those totals are reversed. While he buried birdies form 23'10" at the par-4 fourth hole and 26'3" at the par-4 16th, he swallowed a bogey-4 at No. 5 and a triple-bogey 7 at 9. The MC leaves him with one start on his Major Medical Extension to earn $547,213 and retain status. Unless he withdraws prior to the tournament, he’ll burn that final opportunity at next week’s Puerto Rico Open where only a victory would secure fully exempt status moving forward since the total purse is just $3.5 million. To net conditional status for the remainder of the year, Coceres needs to bank $232,419. He would achieve that with a three-way T2 (worth $261,333.33) or a solo third ($238,000.00). Short of that and he’ll get demoted to the Past Champion category, which means he’ll likely stick with status only on the Champions Tour.

The Argentine found four birdies in his second round, but swallowed three bogeys and two doubles to clinch the weekend off. It leaves him with three starts on his Major Medical Extension to earn $561,873 and retain status. Coceres is scheduled to return to the OHL Classic at Mayakoba next week. He hasn’t competed in the event since 2009. He was the runner-up in the inaugural edition at El Camaleón in 2007.

He ranked last of the 77 that finished four rounds in distance off the tee (250.8 yards), but ranked inside the top 25 in fairways hit, greens in regulation, putting and birdies. However, Coceres also squared 11 bogeys and a double to limit the noise. He’s now down to two starts on his Major Medical Extension to earn $547,213 and retain status. Look for the 50-year-old to burn through his remaining status, hope for the best, and then resort to a future on the Champions Tour.

He completed three rounds in even-par 73-70-73=216 to earn $6,510.00. It was his third payday in six starts this season, but it was his last via a Major Medical Extension. He fell short of fulfilling its terms to retain status by $540,703. Coceres also landed $225,090 below the minimum required to secure conditional status. Therefore, he’ll tumble into the Past Champion category where he will reside probably for the remainder of his career. The Argentine is 50 years old and will likely bide his time on the Champions Tour and abroad.

Coceres has missed four of his last five cuts on Tour. He has been replaced in the field by Notah Begay III, who has been playing mostly on the European Tour this season.

Coceres posted a three-over-par 76 Thursday and decided not to play round two. Prior to the Ginn, he had missed four cuts in his last five starts after posting three top-10 finishes earlier in the year, including back-to-back playoff seconds at the Mayakoba and Honda Classics.

He was added to the field as the replacement for Phil Mickelson. Coceres has played very well this year in a limited number of Tour events, and he has made the cut at TPC Southwind all five of the times he has played there.