Second stage of Q-School underway

For most of those Web.com pros who failed to qualify for the 2013 PGA Tour via 'The 25,' the next opportunity to get to the big leagues begins this week.

Second stage of Q-School is underway, with over 400 players taking part across six different qualifying sites. Depending on ties, about 120 players will advance to Final Stage next month at PGA West in California.

Second stage is perhaps the most pressure-packed stage, as making it to finals assures a player of at least some status for the following year, even if that status might bring entry into only a handful of tournaments. At least it's a start. If you don't make it through second stage, it can be a frustrating season ahead.

Kevin Johnson gets his second-stage effort underway tomorrow, when he tees it up at Hombre GC in Panama City Beach, FL. After a frustrating 2012 campaign where he never really put two good weeks together after the first two events of the season, KJ will look to find his game just in the nick of time.

Three sites began play today, with veteran pros Rob Oppenheim and Kris Blanks leading the way at Plantation (FL) Preserve after matching sizzling 8-under 63's. Nathan Green and Matt Jones share the lead at 6-under 66 in McKinney, TX, while Nebraska resident John Hurley is in front in Humble, TX after a 66.

But more interesting is the veterans who find themselves way back in the pack, needing to rally just to make it to final stage. In Humble, former PGA Tour winner Ted Purdy shares last place after firing a 6-over 78, while former Tour card holder Kent Jones didn't fare much better after a 77. Former British Open champion Todd Hamilton is T57 in McKinney, and former young-gun bomber Hank Kuehne is T67 at Plantation Preserve.

Looking through these leaderboards, it's always shocking to see the former well-knowns struggling to find their game, while certain young players just out of college have no trouble moving on. Then again, in a different week, the roles could be reversed. That's golf, and that's the fickle nature of Q-School.

It's hard to peak your game in golf. Some stars claim they work on peaking for majors - and Jack Nicklaus probably actually did - but it's not that easy for the rest of us. Nothing's worse than the miserable feeling where you know what's wrong but you just can't do anything to fix it.

Especially when it just happens to be second stage of Q-School.