Sainz Jr. ready for final exam

Sainz has three professional victories in the past five months, and the opportunity for a major career jump is there for the taking this week when he tees it up at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament finals at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

A change in the rules starting this year has participants in the event vying for status on the Web.com Tour, which is now the primary avenue for earning a PGA Tour card.

Sainz secured a spot in the qualifying tournament finals based on his top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR Canada money list this year.

The better Sainz plays this week, the more opportunities the 28-year-old Larkin graduate will have to compete on the Web.com Tour, which in turn will raise the chances he can advance to the PGA Tour.

The winner earns full status on the Web.com Tour for 2014, and the top 45 and ties are guaranteed a certain number of starts depending on their finish.

Sainz won the Chicago Open in early October at Cantigny and followed that with a victory in the West Florida Golf Tour’s Longboat Key Open in early November.