Former Clovis West High School standout Peter Kuest put on an impressive display of ball striking throughout the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, finishing tied for fourth place at 21-under-par on Sunday.

The Fresno native shot a final-round 68 to pocket a career-high payday of $370,333. And, in fact, he could have secured what’s called a Special Temporary Membership on the tour if he had made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Still, the long-driving former Brigham Young All-American earned a spot in this week’s John Deere Classic, which begins Thursday. If he makes the cut and finishes in the top 75, it would be sufficient to gain Special Temporary Membership.

Many eyes were on Kuest — on the course and on television — because of Sunday’s drama-packed final round. Rickie Fowler made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole and outlasted Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin,  two weeks after Fowler squandered a chance at the U.S. Open. For Fowler, who is one of golf’s most popular players, the victory ended a career-long, 96-start title drought.

Kuest Battles for PGA Tournament Spots

Kuest, 25, has had to battle for PGA Tour tournament sports in cutthroat Monday qualifiers. He’s played in just four tour events this season, including on a sponsor’s exemption in May at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where he tied for 14th. He also tied for 57th at the RBC Canadian Open and missed the cut at the Valero Texas Open.

The road to the world’s best tour has been difficult for Kuest because he finished outside the top 100 on the Korn Ferry Tour last season and didn’t play well at Q-School.

However, many observers believe he’s got the game to succeed based on the 10 tournaments Kuest won while at BYU, where he averaged a school record low of 69.42 strokes a round during the COVID-abbreviated 2019-2020 season.

His per-round average of 69.1 — albeit over just 14 rounds — is one of the lowest on the tour in 2023. Just as impressive are his two Top 15 finishes in four starts.