Steve Wheatcroft wasn't good enough to get a golf scholarship when he graduated from Trinity High School. That, though, didn't stop him from making the golf team as a walk-on at Indiana University.

And he didn't stop there.

Wheatcroft, 28, went through the gamut of mini-tours after graduating college, everything from the Hooters Tour to the Grey Goose Gateway Tour to the Nationwide Tour. But his climb through the ranks, not to mention his dogged determination, was rewarded Monday when he finished seventh at the PGA Tour Qualifying School to earn his playing card for the 2007 season.

"It's pretty unbelievable for me," said Wheatcroft, a Washington native who lives in Jacksonville, Fla.

And Wheatcroft didn't exactly back his way into full-exempt status. He came charging to the finish of the six-day tournament in La Quinta, Calif., shooting 65-67-67 in the final three rounds to finish at 14-under 418. In addition to his playing privileges on the PGA Tour, which should get him into between 20 and 25 tournaments in 2007, Wheatcroft also earned $25,000 for finishing seventh.

Justin Smith of Franklin, who played at Moon High School, was not as fortunate. He shot 11-over 443 and finished near the bottom of the field. George McNeill, an assistant pro from Fort Myers, Fla., led all 40 qualifiers with 23-under 409.

"Believe me, I'm not Tiger Woods," Wheatcroft said. "I don't have all the natural talent these guys do. I have to work my tail off day in and day out. I hit a lot of golf balls and did a lot of work to get where I am."

Wheatcroft is one of just a few golfers from Western Pennsylvania to make it through PGA Tour qualifying school, joining Rocco Mediate and Bob Friend. Now, though, the objective is to stay there, like Mediate, a five-time winner in 19 years on the PGA Tour.

This was Wheatcroft's sixth attempt at Q-school. He never made it past the first round of qualifying the first four years, but made it to the final stage last year and earned partial exempt status on the Nationwide Tour.

Wheatcroft made 12 of 21 cuts on the Nationwide Tour and finished 85th on the money list with $62,542. His best finish was a tie for fourth in the Henrico County Open in May.

"I learned more about my game on a bigger stage," Wheatcroft said of the Nationwide Tour. "It might be the third-best tour in the world, and to play out there and compete was great. I played poorly all year. I made all the rookie mistakes. But I think I learned a lot about how to play golf."

Wheatcroft's ascent has been dramatic, if not amazing, even for a player who won the 2003 Pennsylvania Open. He never won a tournament in college and it wasn't until he won four times on the Golden Bear mini-tour that he began to gain some confidence. Two years ago, he won twice and was the leading money winner on the Grey Goose Gateway Tour, leading to his first appearance in the final stage of Q-school.

This time, he didn't come away disappointed.

After opening with rounds of 73-75-71 that left him tied for 80th after 54 holes, Wheatcroft shot a bogey-free 65 on Saturday at the Jack Nicklaus course at PGA West that jumped him to 40th place. He followed that with two 67s to ease any final-round stress of gaining his tour card.

"I was inside the number, but at the same time the pressure was still there," Wheatcroft said. "That night before the final round I went back to the hotel room and it was a nightmare. You start thinking about everything you shouldn't be thinking about.

"But I came out and birdied the first two holes and that calmed me down a lot. I made the turn in 4 under and I started to relax."

Wheatcroft has one more goal he would like to accomplish: To qualify for the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he formerly worked and lived as an assistant professional.

"That's been my goal for six years, since it was announced the Open was coming there," Wheatcroft said. "I would give up five PGA Tour events to play there."

At least he has five to trade.