ESPN Golf

There were 40 players who made it through the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament last year. Three of 'em found the winner's circle during the 2007 season; nine others kept their cards.

By comparison, 17 of those 40 were back at Orange County National this week, fighting to retain their spot in the big leagues once again.

Suffice it to say, gettin' there ain't easy and stayin' there is even tougher.

Let's break down the 26 players who earned fully exempt status on Monday for the 2008 campaign. We rate each player on a scale of five stars for what sort of impact each will have on the PGA Tour next year.

Breaking down the Q-school graduates
Player	Skinny	Rating
1. Frank Lickliter II	A 12-year veteran of the PGA Tour -- and two-time champ -- Lickliter really didn't have a terrible season in '07, making the cut 19 times in 30 appearances, including four top-25s. The Q-school leader after every round this week, he proved once again that when he's hot, he can be an excellent player.
2. Brett Rumford	Just another awesome Aussie. Rumford has won three career European Tour titles, including the Omega European Masters just three months ago, when he chipped in on the first sudden death playoff hole to defeat Phillip Archer.
3. Chris Stroud	It was an interesting rookie season on tour for Stroud, who made only nine cuts in 24 starts in '07, but earned six figures three separate times. Certainly seems like the type of player who can get hot at any moment.
4. Jin Park	A product of Arizona State, Park gave up Asian Tour status in order to compete in Q-school and cashed in with a fourth-place finish. In eight career PGA Tour starts since 1996, he's only made one career cut, but owns more experience than many other grads this week.
5. Jason Allred	Big bomber who hits the ball a long way, but doesn't always find many fairways or greens. At one point during his 2005 rookie season on the PGA Tour, missed the cut in 14 straight starts.
6. Yong-Eun Yang	The winner at last year's HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, thanks to a final round in which he simply had to hold off a fella named Tiger Woods. Any guy who can successfully handle that pressure is ready to make a splash on the PGA Tour.
6. Tag Ridings	Never underestimate a player who can crush the ball off the tee and knows how to go low. Ridings averaged 312 yards per drive on the Nationwide Tour this season and with a few PGA Tour seasons now under his belt, don't be surprised to see his name on some leaderboards.
8. Todd Demsey	After two operations to remove a brain tumor, Demsey may be a sentimental choice to hit the big-time next year, but he's a logical choice, too. A former NCAA champion and teammate of Phil Mickelson at Arizona State, he's finally getting his big chance about a decade later than most would have thought. Expect him to make the most of it, as evidenced by his final-round 64 on Monday.
9. Brad Adamonis	Finally broke through for his first career Nationwide Tour victory at the WNB Golf Classic in October, but only one other top-10 suggests he may struggle on the big tour.
9. Travis Perkins	After an unsuccessful 2006 season on the Nationwide Tour (he earned a mere $29,168), Perkins had three top-five finishes in 14 starts on the Hooters circuit this year.
11. Parker McLachlin	The kid from Honolulu who signs off all e-mails with "Aloha" had a solid PGA Tour rookie season in '07 that included six top-25s. Of course, he also held a 7-stroke lead entering the final round of the Nationwide Tour's Pete Dye Classic, only to see it erased by the time he made the turn.
11. Cody Freeman	A release from the PGA Tour noted that Freeman is a former University of Oklahoma golfer who has competed in two PGA Tour events and eight on the Nationwide Tour over the past seven years ... and that's it. Said after Monday's round that he might give up life as an insurance salesman to focus on the tour. Might.
11. Kent Jones	The longtime PGA Tour vet made the cut in 13 of his final 14 starts this season, including two top-10s, only to fall about $135,000 shy of retaining his card. Can he put together a full season like the final three months? Time will tell, but recent history says Jones will be right around the number next year, too.
14. Kenneth Ferrie	Every golf fan recalls Phil Mickelson's final-hole meltdown at Winged Foot during the 2006 U.S. Open, but how many remember his playing partner that day? It was indeed Ferrie, an Englishman who sports a Superman belt buckle and plays his best golf in tough conditions.
14. Tim Wilkinson	The latest in a long line of Kiwis to reach the PGA Tour, Wilkinson is fresh off a successful Nationwide Tour season that saw him reach the weekend in 23 of 26 starts, including 12 top-25 finishes.
14. Kevin Streelman	If the Nationwide Tour is Triple-A to the PGA Tour's major leagues, then the Hooters and Gateway tours are Double-A circuits. Streelman excelled on both in 2007, garnering a total of four victories between the two tours.
14. Dustin Johnson	Up-and-comer alert! A three-time All-America at Coastal Carolina and member of the victorious U.S. Walker Cup squad, Johnson is one of the top American players to reach the tour in the past few years. He may need a little seasoning, but in time he'll be a solid pro.
14. Duffy Waldorf	Let's face it: With Woody Austin eschewing his sunset panorama-infused shirts in 2008, the PGA Tour will be a better place with The Duffy's outlandish flowery garb. He's been earning checks on tour every year since 1987.
19. Richard S. Johnson	Not to be confused with Richard Johnson of Wales, who won the Nationwide Tour money title earlier this year. (Ah, who are we kidding? Of course they'll be confused!) This Johnson, from Sweden, took Tim Herron to a playoff at Colonial last year.
19. Jim McGovern	He'll turn 43 just a few weeks into next season, but life on the PGA Tour won't be anything new to McGovern, who was a fully exempt member from 1991-99 (winning the 1993 Shell Houston Open in a playoff over John Huston) and has split time ever since.
19. Tommy Gainey	Winner of Golf Channel's "Big Break VII," Gainey has earned the nickname "Two Gloves" because, well, he wears two gloves when he plays. Talk about a homemade swing -- this guy never played college golf and worked in a mill in rural South Carolina before giving pro golf a try and becoming a mini-tour legend.
19. Carlos Franco	Known as much for his distaste toward working on his game as for his four PGA Tour victories, Franco made a point to note in a post-round interview that he worked hard to battle through Q-school and regain his card. Similar determination next season may once again lead him to a trophy.
23. Bob Sowards	A longtime club pro who's missed the cut in each of four previous PGA Championship starts, Sowards went low on the final day (68) to secure his place on tour for the first time.
23. John Merrick	How tough is it for fully exempt players to keep their cards? Just ask Merrick, who earned eight top-25s this past season ... and still finished just 135th on the money list. He'll be back next year, thanks to a sublime approach that led to birdie on his final hole Monday.
23. David Lutterus	You say there aren't enough "personalities" in the world of golf? We proudly present this Aussie, who lists Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger and 50 Cent as the people he admires most. Now if he could only get 'em all together for a four-ball match ...
23. Alejandro Canizares	Yet another Arizona State grad, the son of four-time Ryder Cup player Jose Maria Canizares won the 2003 NCAA Championship and has played well in limited European Tour appearances ever since, winning the 2006 Russian Open. Sank a knee-knocker from about 5 feet on the final hole to secure his card on Monday.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com