Dylan Healey will turn 30 in May. Last week in Florida was his last Q-School before reaching that age, his self-imposed cut line before he stops chasing his lifelong dream.

With a shot to spare, Healey finished inside the pivotal top-45 cut line at Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, earning eight guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour to begin the 2024 season. Goal set. Goal achieved.

“I had (PGA TOUR Americas) in my back pocket, which is nice,” Healey said of his reward for just getting to Final Stage, “but I wanted to get somewhere a little bigger.”

Earlier this year, Healey was working two jobs to try to make some financial ends meet – in outside services and as an assistant professional at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Arizona, and with the City of Tucson and its PGA Junior League.

“It’s fun to give back to the kids but at the same time I wanted to get out there and show what I can do,” Healey said. “I feel like I have some stones unturned in this game.”

Healey has done almost every job there is in golf, he said, plus a few obscure ones to keep putting money in his bank account. There was a stretch of time, he admits with a laugh, where he worked at a UPS Store owned by his aunt.

This year was a bit of a breakthrough for the California State University-San Marcos alum. For the first time since turning pro, he had full status on a PGA TOUR-sanctioned circuit, winning a playoff to earn a full card on the 2023 PGA TOUR Canada. His year was steady, if unspectacular, but he made eight cuts in 10 events, including the final five in a row.

Prior to teeing it up on PGA TOUR Canada, he tried his hand at PGA TOUR China. He was there until the COVID-19 pandemic impacted where he could play, and with that tour’s schedule getting canceled he didn’t have anywhere to go. He played the All Pro Tour through 2022 before finally breaking through with full status north of the border.

“Canada was a good test to see where I stood against some guys that were of that caliber,” Healey said. “I feel like I gained a ton of confidence this season and thankfully it proved to be enough to get out there.”

Healey has been to Q-School about a half-dozen times, he said, but this was his first time getting to Final Stage. He had been to Second Stage almost every year, but he finally got over the hump – via his site in California – this time around. He was tired of just missing.

“I was very hard on myself for a long time,” Healey admitted. “I feel like I changed those negatives into positives.”

This past week in northeast Florida, Healey started steady with an opening 69. Holding onto that spot was all he needed, it turned out. He went on to shoot rounds of 71-69-70 and his 1-under 279 total for the week was one better than the even-par needed to finish T45 or better, the threshold to secure guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour starts. He finished T38.

Healey said his ball-striking more than made up for an “ice-cold putter.” But his mental approach to the task at hand, even with a wonky wand, was the difference.

“I was really proud of how I handled myself coming down the stretch (on Monday) just knowing how tough those holes (at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course) are with the wind and with the water left. It was just so much fun to test where I stand,” Healey said.

Healey has played just three Korn Ferry Tour events in his career, missing the cut in all three. He has never teed it up on the PGA TOUR. This past week, however, he had the opportunity to test his mettle against guys who had been there before. Healey was grouped with TOUR winner Robert Streb for the first two rounds, former TOUR member Chase Seiffert and Korn Ferry Tour veteran Michael Johnson in the third round, and veteran TOUR pros Kramer Hickok and Daniel Summerhays in the final round. These are the kind of guys who have done it.

“I had good pairings pretty much every day and you start to believe in yourself, honestly. They’re very good and have accomplished some awesome things. But I love seeing where I stack up,” Healey said. “It’s kind of been what I’ve told myself for a long time.”

Multiple jobs, thoughts of doubt, around-the-world travel and then, finally, a moment to celebrate. Dylan Healey gave himself a nice 30th birthday gift – about five months early.

“It’s been a long road,” Healey said Monday afternoon, welling up. “It’s been a long time coming.”