Fricke Prevails At Stonebridge

Jonathan Fricke

Monroe, NC- Jonathan Fricke shot a final round 5-under par 67 to erase a one shot deficit and win the Tarheel Tour’s Stonebridge Open by three shots over three players.

Fricke began the day at 14-under par, one shot behind overnight leader Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey. The Covington, GA native started the day slowly and was only able to muster a one over par 37 on the front nine. Luckily for Fricke, Gainey also struggled on the outward half and Fricke’s deficit remained only one shot heading into the back nine.

Tommy "2 Gloves" Gainey Fricke opened the back nine with birdies on 10 and 11 before a bogey at the tricky par-4 twelfth momentarily stalled his momentum. The first time winner then caught fire and birdied five of his final six holes to shoot 30 on the back nine and put the tournament away. The victory was a sort of redemption for Fricke who had squandered a one shot lead over Gainey back in March at the Oldfield Open.

“After losing to Tommy down in Hilton Head it was great to be able to play in the same group with him here and be able to outlast him. He is a great player and has won and competed successfully everywhere he has played. To beat a player of his caliber, and to beat a field with this many quality players is really rewarding to me.”

While beating Gainey and the rest of the field is a great feather in Fricke’s cap, it was the presence of his father Richard, who recently won a bout with stage one Lymphoma, that made the victory special, “To have my father out here caddying for me with a clean bill of health, 100% cancer free, after all that he has had to deal with really is the icing on the cake for me,”stated an emotional Fricke.

Fricke’s victory was worth $15,000 to the second year Tarheel Tour player and moved him all the way up to seventh place on the2007 money list with total earnings of just under $35,400. It was his third top-3 of the season and shows the progress that he has been making this year. “I have really put a lot of work in trying to get my swing on plane, and this win proves to myself,and all of my supporters back home that I’m on the right track. The work I have done with my teacher, Jeff Patton is really starting to pay off.”

david robinson & david sanchez David Robinson continued his fine play firing a final round 66 to finish in a tie for second with Gainey and Nationwide Tour player David Sanchez. Robinson’s round featured 7-birdies and a lone bogey. The Sandersville, GA native has now made 15-consecutive cuts on the Tarheel Tour this season. It was Robinson’s best finish this year and his third top-5 in his last seven events.

Former NC State Wolfpack star David Sanchez followed up his second round 64 with a final round 67 to also finish the tournament at 16-under par. The Pinehurst, NC native has now posted second place finishes in each of his last two events, and is a whopping 35-under par over that span.

The Tarheel Tour would like to thank the entire staff at Stonebridge Golf Club for providing the tour with another quality venue. The tour will take a short two week break before heading to Charlotte National Golf Club for the MonaVie Open September 26-28.