Tarheel Tour - News - Tarheel Players advance to U.S. Open Sectionals

Charlotte, NC- A large group of Tarheel Tour regulars took part in local U.S. Open qualifying at Gaston Country Club in Gastonia, NC on Tuesday with a plethora of success. Nationwide Tour player and 2006 Charlotte National Open Champion Kyle Reifers earned medalist honors with a 5-under-par 67 in windy conditions that hampered much of the Carolinas. Chad Wilfong of Thomasville, NC carded a 3-under-par 69 and also safely qualified. Jason Martin, Michael Maness and Kevin Silva all shot 2-under-par 70 and filled the final three qualifying positions. Martin, a two-time winner on the Tarheel Tour, got off to a slow start in 2008, but has since picked up his play with top-20 finishes in his last three starts. Four of the seven qualifiers from the Gastonia site are Tarheel Tour members in 2008. The other two qualifiers, Chad Phillips and Mike Taylor, are former Tarheel Tour players as well. Tarheel Tour regular John Saari of Lilburn, GA shot a 4-under-par 68 on Monday to earn medalist honors at local qualifying at Marietta Country Club in Kennesaw, GA. Saari was one of nine players to advance to sectional qualifying from the Kennesaw site. El Salvador native and Tarheel Tour member Fernando Figueroa shot a blistering 10-under-par 62 last Monday to claim medalist honors by six strokes at Lone Palm Golf Club in Lakeland, FL. Figueroa’s round is the lowest shot at any local qualifying site so far this year. Also on Monday, 2007 Tarheel Tour Match Play Champion Kevin Kisner and Sea Island, GA resident Bryant Odom (former University of Georgia teammates) each shot even-par 72s and advanced in a playoff at the Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, SC. Kisner has recorded three top-4 finishes in just four starts on the Tarheel Tour this year, while Odom had his best finish of the season last week at the Northstone Open finishing tied for seventh. Other Tarheel Tour Players who advanced to sectional qualifying at some of the 111 local qualifying sites throughout the country include 2007 PGA Tour member Matt Hendrix, former Wake Forest standout Chris Yoder, B.J. Pitzen, Jonathan Moore, Chris Gallagher and Ben McClung. Sectional Qualifying will take place at 14 sites on June 2nd, including sites in Japan and England.

Notes

· Several Tarheel Tour players past and present will be teeing it up this week in the Greenville, SC area in the Nationwide Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am. The field of 168 players includes 2008 Tarheel Tour members Tommy Biershenk and Ben Duncan, who both earned sponsors invitations. Biershenk is coming off a final-round 66 and a tie for fifth last week at the Tarheel Tour’s Northstone Open. The Boiling Springs, SC native also recorded a tie for 10th in his only other start on the Tarheel Tour in 2008 at the Rivertowne Open. Other Tarheel Tour players from the 2008 season who are in the field include Greenville, SC native Jay Haas, Jr., Kieran Staunton, Brendon de Jonge, Brendon Todd, Tim O’Neal and Matt Hendrix. The unique three-course Pro-Am format allows for an exceptionally large field of 168 players, which includes an increased number of sponsors exemptions. Watch the BMW Charity Pro-Am beginning Thursday, May 15th on Golf Channel to check the progress of all of the Tarheel Tour players, as well as the entire field.

· Tarheel Tour player and current Nationwide Tour member Reid Edstrom successfully Monday qualified for the PGA Tour’s AT&T Classic in Atlanta. The Auburn, AL native grabbed one of the four qualifying positions by shooting a 6-under-par 66 and finishing second. He trailed only Tarheel Tour player Doug Dvorak who was medalist with a 7-under-par 65. The AT&T Classic begins Thursday, May 15th at the Greg Norman-designed TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, GA. Edstrom tees off the 1st tee at 1:50 p.m. with Dvorak immediately following him at 2:00 p.m.

· Last week on the Nationwide Tour, Kris Blanks led a large group of former Tarheel Tour players with a tie for eighth at the Fort Smith Classic. Blanks earned $15,400 for his performance and moved up to 25th on the 2008 Nationwide Tour money list. Former Tarheel Tour winner and current PGA Tour player Tommy Gainey did not get into the field at the Players Championship, so he decided to play in the Fort Smith Classic, where he finished tied for 19th. Also finishing tied for 19th was former Tarheel Tour player and 2003 U.S. Amateur runner-up Casey Wittenberg. Wittenberg has had a solid year and his finish this week moved him to 16th on the money list with $82,543 to his credit. Other former Tarheel Tour players who made the cut and finished in the money include 2007 tournament winners Tommy Tolles and Jonathan Fricke, along with Justin Hicks, Lee Williamson and Tim O’neal.