Three qualify for Greensboro

Tarheel Tour leading money winner William McGirt, Andy Bare, and Chris Taylor all Monday qualified for this week’s PGA Tour event in Greensboro, NC. McGirt and Bare shared medallist honors at Pinewood Country Club in Asheboro, NC by firing 7-under par 65’s. Taylor punched his ticket to play in the Wyndham Championship by finishing alone in third place with a 6-under par 66.

The players returned to the 18th tee to begin the playoff. Cannon continued his solid play, hitting his drive down the middle of the fairway while McGirt’s drive caught a limb of an overhanging tree and kicked right into the woods. McGirt was able to recover however, and a high cutting iron through the trees left McGirt with a two-putt par putting the pressure back on Cannon after a sub-par wedge and an indifferent chip left him with six feet to continue the playoff. Cannon drilled the six-foot knee-knocker, and finished the playoff with a two-putt birdie one hole later.

McGirt, a native of Boiling Springs, SC has earned over $52,000 thus far in 2007 on the Tarheel Tour, including his first win at the Cabarrus Classic in May. He has three top-5 finishes in his last four events and seems primed to take advantage of his first opportunity to play a PGA Tour event, “I am absolutely thrilled to be playing in my first PGA Tour event. I have been playing well all year and all of my practice has been geared toward Q-school this fall. This week should be a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to it.”

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Bare has also had a great season this year on the Tarheel Tour. The Jacksonville, FL native heads into the Wyndham Championship on the heels of a third place finish at the Musgrove Mill Classic, his sixth top-3 finish in 12-events this season. This week marks Bare’s first start on the PGA Tour since participating in last year’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot. The former UNC-Greensboro golfer should have plenty of local knowledge since Forest Oaks Country Club is the home golf course of the Spartans.

For Taylor, a Tarheel Tour rookie, Greensboro will be the first PGA Tour of event of his young career. The Bristol, TN native got off to a fast start in 2007 making four of his first five cuts before slumping of late. However, the 6-under par score he shot in qualifying for the event should provide him with the confidence that he needs to bounce back and play well this week and for the remainder of the 2007 season.

Tarheel Tour member Jonathan Dudley fired a 5-under par round of 67 to make it into a three for one playoff but was unable to advance into the field in what would have been a clean sweep for Tarheel Tour players in the Monday qualifier.

McGirt will begin his PGA Tour career on Thursday at 2:06, Andy Bare’s starting time is 9:06, and Chris Taylor will play in the group in front of McGirt at 1:56. Fans of the three players can keep track of their scores in real time on the Tarheel Tour website beginning Thursday morning.