“NO MEMBER BOUNCES NEEDED FOR CANNON”

Huntersville, NC – In the world of developmental-tour golf, there is always a player with a certain advantage to watch out for. There is the player who bombs his tee shots; the player who gets up and down from literally everywhere and any lie; the player whose iron shots land like a wet bag of clay on even the firmest of greens. Then, there is the advantage that no one likes to compete against: The player who is a member at the tournament course. That fearsome advantage falls to none other than all-time Tarheel Tour money leader Matt Cannon at this week’s NorthStone Open at the NorthStone Club in Huntersville. Membership must have its privileges as Cannon shares the lead heading into Friday’s final round.

Cannon and 2006 Raintree Classic winner Stephen Poole Jr. find themselves at 13-under-par 131 through two rounds and sharing a one-shot lead. Cannon carded an opening-round 65 on his way to a share of the 18-hole lead and didn’t stop there. Cannon used six birdies and 12 pars on Thursday and is now eyeing his second win of the 2007 season. Cannon has yet to card a single bogey through 36 holes.

Poole began his second round on the back nine, and after turning at four-under-par 32, he promptly birdied holes 1-3 and briefly flirted with an extremely low number. A bogey at the watery par-3 seventh dropped him back to six under before a closing birdie left him with 65 and the second-lowest round of the day.
One shot behind the leaders is Nationwide Tour player

David Sanchez. Sanchez, the Tarheel Tour’s leading money winner in 2005, found himself at one-under par through seven holes before igniting the proverbial hot streak. Sanchez proceeded to make five birdies and an eagle over the next seven holes, thrusting himself into contention for the title. A closing double-bogey at the par-4 18th hole left the former NC State All-American on the outside looking in with 18 holes left to play.

Jeff Curl, Fernando Mechereffe, and Wesley Horne each sit two shots behind Cannon and Poole at 11-under-par 133. Curl recorded six birdies against a lone bogey at the short par-4 ninth, his last hole of the day, en route to a second-round 67 on the P.B. Dye-designed layout, while Mechereffe pulled off the ultimate double with two eagles on the back nine during his round of 66. The round of day, and arguably the year, was turned in by one of Sanchez’s former NC State teammates, Wesley Horne. Horne, who triple-bogeyed the tricky par-5 12th, his third hole, on Wednesday, quickly put that blemish behind him and followed up his first-round 71 with a blistering round of 62 on Thursday, tying the course record. Horne fired 31s on both nines with the use of eight birdies and an eagle at the par-5 15th and is now primed to make a run at his first career Tarheel Tour title.

The 36-hole cut fell at 3-under par and at the end of the day, 57 players were left to compete for the $16,000 first-place check in Friday’s final round.

The final round will begin at 8 AM on Friday morning. As always, the tournament is open to the public and free of charge.