The former Clemson University standout was among eight players within one shot of the lead starting the final round.  Standing on the tee of the par-5 eighth, Biershenk and 36-hole co-leader Major Manning were tied for the lead at 14-under par, with Michael Sims and David Robinson just one shot back at 13-under.  Biershenk then proceeded to go on a tear that resulted in six consecutive birdies to reach 20-under for the tournament after 13 holes in the final round.  Even though the other three challengers were able to sprinkle in a few birdies, Biershenk’s hot run had given him a four-shot lead over all three competitors with just five holes remaining. 

            David Robinson, a two-time winner on the Tarheel Tour this season, made the strongest run at the flawless Biershenk.  The man who holds the Tarheel Tour record with 38 consecutive made cuts and counting birdied the final two holes to post 18-under 198.  When Biershenk made his first and ultimately only bogey of the day on the par-3 16^th, Robinson was in the clubhouse and suddenly only one shot back.  Sims, the Spring Creek Classic champion, birdied the par-5 15^th and parred the 16^th to close within two of Biershenk.

            Likely needing two pars to win the golf tournament, Biershenk hit the fairway on the narrow par-4 17^th and played a short iron approach safely to the left of the front right hole location.  He then buried the 22-foot putt for birdie to double his lead to two shots and all but wrap up his first Tarheel Tour victory of the season. He did in fact take the title by two shots after safely executing a par four on the final hole to finish at 20-under 196. 

            “I’ve really hit the ball pretty consistent all season, but this week I really putted well.  The putter has been a little suspect most of the season, but this week it was there.  It was the difference in a win and just another decent finish,” said Biershenk.             With his victory, the Boiling Springs, SC native won $16,000 which moved him into No. 7 on the 2008 money list with $39,277 in just nine events. 

            “It’s nice to win again on the Tarheel Tour.  I’ve won elsewhere in the last few years, but it’s been a while since I’ve won out here.  With the strength of the fields on this tour, you can’t win every week, so it’s nice to take advantage of the opportunities you do have.”

 Thanks in part to his closing birdies, Robinson held off Sims for second place and earned $8,200 for his efforts. 

“Yesterday I really hit some poor shots, and with the strong field and the soft conditions, the 68 I shot ultimately put me too far back to win,” said Robinson, a former standout at Georgia College. 

Robinson has now won over $78,000 this year on the Tarheel Tour and in turn has stretched his lead on the money list to nearly $30,000 over Kevin Kisner, who moved into second today with his T12 finish.  This was Robinson’s seventh top-5 finish of the season in 12 events, but it was his first runner-up finish to go with his two wins. 

Sims, who hails from Bermuda, finished alone in third place at 17-under-par after rebounding from two straight mediocre tournaments at the Southern Open and the River Hills Open.  Manning, who played his college golf at Augusta State, easily recorded his best finish in three Tarheel Tour events this season by shooting a final- round 68 and finishing alone in fourth.  Scott Weatherly of Fort Payne, AL rounded out the top five with a 15-under-par total, capped off by a final-round 66. 

 The Tarheel Tour would like to thank Lake Hickory Country Club Head Professional Duke McLaughlin, Golf Course Superintendent Jim Clemmons and their respective staffs for making the inaugural Lake Hickory Open at Catawba Springs a tremendous success.  The tour will take the next three weeks off before returning to action on August 20^th with the Firethorne Open at Firethorne Country Club in Marvin, NC.