...Carolina Golf News Line                          Salisbury Golf Hole and ball

 

 “BLAUM’S PUTTER AND HEAVY HEART GUIDE HIM TO THE WIN”

 Salisbury, NC. – Ryan Blaum entered the final round of the Tarheel Tour’s second-annual Salisbury Classic trailing overnight leader Matthew Borchert by two shots. By day’s end, Blaum would have a round of 66, a four-shot victory, and a check for $16,000; not a bad day at the office.

            Blaum began his final round with a birdie at the par-4 first, and then apparently went into safety mode. The three-time All America selection at Duke University carded seven consecutive pars before a birdie at the par-3 ninth left him with an outward nine of 33. Meanwhile, Borchert paired an eagle at the par-5 third with a bogey at the par-4 seventh to shoot 35 and maintain a one-shot lead with nine holes to play.

            The back nine would briefly turn in Borchert’s favor as his birdie at the par-4 10th, coupled with Blaum’s bogey on the same hole, gave the Orlando, FL native a three-shot cushion with eight holes to play. Unfortunately for Borchert, Blaum’s bogey at the 10th lit a fire under him that would burn for the next hour. Blaum carded birdies at 11, 13, 14, and 15 while Borchert played that same stretch in one-over-par. The three shot advantage quickly turned to a two-shot deficit as the two players came down the stretch at the historic Country Club of Salisbury course. Blaum would bogey the tricky par-4 16th and in turn leave the door open for Borchert to make his move. Matching pars at the 17th brought the players to the par-4 18th, where Blaum would shut the door. The Cleveland, OH native hit his approach shot to seven feet, while Borchert’s second shot spun off the front of the green and 40 yards down a hill. Borchert's misfortune eventually turned into a triple-bogey seven, which left Blaum plenty of breathing room to calmly sink the winning putt.

            “This win means a lot to me with PGA TOUR Q-School coming up. I won the last Hooters Tour event and I was able to keep it up this week,” said Blaum, who has competed on the PGA, Nationwide, and Challenge Tours this year, to name a few.

            As do most winners, Blaum noted his good putting as a main reason behind the victory; however, the week did not begin with confidence in his putter.

            “It’s really ironic because the first day I hit 17 greens (in regulation) and had 36 putts to shoot 69. The last two days, the putter woke up and allowed me to get it done when I didn’t hit it as well.”

            Blaum began his week with the sad news that his friend, Nationwide Tour player Erik Compton, had suffered a heart attack. Compton received a heart transplant at the age of 12 and took up the game of golf as part of his recovery.

            “I want to dedicate this win to Erik, who suffered a heart attack this week. I’d like to wish him a speedy recovery and let him know that I’m thinking of him.”

            Borchert’s troubles at the par-4 18th left four players in a tie for second place. Bo Abney, Rob Johnson, Ryan Hybl, and Jeff Curl all finished at eight-under 205 and earned $6,000 apiece for their efforts. The finish was especially sweet for Tarheel Tour regular Bo Abney, who had made just his second cut of the 2007 season this week in Salisbury.

            The Tarheel Tour would like to thank Head Golf Professional Randy Padavik and his staff for hosting what has quickly become one of the favorite events on tour. A special thanks also goes out to Head Golf Course Superintendent Ron Bivens and his staff for providing an excellent golf course on which to contest the Salisbury Classic.

            The Tarheel Tour will conclude its 2007 season next week with The Championship at Walnut Creek, which will be contested on October 17-19 at Walnut Creek Country Club in Goldsboro, NC.

 

Salisbury Classic

Country Club of Salisbury

Salisbury, N.C.

Final Round Results

Par-71; 6,576 yards

 

1. Ryan Blaum, Cleveland, OH, $16,000.00, *69-66-66-201 -12
2. Bo Abney, Cartersville, GA, $6,000.00, *72-66-67-205 -8
2. Rob Johnson, Orlando, FL, $6,000.00, *66-71-68-205 -8
2. Ryan Hybl, Winterville, GA, $6,000.00, *68-68-69-205 -8
2. Jeff Curl, Ellington, CT, $6,000.00, *68-68-69-205 -8
6. Emmett Turner, Augusta, GA, $2,875.00, *70-70-66-206 -7
6. Chris Taylor, Bristol, TN, $2,875.00, *71-66-69-206 -7
6. Matt Every, Daytona Beach, FL, $2,875.00, *71-65-70-206 -7
6. Matthew Borchert, Orlando, FL $2,875.00, *67-66-73-206 -7
10. Hank Kim, Jonesboro, GA, $2,100.00, *70-68-69-207 -6
10. Scott Feaster, Columbia, SC, $2,100.00, *69-68-70-207 -6
10. Ted Smith, Westlake, OH, $2,100.00, *67-70-70-207 -6
13. Matt Davidson, Durham, NC, $1,900.00, *69-70-69-208 -5
13. Ben Duncan, Greenville, SC, $1,900.00, *70-69-69-208 -5
13. Jason Martin, Lenoir, NC, $1,900.00, *69-69-70-208 -5
16. Drew Bowen, Monroe, GA, $1,625.00, *66-75-68-209 -4
16. Jonathan Hill, Greenville, NC, $1,625.00, *68-72-69-209 -4
16. Juan Lizarralde, Davie, FL, $1,625.00, *68-72-69-209 -4
16. Matt Cannon, Huntersville, NC, $1,625.00, *68-70-71-209 -4
16. Matt Bettencourt, Modesto, CA, $1,625.00, *70-68-71-209 -4
16. Tommy Gainey, Bishopville, SC, $1,625.00, *72-65-72-209 -4
16. Brendon Todd, Atlanta, GA, $1,625.00, *67-70-72-209 -4
16. Kyle Gallo, Kensington, CT, $1,625.00, *66-70-73-209 -4
24. Scott Usher, Bennettsville, SC, $1,305.00, *71-70-69-210 -3
24. Jamie Broce, Clayton, IN, $1,305.00, *70-70-70-210 -3
24. Doug Fiese, Smyrna, GA, $1,305.00, *65-74-71-210 -3
24. Frank Adams III, Laurinburg, NC, $1,305.00, *69-69-72-210 -3
24. Cortney Brisson, Wallace, NC, $1,305.00, *65-72-73-210 -3
29. Matt Vick, Franklin, TN, $1,175.00, *69-70-72-211 -2
29. David  Spitz, Norwell, MA, $1,175.00, *68-70-73-211 -2
29. Ryan Gioffre, Greensboro, NC, $1,175.00, *66-70-75-211 -2
32. Andy Bare, Jacksonville, FL, $1,090.00, *68-73-71-212 -1
32. Reid Edstrom, Auburn, AL, $1,090.00, *69-71-72-212 -1
32. Brian Duncan, Greenville, SC, $1,090.00, *68-71-73-212 -1
32. Chris Yoder, Winston-Salem, NC, $1,090.00, *69-68-75-212 -1
36. David Sanchez, Pinehurst, NC, $1,016.25, *71-70-72-213 E
36. Steve Gilley, Newman, GA, $1,016.25, *68-73-72-213 E
36. Richard Hanna, Standardsville, VA, $1,016.25, *67-72-74-213 E
36. Rohan Allwood, Pinehurst, NC, $1,016.25, *69-70-74-213 E
40. John McAllister, Spartanburg, SC, $937.50, *72-69-73-214 +1
40. Matt Crenshaw, Chapel Hill, NC, $937.50, *75-65-74-214 +1
40. John Duta, Loganville, GA, $937.50, *68-72-74-214 +1
40. Johan Kok, Peachtree City, GA, $937.50, *68-71-75-214 +1
44. John Hurst, Fredricksburg, VA, $875.00, *69-70-76-215 +2
45. Anthony DiBitetto, Rochester, NY, $850.00, *67-74-75-216 +3
46. Alex Knoll, Bethlehem, PA, $775.00, *70-71-76-217 +4
46. Seth Correll, Mocksville, NC, $775.00, *69-71-77-217 +4
46. Sean Szerencsits, Copley, PA, $775.00, *70-70-77-217 +4
49. Ian Schneider, Charlotte, NC, $625.00, *68-73-80-221 +8
 
 
*Golf Channel “Big Break” players in bold and italicized.