...Carolina Golf News Line

Cannon Wins the Statesville Classic with a Tour-Record Total of 17-under

STATESVILLE, N.C. -- Matt Cannon's fourth Tarheel Tour win of the season was accomplished in record fashion Thursday in the Statesville Classic at Statesville Country Club. Cannon, of Huntersville, fired a final-round 67 to post the lowest under-par total in tour history at 17-under 199. He finished seven shots ahead of his nearest competition to capture the $5,000 first-place check.
"I hit the ball well this week. Everything was pretty solid," said Cannon, who's now won 13 times in the tour's three-year history. "My swing is getting better and better and I'm looking forward to PGA Tour qualifying later this year."
Former PGA Tour player David Seawell of Columbia, S.C., entered the final round three shots back of Cannon, but was relegated to second when Cannon made birdie on holes 11, 13 and 15. Seawell, an All-American at South Carolina, shot 71 and finished tied for second at 206 with former UNCG standout Jason Martin of Lenoir. Each earned $2,500 for second place.
Derek Brown of Walnut Creek vaulted into a share of fourth after an amazing stretch on the back nine in which he made three birdies in a row followed by a hole-in-one on the 194-yard 17th hole. Brown, who used a 5-iron for the ace, shot 68 and tied at 207 with David Sanchez of Pinehurst, who had the day's low round of 65. They each earned $1,400.
Charlotte's Stewart Moore, who shot 71, picked up $1,200 for finishing sixth at 208.
This was the Tarheel Tour's first visit to Statesville Country Club, and both parties were happy with the results.
"I thought it was a great opportunity for Statesville and Statesville Country Club to showcase our clubhouse and golf course," said director of golf Andy Mayhew. "The Tarheel Tour is a very good tour, as evidenced by the scores. We look forward to hosting another event in the future."
Superintendent Mack Ryan had the greens rolling between 10.5 and 11 on the stimpmeter, and several players commented on the great conditions of the course.
"I told our crew this might be the closest we could ever get to hosting a PGA Tour event," said Ryan. "We were going up against the Champions Tour this week at Rock Barn in Conover, so we wanted to put on a good show."
The next stop on the Tarheel Tour is the Raintree Invitational, Aug. 24-26 at Raintree Country Club in Charlotte.
Tarheel Professional Tour
Final Results
Statesville Classic
Statesville Country Club
Par 72 -- 6,594 Yards
Matt Cannon, Huntersville, $5,000 67-65-67--199
David Seawell, Columbia, SC, $2,500 65-70-71--206
Jason Martin, Lenoir, $2,500 70-66-70--206
Derek Brown, Walnut Cove, $1,400 64-75-68--207
David Sanchez, Pinehurst, $1,400 73-69-65--207
Stewart Moore, Charlotte, $1,200 69-68-71--208
Matt Johnson, Fairfax, Va., $1,100 74-69-66--209
Michael Shamp, Charlotte, $1,100 71-70-68--209
Korky Kemp, Greensboro, $1,100 69-70-70--209
Ben Case, Charlotte, $1,000 71-71-68--210
John McAllister, Spartanburg, $862.50 67-71-73--211
Ty Cole, Gadsden, Ala., $862.50 73-67-71--211
Derek Watson, Sumter, SC, $750 72-72-68--212
Len Calvert, Easley, SC, $675 69-70-74--213
Drew Nelson, Woodstock, Ga., $675 68-75-70--213
Braxton Wynns, Buies Creek, $600 73-70-71--214
Jason deBuhr, Matthews, $600 71-71-72--214
Brett Boner, Charlotte, $600 70-70-74--214
Frank Adams III, Laurinburg, $550 72-72-71--215
Josh Dickinson, Matthews, $525 73-71-73--217
Bob Groff, Reidsville, $475 71-71-77--219
Justin Young, Roanoke, Va., $475 76-68-75--219
Josh Wilson, Monroe, $212.50 69-72-80--221
Kyle Bradley, N. Augusta, SC, $212.50 73-71-78--222