| ...Carolina Golf News Line | |
CURL
CLAIMS TITLE IN DRAMATIC FASHION!
MINERAL
SPRINGS, N.C. – In
2004, Jeff Curl capped off his first Tarheel Tour win at the Emerald Lake
Classic with a dramatic eagle putt on the final hole. In the final round of the
tour’s Stonebridge Classic this week, Curl found himself in a similar position
coming to the last hole. A 45-foot eagle putt is all that stood between the
former UNC-Charlotte golfer and his second victory on the Tarheel Tour. Just
like two years ago, he was able to make the putt and continue a streak of great
golf extending back to last year.
Curl began the final round tied for the lead, but would find himself
trailing even after a 33 on his opening nine. A familiar face on the Tarheel
Tour was making a move and trying to capture his first title of 2006. All time
tour money leader Matt Cannon went out in 32 and quickly added more birdies at
12, 13, and 14. Word spread that Cannon was making a charge and that pars would
be no good coming down the stretch. Cannon recorded birdies at 16 and 18 and
finished with a 63, good enough to give him the clubhouse lead and force him to
wait it out.
Curl was only one under on his back nine when he birdied the short par-4
16th and brought his total for the round to five under par. As he
stood on the tee of the daunting par-3 17th, he caught wind of
Cannon’s round.
“A couple of guys came out and said that Cannon was in at 18 under par,
so I knew I had to finish strong to have a chance,” said Curl.
A birdie on 17 brought Curl to the reachable par-5 18th, a
hole he had eagled before and would need to eagle again in order to avoid a
playoff. After a tee shot blown well right, his blind second shot wound up
roughly 45 feet from the hole. Knowing a two putt would force a playoff, Curl
boldly went for the win and found paydirt when his ball found the bottom of the
hole.
“I played well all day, but I was really pumped up standing on the 18th
tee knowing I had a chance. I just wanted to hit my tee shot down the right side
and kill it and next thing I knew I was 35 yards from the fairway.”
“My caddie, Don Livonius, gave me a good read on the putt and the rest
of it was getting the right speed. I was just lucky that it went in.”
Curl, who resides in Jupiter, FL, has played well all year on the Tarheel
Tour as well as the Nationwide Tour, where he’s qualified for six events.
“The last two years I’ve played the best golf of my life,” said
Curl, whose father Rod Curl won the PGA Tour’s Colonial Tournament in 1974.
Cannon earned $5,850 for his runner-up finish and is still looking for
his first win this year.
Brian Quackenbush, Kyle Bradley,
and David Sanchez all tied for third place with three-day totals of 200.
Quackenbush was making a bit of a final round charge before a costly
double-bogey at the par-3 15th did him in. He was able to birdie 16
and 18, but at that point it was too little, too late.
The tour would like to thank
Head Golf Professional Jason Hurst and his staff for their work in hosting this
week’s tournament. A special thanks also goes to Head Golf Course
Superintendent Jake Stewart and his grounds crew for presenting a well-manicured
golf course for the event.
The Tarheel Tour heads to the Palmetto State next week for the Columbia
Open at Columbia Country Club on September 4-6.
For more information, visit www.tarheeltour.com.
Tarheel
Professional Tour Stonebridge Classic
Final
Round Results Stonebridge Golf Club
Par
72 – 6,963 yards
Jeff
Curl, Jupiter, FL
$10,500
67-66-64=197
Matt
Cannon, Huntersville, NC
$5,850
67-68-63=198
Brian
Quackenbush, Fairfax, VA
$3,433.33
66-68-66=200
Kyle
Bradley, N. Augusta, SC
$3,433.33
66-67-67=200
David
Sanchez, Pinehurst, NC
$3,433.33
68-65-67=200
Adam
Rushin, England
$1,925
67-69-65=201
Jay
McLuen, Charleston, SC
$1,925
68-67-66=201
Chris
Mundorf, Greensboro, NC
$1,925
67-67-67=201
Kevin
Taylor, Mocksville, NC
$1,925
69-66-66=201
Jason
Fober, Columbus, GA
$1,300
71-66-65=202
Stephen
Woodard, Charlotte, NC
$1,300
69-67-66=202
David
Siegel, Matthews, NC
$1,300
67-68-67=202
Matt
Davidson, Greenville, Sc
$1,300
70-64-68=202
Tommy
Gainey, Bishopville, SC
$1,300
64-70-68=202
Scott
Brown, N. Augusta, SC
$1,000
66-70-67=203
William
McGirt, Spartanburg, SC
$908.33
72-66-66=204
David
Kennedy, Hawkinsville, GA
$908.33
70-67-67=204
Tim
Pemberton, Charlottesville, VA
$908.33
68-65-71=204
Mark
Long, Charlotte,NC
$775
67-69-69=205
David
Seawell, Columbia, SC
$775
71-65-69=205
John
McAllister, Spartanburg, SC
$700
68-68-70=206
Matt
Bettencourt, Modesto, CA
$650
70-67-70=207
Aaron
Summers, Willis, VA
$650
73-64-70=207
Andy
Bare, Jacksonville, FL
$533.33
66-71-71=208
Scott
Feaster, Columbia, SC
$533.33
66-70-72=208
Jason
Martin, Lenoir, NC
$533.33
69-67-72=208
Derek
Watson, Murrells Inlet, SC
$450
68-70-71=209
Fernando
Figueroa, El Salvador
$425
70-68-72=210
Tommy
Schaff, Savannah, GA
$425
71-65-74=210