BROWN ENDS DROUGHT WITH WIN AT BUSHNELL CHAMPIONSHIP
Carthage, NC - Scott Brown of North Augusta, SC birdied the final two holes for a round of 2-under 70 to claim the eGolf ProfessionaTour's Bushnell Championship and the $30,000 first-place prize on Friday.
Brown trailed overnight leader Kenny Coakley by one shot heading into the final round and struggled early as high winds dominated the field at Little River Golf Club in Carthage, NC. The threat of an afternoon storm allowed wind gusts to hit upwards of 30 mph and forced players to appreciate pars, which Brown did all too well to start.
The former three-time USC-Aiken "All American" pared his first eight holes before a bogey at the par-4 ninth took him to 5-under on the event and trailing Andy Bare and Ryan Carter by two shots with nine to play.
"I hit some good putts early on that didn't go in and I just told myself to stay patient," said Brown, who cited a birdie on the downhill par-5 11th as the spark that lit the fire. "I birdied No. 11 and that got me going. I knew the numbers weren't going to be too low today."
Indeed they were not. Of the 73 players who made the 36-hole cut, only five managed to break 70 in the final round.
While Brown's birdie took him to 6-under for the week, Bare bogeyed 10 and 12 to drop back two shots and Carter bogeyed 13 to fall into a tie with Brown.
Bare, who hails from nearby West End, NC, birdied the tricky par-4 14th, but finished with four pars to end his event at 6-under 210. From there, it was down to Brown and Carter.
At the start of the week, it was debatable as to whether tournament officials were going to play the awkward par-5 17th as a par-5 or a par-4. Players faced a downhill tee shot and an even more severe downhill second shot that bends right around a corner of pine trees. The problem lied in the fact that no on could see the green on their approach. For Brown, that was fine by him.
"Ryan was leading the tournament on 17 and I just felt as though I had to be aggressive there. I never once thought about laying up," said Brown, who hit a 4-iron over the aforementioned pines to 20 feet and pin high. "I just picked my little tree out to go over and hit it."
Carter had much the same shot as Brown, with a little more hook required for the lefty from Hacienda Heights, CA. Unfortunately, the ball never hooked. A wayward second shot took birdie out of reach for Carter and the par he eventually made was nothing short of miraculous. The two would head to the final hole all square after Brown's two-putt.
Both players hit good tee shots at No. 18, but Brown's left him a familiar friend from earlier in the round.
"I stood up and had 117 (yards), which is a perfect three-quarter wedge. I had that number four or five times today and I just hit it perfect."
Brown's wedge shot barely cleared a menacing bunker and ended up a mere six feet from the hole and set the stage for the win after Carter made a routine two-putt par. When Brown's ball left his putter face, there was never a doubt.
"My heart was pounding out of my chest," said Brown, who apparently was hiding it well as he rolled in the winning putt.
The win marked the first official tour victory for Scott Brown since the Summer of 2007. Consistent play and steady finishes highlighted the past year and a half for a player many expected to win multiple times a year on the eGolf Professional Tour after being named the 2006 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year.
"I kept putting myself in position to win, it just didn't happen. It's kind of like getting over the hump again."
For the win, Brown earned $30,000 and a spot in the prestigious BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Nationwide Tour, which went to the low participating tour member this week.
Carter finished solo second and claimed $19,000 for his efforts, in turn moving to No. 5 on the 2009 money list with earnings of $27,500, thanks in part to this week and a fifth-place finish at the Pine Needles Classic three weeks ago.
Bare, Coakley and Blaine Peffley each tied for third with 54-hole totals of 6-under 210 and earned $11,333 on the week. Coakley struggled midway through his final round and could only muster a 1-over 73 in Friday's final round. Peffley's final-round 68 tied the low round of the day and moved him from T11 to T3.
Zimbabwean Nicholas MacDonald finished solo sixth with a three-round total of 5-under 211.
New England Player Notes:
- No native New Englanders made the cut at the Bushnell Championship. Jesse Smith of Dover, NH missed the cut by two shots after carding rounds of 76-73-149. Smith, who played college golf at Colgate University, carded a 4-under 32 on the front nine of his second round to move ahead of the cut line, but a back-nine 41 left him on the outside looking in.
2009 eGolf Professional Tour Money List - New England Players
59 Kevin Silva $4,800
T72 Jeff Hill
109 Jesse Smith $2,006
T123 Kyle Gallo $1,273
T123 John Elliot
T135 Corey Harris $1,125
T161 Charlie Rutledge $0
Bushnell Championship
Little River Resort
Par 72; 6,939 yards
Seven Lakes Country Club
Par 72; 6,943 yards
Final-Round Results
1. Scott Brown, North Augusta, SC $30,000.00, *68-70-70-208 -8
2. Ryan Carter, Hacienda Heights, CA, $19,000.00, *71-67-71-209 -7
3. Blaine Peffley, Lebanon, PA, $11,333.33, *70-72-68-210 -6
3. Andy Bare, West End, NC, $11,333.33, *69-70-71-210 -6
3. Kenny Coakley, Bluffton, SC, $11,333.33, *69-68-73-210 -6
6. Nicholas MacDonald, Blacksburg, VA, $7,500.00, *72-68-71-211 -5
7. Rob Johnson, Orlando, FL, $5,366.67, *73-70-69-212 -4
7. Brian Anderson, Jupiter, FL, $5,366.67, *68-75-69-212 -4
7. Scott Usher, Johns Island, SC, $5,366.67, *71-71-70-212 -4
10. Colin Biles, Columbus, OH, $4,200.00, *72-69-72-213 -3
11. Brian Duncan, Mount Pleasant, SC, $3,733.33, *69-75-70-214 -2
11. David Lutterus, Australia, $3,733.33, *71-73-70-214 -2
11. Kevin Haefner, Auburn, AL, $3,733.33, *71-71-72-214 -2
14. Fernando Figueroa, Chapel Hill, NC, $2,787.50, *72-72-71-215 -1
14. Roberto Castro, Alpharetta, GA, $2,787.50, *72-71-72-215 -1
14. Derek Watson, Murrells Inlet, SC, $2,787.50, *72-71-72-215 -1
14. Wes Homan, Cincinnati, OH, $2,787.50, *73-69-73-215 -1
14. Cortland Lowe, Charlotte, NC, $2,787.50, *72-69-74-215 -1
14. Adam Fox, Charlotte, NC, $2,787.50, *72-70-73-215 -1
14. Matt Mincer, Knoxville, TN, $2,787.50, *71-76-68-215 -1
14. Will Mc Girt, Boiling Springs, SC, $2,787.50, *71-69-75-215 -1
22. Clayton Gamber, Doral, FL, $2,375.00, *73-72-71-216 E
22. Ted Brown, Richmond, VA, $2,375.00, *70-75-71-216 E
22. Matthew Thomas, Buffalo, NY, $2,375.00, *70-71-75-216 E
22. Doug Garwood, Los Angeles, CA, $2,375.00, *73-74-69-216 E
26. Tim Schaetzel, Atlanta, GA, $2,075.00, *75-69-73-217 +1
26. Ryan Hammond, Australia, $2,075.00, *75-70-72-217 +1
26. Jeremy Pope, Pawleys Island, SC, $2,075.00, *70-73-74-217 +1
26. Tyler Brown, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, $2,075.00, *74-71-72-217 +1
26. David Bradshaw, Harpers Ferry, WV, $2,075.00, *72-73-72-217 +1
26. Marc Matalavage, Wilmington, NC, $2,075.00, *75-70-72-217 +1
26. Adam Gary, Bowling Green, KY, $2,075.00, *74-73-70-217 +1
26. Scott Weatherly, Fort Payne, AL, $2,075.00, *71-70-76-217 +1
34. David Robinson, Sandersville, GA, $1,725.00, *71-73-74-218 +2
34. Michael Henderson, Orlando, FL, $1,725.00, *71-74-73-218 +2
34. David Sanchez, Pinehurst, NC, $1,725.00, *71-71-76-218 +2
34. Brad Smith, Australia, $1,725.00, *74-68-76-218 +2
34. Matt Hendrix, Reston, VA, $1,725.00, *66-76-76-218 +2
34. Chris Rogers, Nashville, TN, $1,725.00, *74-73-71-218 +2
40. Clint Jensen, Jupiter, FL, $1,425.00, *74-70-75-219 +3
40. Scott Ford, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, $1,425.00, *73-70-76-219 +3
40. Hank Kim, Jonesboro, GA, $1,425.00, *75-68-76-219 +3
40. Chris Baker, Brownstown, IN, $1,425.00, *72-73-74-219 +3
40. Daniel McCarthy, Syracuse, NY, $1,425.00, *70-73-76-219 +3
40. Chad Wilfong, Thomasville, NC, $1,425.00, *74-73-72-219 +3
46. Reid Edstrom, Auburn, AL, $1,212.14, *76-68-76-220 +4
46. Tommy Biershenk, Boiling Springs, SC, $1,212.14, *71-73-76-220 +4
46. Cory Kaufman, Bluffton, SC, $1,212.14, *75-70-75-220 +4
46. Travis Perkins, Lakeland, FL, $1,212.14, *70-72-78-220 +4
46. Matt Davidson, Chapel Hill, NC, $1,212.14, *73-74-73-220 +4
46. Joel Hendry, South Carolina, $1,212.14, *75-72-73-220 +4
46. Lee Williams, Alexander City, AL, $1,212.14, *74-73-73-220 +4
53. Martin Catalioto, Ramsey, NJ, $1,135.00, *75-70-76-221 +5
53. Alex Hamilton, Aiken, SC, $1,135.00, *69-75-77-221 +5
53. Chris Gallagher, Charlotte, NC, $1,135.00, *74-72-75-221 +5
53. Rich Morris, Fayetteville, AR, $1,135.00, *76-70-75-221 +5
53. Keith Guest, Augusta, GA, $1,135.00, *78-69-74-221 +5
53. Michael Sims, St. Simons Island, GA, $1,135.00, *74-73-74-221 +5
59. Beau Mitchell, Clermont, FL, $1,090.00, *75-69-78-222 +6
59. Paul Cormack, Orlando, FL, $1,090.00, *71-72-79-222 +6
59. Daniel Creel, Florence, AL, $1,090.00, *72-74-76-222 +6
62. Justin Peters, Stuart, FL, $1,045.00, *74-70-79-223 +7
62. Chris McCartin, Arlington, VA, $1,045.00, *73-72-78-223 +7
62. Richard Scott, St. Simons Island, GA, $1,045.00, *71-75-77-223 +7
62. Stuart Moore, Gainseville, GA, $1,045.00, *69-77-77-223 +7
62. Fernando Mechereffe, Charlotte, NC, $1,045.00, *75-72-76-223 +7
62. Martin Ureta, Chapel Hill, NC, $1,045.00, *76-71-76-223 +7
68. David Harget, Baltimore, MD, $1,010.00, *78-69-78-225 +9
69. Eric Maresh, Oxford, MI, $1,002.50, *72-73-81-226 +10
69. Jonathan Jackson, Chapel Hill, NC, $1,002.50, *78-69-79-226 +10
71. Reed Darsie, Chapel Hill, NC, $975.00, *74-73-80-227 +11
71. B.J Pitzen, Lakeland, FL, $975.00, *70-77-80-227 +11
73. Robby Cole, Calhoun, GA, $900.00, *74-73-81-228 +12
