Brown Grabs Second Win of 2009 and Ascends to No. 1 on the Money List

Greensboro, NC - Scott Brown began the final round of the Forest Oaks Classic with a one-shot lead over playing partner Matt Hendrix. After nine holes, Brown had stretched his lead to five shots over a collection of players. While certainly not "choking" on his own, Brown watched his lead shrink to four shots, then three, then two and then to one with two holes to play. While he was making pars, the field was making birdies on a Forest Oaks Country Club course that was picture perfect for the final round. By day's end, Brown was allowed to two-putt from 8 feet for the win by a shot, but it sure seemed easier nine holes prior.

Brown, playing alongside Hendrix and first-round leader Kyle Dobbs, played steady-if-unspectacular golf on the front nine with birdies at Nos. 4 and 6 and pars on the other seven holes. His boring scorecard was good enough to make him appear dominant as Hendrix was struggling to a 2-over 38, Dobbs was dropping off the leaderboard and the rest of the field was too far back to begin with to make a dent in his lead. Five shots with nine holes to play? Sounds easy enough.
"I still kept trying to push myself. I try to set mini-goals when I have that much of a lead, so my goal was to try to get to 20 (under)," said Brown, a North Augusta, SC native.
At 17-under for the event and possibly trying to practice his victory speech, getting to 20-under was not that much of a reach.
"I birdied the par-5, No. 11, and got to 18-under. But then I doubled the par-3 13th," said Brown. "I hit a good shot, but it went long of the green. Then I hit two bad chips and missed a 4-footer for bogey."
That double-bogey coincided with the rest of the field deciding it was time to wheel and deal since they were simply playing for second place, or so they thought.
The first player to jump on the opportunity was Brad Klapprott of Lakeland, FL. The former Nationwide Tour player birdied 12, 13 and 14 to get to 6-under on his round and 15-under for the tournament. An untimely bogey at the par-4 14th was later erased by a closing birdie at the par-5 18th and a clubhouse lead at 15-under 201.
As Klapprott waited, Brown made his pars. First on No. 14 and then on 15; however, there were still other players in his party.
Little known Joel Lynn of Hope Mills, NC played the game of roller coaster in Friday's final round. Beginning the day at 10-under 134, Lynn turned at 1-under 35 to get to 11-under and promptly birdied No. 10 to join a massive group of players at 12-under par. Much like Klapprott, the former Fayetteville State University product ripped off a trifecta of birdies on 14, 15 and 16 before going bogey-birdie over his final two holes. At that point, it was Lynn and Klapprott in the clubhouse, waiting to find out their fate.
"I told my wife that I like to have a five-shot lead on the last hole, but those guys played good coming down the stretch," said Brown, who not only had to worry about the clubhouse leaders, but now had a charging Hendrix right next to him.
Hendrix quickly made up for ground lost on the front nine. A birdie at No. 11 brought him back to 13-under for the event, but Brown's double-bogey at 13 opened a door Hendrix didn't even know existed one hour earlier. The Clemson University "All American" promptly birdied the next two holes to get to within one of his former high school rival in the greater Aiken, SC area.
"When you've got a five-shot lead, you don't want to do anything crazy and make big numbers. I was still trying to make birdies, but I was veering away (from the hole) a little bit," said Brown. "I was hitting it to 20 feet instead of firing right at it."
Matching pars on 16 and 17 brought Brown and Hendrix to the par-5 finishing hole, where both players would come up just short of reaching the green in two. Hendrix's flop shot to a back right pin carried a shade too long and left him with 15-feet to tie, while Brown's bunker shot barely cleared the lip before proceeding to roll some 35 feet towards the cup.
When Hendrix's putt missed low and left, Brown was able to two-putt from 8 feet for the win, his second of the season.
"I putted well this year. I worked hard all season on putting. The last few months I've just rolled it really well," said Brown, who overtook 2009 Nationwide Tour winner Tom Gillis at the top of the eGolf Tour money list with just over $88,000 in earnings, thanks to his $30,000 first-place check.
"I'm just happy to win again. I played real solid today."
Klapprott, Lynn and Hendrix each earned $14,666 for their T2 efforts. The runner-up finish was the second of the season for Hendrix. In April, he finished second to Tom Gillis in the Savannah Quarters Championship.
Last week's winner, Clint Jensen, carded a bogey-free, final-round 66 to vault from a logjam and into solo fifth place to earn $8,500.
One of Jensen's playoff victims last week, Jeremy Pope, finished solo sixth at 13-under 203 and earned $7,300.

New England Player Notes:

• Kevin Silva of New Bedford, MA was the low New England player at the Forest Oaks Classic with rounds of 70-70-68-208 to finish T23. After missing three of his first five cuts, Silva has now made six consecutive cuts on the eGolf Professional Tour and has amassed 2009 earnings of $15,756.

2009 eGolf Professional Tour Money List - New England Players

50         Kevin Silva $15,756
108       Jesse Smith $7,128
120       Jeff Hill $5,528
T227     Kyle Gallo $1,273
T227     John Elliott $1,273
T229     Jim Renner $1,216
T241     Corey Harris $1,125
T248     Charlie Rutledge $0

Forest Oaks Classic
Forest Oaks Country Club
Par 72; 7,197 yards
High Point Country Club (Willow Creek)
Par 72; 6,972 yards

Final-Round Results

1. Scott Brown, North Augusta, $30,000.00, *65-64-71-200 -16
2. Brad Klapprott, Lakeland, FL, $14,666.67, *67-68-66-201 -15
2. Joel Lynn, Hope Mills, NC, $14,666.67, *69-65-67-201 -15
2. Matt Hendrix, Reston, VA, $14,666.67, *66-64-71-201 -15
5. Clint Jensen, Jupiter, FL, $8,500.00, *67-69-66-202 -14
6. Jeremy Pope, Pawleys Island, SC, $7,300.00, *69-66-68-203 -13
7. Chris McCartin, Arlington, VA, $6,300.00, *68-68-68-204 -12
8. Jay Haas, Greenville, SC, $4,325.00, *66-71-68-205 -11
8. Chris Baker, Brownstown, IN, $4,325.00, *69-67-69-205 -11
8. Emmett Turner, Augusta, GA, $4,325.00, *69-67-69-205 -11
8. Kyle Dobbs, Tequesta, FL, $4,325.00, *64-67-74-205 -11
12. Jerry Richardson, Raleigh, NC, $3,212.50, *70-70-66-206 -10
12. Reid Edstrom, Auburn, AL, $3,212.50, *68-70-68-206 -10
12. John Lepak, La Habra Heights, CA, $3,212.50, *68-68-70-206 -10
12. Martin Catalioto, Ramsey, NJ, $3,212.50, *67-69-70-206 -10
16. Kevin Kisner, Aiken, SC, $2,521.43, *68-70-69-207 -9
16. David Sanchez, Pinehurst, NC, $2,521.43, *70-68-69-207 -9
16. Will Claxton, Auburn, AL, $2,521.43, *66-71-70-207 -9
16. Fernando Mechereffe, Charlotte, NC, $2,521.43, *67-70-70-207 -9
16. Jay Woodson, Richmond, VA, $2,521.43, *66-70-71-207 -9
16. Gregg Jones, Florence, SC, $2,521.43, *68-66-73-207 -9
16. Scott Weatherly, Fort Payne, AL, $2,521.43, *69-65-73-207 -9
23. David Robinson, Sandersville, GA, $2,175.00, *72-67-69-208 -8
23. James Drew, North Las Vegas, NV, $2,175.00, *71-67-70-208 -8
23. Derek Watson, Murrells Inlet, SC, $2,175.00, *68-70-70-208 -8
23. Chad Wilfong, Thomasville, NC, $2,175.00, *66-72-70-208 -8
23. Jess Daley, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, $2,175.00, *69-69-70-208 -8
23. Kevin Silva, Charlotte, NC, $2,175.00, *70-70-68-208 -8
29. Jhared Hack, Sanford, FL, $1,875.00, *74-65-70-209 -7
29. Matt Davidson, Chapel Hill, NC, $1,875.00, *70-68-71-209 -7
29. Whit Staples, Jupiter, FL, $1,875.00, *68-72-69-209 -7
29. Chris Rogers, Nashville, TN, $1,875.00, *67-73-69-209 -7
29. Keven Fortin-Simard, Quebec, QC, $1,875.00, *69-68-72-209 -7
29. Chris Epperson, Hilton Head Island, SC, $1,875.00, *66-69-74-209 -7
35. Scott Stallings, Oak Bridge, TN, $1,584.38, *71-68-71-210 -6
35. David Ladd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, $1,584.38, *74-66-70-210 -6
35. Will McGirt, Boiling Springs, SC, $1,584.38, *74-66-70-210 -6
35. Matt Mincer, Knoxville, TN, $1,584.38, *71-69-70-210 -6
35. Ben Duncan, Greenville, SC, $1,584.38, *71-70-69-210 -6
35. Andy Bare, West End, NC, $1,584.38, *70-67-73-210 -6
35. Jeffrey Castle, Baltimore, MD, $1,584.38, *69-72-69-210 -6
35. Tim O'Neal, Savannah, GA, $1,584.38, *67-69-74-210 -6
43. Tim Tang, Charleston, SC, $1,315.00, *72-67-72-211 -5
43. Brian Anderson, Jupiter, FL, $1,315.00, *65-73-73-211 -5
43. Tim Schaetzel, Atlanta, GA, $1,315.00, *69-71-71-211 -5
43. Chip Deason, Lexington, SC, $1,315.00, *71-70-70-211 -5
43. Scott Usher, Johns Island, SC, $1,315.00, *68-69-74-211 -5
48. Matt Cook, Cashiers, NC, $1,176.25, *70-69-73-212 -4
48. Drew Bowen, Monroe, GA, $1,176.25, *70-70-72-212 -4
48. Michael Henderson, Orlando, FL, $1,176.25, *70-70-72-212 -4
48. Todd Murphy, Phoenix, AZ, $1,176.25, *66-74-72-212 -4
48. Brett Stegmaier, Vero Beach, FL, $1,176.25, *70-69-73-212 -4
48. Keith Guest, Augusta, GA, $1,176.25, *69-71-72-212 -4
48. Lee Williams, Alexander City, AL, $1,176.25, *67-74-71-212 -4
48. Jonathan May, Wichita, KS, $1,176.25, *71-70-71-212 -4
56. Jamie Bowen, Dawsonville, GA, $1,090.00, *69-70-74-213 -3
56. Matt Hughes, Dalton, GA, $1,090.00, *68-70-75-213 -3
56. Randy Sroka, Annapolis, MD, $1,090.00, *68-72-73-213 -3
56. Jon Kennedy, Hawkinsville, GA, $1,090.00, *69-69-75-213 -3
56. Scott Ehrlich, Orlando, FL, $1,090.00, *73-67-73-213 -3
56. Richard Hanna, Charlottsville, VA, $1,090.00, *70-71-72-213 -3
56. Nicholas MacDonald, Blacksburg, VA, $1,090.00, *68-73-72-213 -3
56. Adam Fox, Charlotte, NC, $1,090.00, *72-69-72-213 -3
56. Steven Jones, Australia, $1,090.00, *69-72-72-213 -3
65. Peter Campbell, Encinitas, CA, $1,008.12, *69-70-75-214 -2
65. Scooter Buhrman, Fayetteville, NC, $1,008.12, *69-71-74-214 -2
65. Steve Hart, Jupiter, FL, $1,008.12, *74-66-74-214 -2
65. Tommy Schaff, Savannah, GA, $1,008.12, *70-71-73-214 -2
65. Blake Trimble, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, $1,008.12, *72-69-73-214 -2
65. Joel Hendry, Bluffton, SC, $1,008.12, *72-69-73-214 -2
65. Alex Hamilton, Aiken, SC, $1,008.12, *69-72-73-214 -2
65. Sang Ji, Murrieta, CA, $1,008.12, *67-74-73-214 -2
73. Jonathan Moore, Vancouver, WA, $940.00, *70-70-75-215 -1
73. Cory Kaufman, Bluffton, SC, $940.00, *71-70-74-215 -1
75. Brandon Knaub, Loganville, PA, $915.00, *70-70-76-216 E
75. John Saari, Lilburn, GA, $915.00, *74-67-75-216 E
77. Dane Burkhart, Aiken, SC, $890.00, *73-68-76-217 +1
78. Bruce McDonald, Mt Pleasant, SC, $875.00, *70-71-80-221 +5