Former Terrier William McGirt Earns PGA Tour Card
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - William McGirt, a 2001 graduate of Wofford College, earned his PGA Tour card on Monday by finishing second overall in the six-round qualifying event held at the Orange County National Golf Center. He is the first Wofford graduate to earn a PGA Tour card.
McGirt was four under with a 68 in the final round, giving him a six-round total of 17-under par (69-72-68-66-69-68-412). He birdied five straight holes on the back nine to overcome three bogeys earlier in the round. Billy Mayfair finished first at 18-under par. The top 25 finishers received PGA Tour cards.
"There was never any doubt in my mind that William had the ability to make it to The PGA Tour," said former Wofford golf coach Dan O'Connell. "I am so proud and happy for him, his wife, Sarah, and his parents."
This season on the Nationwide Tour, McGirt posted four top-10s in his first 11 starts. He finished 34th on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2010 and had earned a full-time spot on that tour for the upcoming season.
"We are all extremely proud of William," said head golf coach Vic Lipscomb. "It is great to have a Wofford graduate on the PGA Tour as it will give the college great exposure on a national stage. This is well deserved for him."
At Wofford, he had a total of three career wins, including the 2001 SoCon Championship, along with nine top ten finishes. He was the medalist at the 2001 Southern Conference Championship as he fired a 5-under par 205 and won it with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. McGirt was named the 1998 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and garnered All-Southern Conference honors in 2000. He won the 2000 Cleveland Golf/ASU Invitational with a 9-under par 207 with three-straight rounds of 69 and finished second at the 2000 Southern Conference Championship, a stroke behind the winner. He was inducted into the Wofford College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
UNCG alum Andy Bare earns conditional Nationwide status at PGA Q-School
WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - Former UNCG golfer Andy Bare earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour after his performance at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, a six-day event at the Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge that wrapped up Monday.
Bare shot a two-over 431 at Q-School, turning in rounds of 68, 77, 72, 72, 70 and 72 at the Panther Lake Golf Course and Crooked Cat Course.
Bare was a two-time All-Southern Conference selection for the Spartans, taking the honor in 2002-03 and 2003-04, his final two years at UNCG. He was a two-time medalist in his collegiate career, taking titles at the Birkdale Collegiate Classic and the Bradford Creek Intercollegiate, both in his senior season.
Seven seasons after he last teed it up for the Spartans, Bare is still UNCG's record-holder for a 54-hole tournament with a 205 at the Bradford Creek Intercollegiate.