WEEKEND UPDATE: Gainey Posts Fifth Top-5 Finish in Las Vegas en route to Eclipsing $2 Million in 2011 Earnings


Tommy Gainey

By Stewart Moore

Las Vegas, NV – Four-time eGolf Tour winner Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey carded rounds of 67-67-64-68—266 to finish T3 at the PGA TOUR’s Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open over the weekend, in turn collecting his fourth third-place finish of the year and pushing his 2011 earnings to $2,174,191.

 

Gainey entered the week with three missed cuts in his last five starts on the PGA TOUR, but with a familiar face on the bag to hopefully rekindle thoughts of better rounds played. David Robinson, Gainey’s brother-in-law and the eGolf Tour’s 2008 leading money winner, was looping for “Two Gloves” under the glamorous lights of Vegas in hopes of adding a bit more pocket change heading into Q-School in a few weeks.

 

Opening rounds of 67-67 had Gainey in good position heading into Saturday’s third round, but a flawless 7-under 64 on day three pushed the Bishopville, SC native from spectator to contender at the PGA TOUR’s first event of the annual Fall Series finish. The bogey-free 64 moved Gainey into a tie for fifth through 54 holes, trailing leader Kevin Na by just two shots.

 

On Sunday in the desert, Gainey birdied three of his first six holes to try and keep pace with Na, who managed to navigate the opening six in 2-under. Within one shot of Na and needing to make a move, Gainey recorded bogeys at Nos. 7 and 11 to fall out of title contention before finishing with birdies at 16 and 18 to salvage a final-round 68 and a share of third place.

 

The finish was worth $255,200, and moved his earnings to $2,174,191 on the year, in turn placing him at No. 34 on the 2011 PGA TOUR money list.

 

Former eGolf Tour player Kris Blanks carded rounds of 66-65-66-71—268 to finish T10, in turn collecting his third top-10 of the year and first since a playoff loss at the RBC Canadian Open in July.

 

Blanks, who entered the final round in a tie for sixth at 16-under through 54 holes, double-bogeyed both par-3s on the back nine (Nos. 14 and 17) to fall off the first page of the leaderboard, eventually winding up seven shots shy of Na’s 23-under total.

 

William McGirt

Finishing in a tie for 16th at 15-under 269 were past eGolf Tour winners Billy Horschel and William McGirt.

 

Horschel, who won his first professional title at the eGolf Tour’s Columbia Open in August of 2009, posted rounds of 66-66-70-67—269 to notch his fourth top-25 finish of the 2011 season. The week marked a fourth consecutive made cut for the former University of Florida star, who moved up to No. 154 on the PGA TOUR money list with his T16 effort.

 

McGirt, who advanced through to two of the PGA TOUR’s four events that make up the Playoffs for the FedExCup, was the tournament’s first-round co-leader after posting an 8-under 63 in Thursday’s opening round. With only one bogey in his first 54 holes, McGirt entered the final round in a tie for 12th, but bogeyed two of his first six holes to start, and had to rally with a back-nine 33 to post a final-round 69, which in turn dropped him into a tie for 16th.

 

One of the longest tenured members of the eGolf Tour, and the tour’s 2008 Cabarrus Classic champion, McGirt has done well in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR with four top-25 finishes and $489,686 in earnings. Currently at No. 134 on the TOUR’s money list, McGirt will have to play in each remaining event in the Fall Series in order to have a chance to keep his card for 2012.

 

Other eGolf Tour players to make the cut in Las Vegas include Kevin Kisner (T29), Kevin Chappell (T40), Jason Bohn (T49), Blake Adams (T57), Derek Lamely (T57), Josh Teater (T57), Aron Price (63), Will Strickler (T68), Nate Smith (T71), Cameron Tringale (T73), Michael Thompson (MDF) and Justin Hicks (MDF). For complete results the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open on pgatour.com, please click here.

 

 

·         At the Nationwide Tour’s WNB Golf Classic in Midland, TX, longtime eGolf Tour member Garth Mulroy of South Africa led all former players with rounds of 67-74-67-64—272 and a solo-third-place finish. Mulroy, who played the eGolf Tour full time from 2003 through 2006, entered the final round in a tied for 28th, and moved up 25 spots with his nine-birdie final round. The finish was Mulroy’s second top-10 of the year, dating back to a playoff win at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in May. The check for $35,700 moved the former N.C. State star from No. 26 to No. 16 on the Nationwide Tour money list. The top 25 players on the money list at season’s end will earn their 2012 PGA TOUR cards. Current eGolf Tour member Darron Stiles and 2007 eGolf Tour winner Brendon Todd each tied for 10th with 13-under 275 totals. The finish was Stiles’ first top-10 since posting T2 and T8 finishes at the Nationwide Tour’s season-opening events in South America, which in turn solidified his status on tour for the remainder of the year. Stiles is currently No. 40 on the tour’s money list. Todd, who won the eGolf Tour’s Musgrove Mill Classic in his first professional start in 2007, birdied three of his last five holes to finish up a final-round 70 for his second top-10 of the year. Other eGolf Tour players to make the cut in Midland include David Lutterus (T14), Bubba Dickerson (T14), Gary Christian (T14), Dan Woltman (T18), James Nitties (T21), Roberto Castro (T21), Jerod Turner (T33), Stephen Gangluff (T36), Russell Knox (T36), Clayton Rask (T36), Casey Wittenberg (T40), Brent Delahoussaye (T44), Travis Hampshire (T44), Aaron Goldberg (T44), Eric Onesi (T44), Terry Pilkadaris (T44), Tommy Biershenk (53), Jin Park (T54), Chris Epperson (T61) and Zack Sucher (T65). For complete results from the WNB Golf Classic, please click here.