News >> Wilcox Takes First Pro Title
The Savannah Lakes Village Classic
Monticello Golf Club
April 29-May 2, 2010
McCormick, SC (May 2, 2010)… Former Clayton State golfer Will Wilcox of Birmingham, AL carded a one-under par 71 Sunday in the final round of The Savannah Lakes Village Classic to collect his first professional win. (Pictured left to right: Ken Bastow, John Stoddard, Kathie Essex, Sam Krotzer, Champion Will Wilcox, August Luedecke, Barb Shelley, Susie Hotz, Lynn Smith, Tour Director Jeff Harlow and missing from photo Mike Paine)The twenty-three year old Wilcox began the final round with a three stroke lead and moved it to four strokes after opening with a three-under 33 on the front side to get to nineteen under par. However, Wilcox learned it is a little more difficult when you are the one trying to hold off the late chargers on Sunday as he made bogies on three of his first four holes on the back nine to drop back into a tie at 16-under par with Sunday charger Patrick Nagle of Fishers, Indiana.
Coming into the short par four 17th hole Wilcox knew he needed something good to go his way since he had the proverbial wheels falling off his momentum train.
“I knew I hadn’t done anything at all on the back nine and I knew it was time for something good to happen to me,” said Wilcox. “It seems likes something has to go your way at least once in every round and I found mine on 17.”
After finding the middle of the fairway with his drive, Wilcox landed a short iron to within five feet of the flag. A confident putt followed by a fist pump had him on the verge of his first professional win with only one hole to play.
“When I found out it was (Patrick) Nagle that had tied me at 16-under I knew I wanted to make that putt to beat him since he was the one that beat me in a playoff a week ago for a spot in the Valdosta Nationwide event, said Wilcox”
On the par 4, 475 yard finishing hole Wilcox once again found the fairway with a booming drive but unfortunately his approach shot landed just past the hole and rolled off the back of the green for what looked like disaster. After calmly chipping his ball to twelve feet the 2009 Alabama Amateur champion drained the putt for par and the $40,000 first place check.
“I have been playing well the past few weeks and I extremely excited to win here,” said an energized Wilcox after the round. “I had heard this was one of the best tournaments of the year and to win this early here was unbelievable, words can’t describe what I am feeling right now.”
For the week, Wilcox fired rounds of 65-70-67-71 for a four day total of seventeen-under par 271 and a one stroke victory over Nagle. Nagle closed the final round with a five-under par 67 to finish all alone at 16-under par 272 and a second place check worth $19,923.
Former Alabama golfers Chip Deason (Lexington, SC) and Michael Thompson (Birmingham, AL) and former Auburn golfer Michael Daniels (Auburn, AL) finished tied for third at fifteen-under par 273. Daniels fired the low round of the day with 66 while Deason and Thompson fired 67 and 69 respectively.
Local pro Vince Hatfield (Greenwood) finished the Savannah Lakes Village Classic on high note Sunday firing a three-under par 69 for a four day total of nine-under par 279. For the week, Hatfield finished T-30 and took home $2,024.
With his victory Sunday, Wilcox moves into first place on the season long money list with $54,379 in earnings but more importantly he moves into first place in the Race For The Fort Smith Nationwide Exemption. The Race For The Fort Smith Exemption will be given to the NGA Hooters Tour member that accumulates the most money in the Hampton, GA, McCormick, SC, Edwardsville, IL and Georgetown, KY events. With two events complete Wilcox has earned $41,522 and leads second place golfer Matt Harmon by more than $4,500.
The NGA Hooters Tour will take a week off before returning to action May 10-16, 2010 for the Sunset Hills NGA Classic presented by the City of Edwardsville and Lumierre Place Casino and Hotel in Edwardsville, Illinois.
HOOTS: The NGA Hooters Tour would first like to thank all of the Savannah Lakes Village residents that housed players this week. Without your help housing “your boys” we would have been left with long drives to the course each day. We would also like to thank the Savannah Lakes Village Classic Tournament Committee (Barb Shelley, Ken Bastow, John Stoddard, Kathie Essex, Sam Krotzer, August Luedecke, Susie Hartz, Lynne Smith and Mike Paine) for helping make this one of the best tournaments run on any Tour much less the NGA Hooters Tour. A special thanks goes out to Superintendant James Hunt and his staff for having the course in perfect condition for this week’s tournament.
