Tarheel Tournament Won by Jason Martin at Anderson Creek, NC

David Siegel Wins at Firethorne Golf Club

MARVIN, N.C. – For the third consecutive event, the Tarheel Tour ran head on into Mother Nature and was forced to shorten a tournament from 54 to 36 holes. That should sit just fine with David Siegel of Matthews, NC, who fired rounds of 71-70 this week to claim his sixth Tarheel Tour title and second win at the difficult Firethorne Country Club.
            Siegel, who is a co-owner of the Tarheel Tour, began the final round a mere two shots behind overnight leader Derek Brown of Walnut Cove, NC. With the second round being washed out and the event shortened to 36 holes, players were forced to keep the same pairings for both rounds, thus creating a situation where there was no final group.
            Siegel got off to a solid start with a tap in birdie at the par-3 3^rd hole, but then would add five straight pars before making another birdie at the 9^th.
            “I hit it really well on the front nine and was never more than 15 feet from the hole, I just couldn’t make anything,” said Siegel, who played college basketball at Colgate University with current NBA star Adonal Foyle.

            While a front nine score of 34 wasn’t exactly putting him en route to the course record, it was certainly impressive as the Tom Jackson designed layout was taking prisoners left and right.
            Siegel’s lone blemish would come on the short but tricky par-4 11^th. A bogey there after a poor tee shot would drop him back to one under par, where he would stay until a birdie at the difficult par-4 14^th brought him back to two.
            “After my bogey at 11, I kind of kept my round going with an impossible up and down at 12, and then the birdie at 14 put me back on track.”
            Siegel would manage pars on the final four holes, but not without a bit of drama.
            “I pulled my tee shot on 18 and left a terrible angle to the pin. Fortunately, I was able to hit a perfect 5-iron to 10 feet and two putt for par,” said the native of Scarsdale, NY, who thought that miss might have cost him the title.
            When all the groups had finished for the day, Siegel was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he knew he was the last man standing.
            “This was a disappointing season for me personally. I’m happy to have won and kind of end on a good note, I just wish we had more tournaments left.”
            “It’s been two years since my last win out here, so this feels pretty good. I played well in the practice round and thought I might have a pretty good week.”
            For the second week in a row, Glen Daigle of Greenville, SC finished in solo second place. Daigle fought his way back into contention with an eagle at the par-5 17^th, but at the end of the day his total of 143 left him on the outside looking in.
            Simon McGreal, Andy Bare, and Chris Mundorf all tied for third with two day totals of even par 144. McGreal, who hails from England, had his chance to catch Siegel, but bogies on the final two holes proved costly as he fell just short of capturing his first Tarheel Tour title.
            The tour would like to thank Head Golf Professional Roger Kreuter and his staff for hosting what is always one of the more popular events of the year. Head Golf Course Superintendent Chad Tulloch and his crew are to be congratulated for their efforts in getting the course playable after heavy rains. Finally, the tour feels fortunate to play one of our events at a club of Firethorne’s stature. This would not be possible without the support of the members and their willingness to give up their great course for a few days. Thank you.
The Firethorne Open marks the end of another successful season for the Charlotte based Tarheel Tour. The tour will continue to grow in 2007 with larger purses and fields. A tentative 2007 schedule is posted on the website.

Tarheel Professional Tour
Firethorne Open
Final Round Results Firethorne Country Club

Par 72 – 6,904 yards

David Siegel, Matthews, NC $7,500 71-70=141
Glen Daigle, Greenville, SC $4,000 70-73=143
Simon McGreal, England $2,300 72-72=144
Andy Bare, Jacksonville, FL $2,300 72-72=144
Chris Mundorf, Greensboro, NC $2,300 71-73=144
Adam Rushin, England $1,800 71-74=145
Jason Martin, Lenoir, NC $1,800 73-72=145
Richard Hanna, Standardsville, VA $1,350 73-73=146
Stephen Poole Jr., Spartanburg, SC $1,350 71-75=146
Tim Straub, Huntersville, NC $1,350 72-74=146
Derek Brown, Walnut Cove, NC $1,350 69-77=146
Chris Hockaday, Mt. Airy, NC $1,050 71-76=147
Luke Stephan, Cumming, GA $1,050 75-72=147
Karl Mitchell, Rockwell, NC $720 74-74=148
Jonathan Napier, LaGrange, GA $720 76-72=148
Matthew Cram-Smith, Jefferson City, TN $720 72-76=148
Jody Bellflower, Milledgeville, GA $720 73-75=148
Justin Walters, South Afrcia $720 73-75=148