Dec. 9, 2008

PINEHURST, N.C. – South Carolina men’s golf coach Bill McDonald teamed up with Curt Sanders of Eagle Point Golf Club to take the tournament championship at the Ashworth E-Z-Go Carolinas PGA Pro-Pro Championship Dec. 4-5 at Pinehurst Resort, winning on the first playoff hole of a best-ball format final round.

McDonald and Sanders trailed by six shots heading into their final round of competition after carding 65 in the first round of modified alternate shot format on Pinehurst No. 4, then shooting 64 in the Captain’s Choice format on Pinehurst No. 7. But a lights-out 62 in the final round of best-ball competition closed the gap with the 36-hole leaders, Kelly Mitchum (club pro at Pinehurst Nos. 1-5) and Gus Ulrich (egolf Academy Pine Needles).

The playoff began on No. 8’s 447-yard 18th hole, which plays as the second toughest hole on the course. Following tee shots that sailed right, Mitchum and Ulrich were forced to make difficult second shots out of the woods. McDonald and Sanders both reached the green in regulation from the fairway and both made easy par putts as Mitchum and Ulrich missed theirs.

It was the first win for Sanders and McDonald as a team at the Pro-Pro Championship. The pair took home a team purse of $4,800 for their victory.

The Ashworth E-Z-Go Pro-Pro Carolinas PGA Championship is a three-day tournament on three courses featuring atypical playing formats and an emphasis on the team aspect of those formats. Altogether, 238 professionals from all over the Carolinas participated in the event.