North Carolina State University Athletics
Hole-In-One Gives Richardson First Pro Win
5/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 11, 2011
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Standing on the tee of the 184-yard par-3 16th in the final round of the eGolf Tour’s Willow Creek Open, leader Jerry Richardson certainly didn’t need a hole-in-one in order to close the book on his first tour title. But that’s exactly what he did. A well-timed ace on Saturday afternoon gave the former NC State standout his first career win as a professional, and the tournament’s $33,500 first-place prize.
Richardson, the tournament’s 36- and 54-hole leader following opening rounds of 65-68-70, began the final round of the $230,992 event with a one-shot lead over Nathan Stamey and a two shot lead over Stephen Poole. Playing alongside both Stamey and Poole in Saturday’s final round, Richardson’s march to greatness began a bit slower than expected.
“I came out a bit nervous, but then birdied No. 2 after a par on No. 1 to settle down a bit,” said the 26-year-old Richardson. “But Nathan birdied two and Stephen birdied four, so it wasn’t like I was creating any separation.”
Richardson’s needed separation came in the form of a birdie-birdie-par-birdie stretch on Nos. 7-10 that vaulted the Burlington, N.C., native to 16-under for the event and clearly in control of the leaderboard.
“I hit a really nice shot into No. 7 and had a good two-putt birdie there,” said Richardson. “Then followed it up with a good 6-iron and another birdie on No. 8, and that really got me going.”
Richardson’s torrid four-hole stretch gave him a three-shot cushion over Poole, who added birdies of his own at Nos. 9 and 10 to stay within reach. Poole’s persistence also allowed for Richardson to stay in the moment and not get too far ahead of himself.
“Stephen made a couple of birdies there at the turn, and that got my attention,” he said. “I knew I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. I had to keep playing well.”
Pars on Nos. 11 through 15 kept Richardson at 16-under, but when Poole added a birdie at the par-4 14th, his lead had decreased to two shots.
Standing on the tee of the 184-yard par-3 16th, Richardson needed just one more birdie to set up the kind of buffer a first-time winner would envy with just two holes to play.
Instead of birdie, Richardson opted to do one better.
With a 7-iron in hand and in the midst of a week-long clinic on ball striking, Richardson floated his tee shot directly towards the front-right hole location.
The ball, Poole, and Richardson’s bar tab never stood a chance.
“I just hit a perfect 7-iron – absolutely perfect,” said Richardson of his hole-in-one – his first in competition. “It landed a little short and rolled up and went in. From there, it was just nuts.”
An excited Richardson pulled his ball from the cup and actually paced around the green aimlessly for a few moments before allowing the thrill of the moment to sink in. But then, like a seasoned veteran with 20 wins under his belt as opposed to none, Richardson re-focused on the task at hand and went about his business with a focus geared towards the par-5 17th.
“Once that went in, I really calmed down a lot,” he said. “The only real tough shot I had left was the tee shot on 17, and I hit that good and made another birdie.”
A birdie at 17 pushed Richardson to 19-under for the event and five clear of Poole and Stamey, who added a birdie of his own at 17 to move to 15-under. A routine par at the par-4 18th was more than enough to give Richardson the win and lighten the load on the back of a talented pro career that had been winless up until today.
“It’s amazing, to be honest with you. I felt like I could win out here, but I was never really sure because there are so many good players,” said Richardson. “It turns out that I could.”
In his 43rd career start on the eGolf Tour, Richardson had notched his first win. Prior to Saturday, his best finish was a T3 at the 2008 Cabarrus Classic. Since then, he had posted numerous low rounds, but was never able to capitalize on them. A Monday qualifier for the PGA TOUR’s Wyndham Championship last August, Richardson was hoping to be in Charlotte for the Wells Fargo Championship this week, but missed out on that Monday qualifier after winning the event’s pre-qualifier the week prior.
“I guess I’m glad that I didn’t get through to Quail Hollow,” joked Richardson.
With the win, the Raleigh, N.C., resident picked up $33,500 and moved to No. 3 on the eGolf Tour’s 2011 money list with earnings of $38,961.
“It’s really overwhelming. The money and to be able to win a tournament out here with these great fields,” Richardson said. “It lets me know that I can do this.”
With the victory, Richardson earned an exemption into the Nationwide Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am on May 19-22, 2011. The tournament, contested over three courses in the Upstate of South Carolina and Western North Carolina, features a Pebble Beach-style format whereby players compete alongside amateurs – and sometimes celebrities – over the first three rounds of the event. The event will mark Richardson’s second career start on the Nationwide Tour. The exemption is the fourth granted to the eGolf Tour by the BMW Charity Pro-Am since the 2009 season. The first three went to Scott Brown (2009), Kyle Dobbs (2009) and Clint Jensen (2010).
Other NC State golfers in the field included David Sanchez (T8th), Kent Copeland and Fernando Mechereffe, who tied for 61st, and Matt Hill, who finished tied for 73rd.
