Bare, Heyen win respective qualifiers

GREENSBORO, NC – Former UNCG golfer Andy Bare and current team member David Heyen each enjoyed qualifying tournament wins earlier this month.

Heyen, who will be a sophomore next season, tied for first in the North Carolina Amateur qualifier held in Asheboro on May 24. In his sectional, Heyen fired a 67, including a 32 on the front nine, at the 6,698-yard, par-72 Pinewood Country Club. The New London, NC native tied with Drew Weaver and Ryan Fox. The top 16 players, plus ties, in each of six qualifiers make the field for the 46th North Carolina Amateur Championship. This year’s championship will be held at Forest Creek GC in Pinehurst June 15-18.

Bare, who began the month with a win at the Tarheel Tour’s Warrior Classic in China Grove, NC, tied for first in his U.S. Open local qualifier on May 15 at Sawgrass CC in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. A Jacksonville, FL native, Bare shot a 69 to tie for first along with Vince Covello and Mark Petzgold.

This is the second time Bare has made it through the qualifier, tying for fifth in 2004 at Pinehurst – his first event after graduating from UNCG.

Bare will compete in a sectional qualifier June 5-6. More than 7,000 golfers annually compete in local qualifying with approximately 550 moving onto the sectional round. An additional 200 golfers receive local exemption to make for a field of nearly 750 golfers in sectional qualifying, which consists of 36 holes. Seventy players have full exemption into the tournament, with another 86 coming from the sectional qualifying field.

Sixteen different sites are used for sectional qualifiers throughout the United States, with additional sites in England and Japan. Last year, Michael Campbell won the open after qualifying at a sectional in England.

The 2006 U.S. Open is slated for June 15-18 at Winged Foot Golf Club’s West Course in Mamaroneck, NY.

- UNCG -