Drew Weaver
Over the past 12 months, the eGolf Professional Tour has established itself as a viable player in the newfound globalization of golf. At this week’s King Hassan II Trophy on the European Tour, that establishment begins to solidify itself as five of the tour’s current 2011 members compete for one of the European Tour’s most cherished trophies.
With two events in Morocco earlier this month, the eGolf Professional Tour became the first United States-based tour to conduct multiple events on the continent of Africa. That bit of history gave way to this week’s European Tour event, which will showcase five eGolf Tour members and further confirm the tour’s international platform moving forward.
The first of the five eGolf Tour members is Chris Baker of Brownstown, IN, who earned his spot in the field via his win at the European Challenge Tour’s 2010 Moroccan Golf Classic.
Baker earned a spot in the Challenge Tour event when the eGolf Tour was granted 10 exemptions by the Association du Trophée Hassan II de Golf (ATH) in March of last year. The 10 spots were awarded to the top 10 members in the tour's Golf in Morocco Classic, and with his runner-up finish at the event, Baker earned his all-expenses-paid trip to the Moroccan Golf Classic.
Rounds of 69-66-72-68—275 gave Baker a stunning two-shot victory over Argentina’s Pablo Del Grosso and Spain’s Jesus Arruti. In winning the Moroccan Golf Classic title, Baker became the first American-born player to win on the Challenge Tour since Kevin Stadler claimed the Argentine Open in December of 2005.
Baker’s win came with a one-year exemption onto the Challenge Tour, as well as a spot in this week’s King Hassan II Trophy. With his victory, he joined some esteemed company in the Challenge Tour archives. In becoming just the 10th player in Challenge Tour history to win in his maiden start, Baker joined an impressive list of players who have done the same, including Darren Clarke, Trevor Immelman, Martin Kaymer and Edoardo Molinari.
The second of the five players is 2007 British Amateur champion Drew Weaver of High Point, NC. Weaver, competing in his second full season on the eGolf Tour after a standout career at Virginia Tech, earned his spot in Morocco via the tour’s inaugural “Race to Morocco” last fall, whereby an exemption into the King Hassan II Trophy was awarded to the top member in the tour’s three fall events.
Weaver, who entered the fall series events with three top-6 finishes in his previous four starts, posted a T2 finish at The Manor Classic to position himself nicely on the inaugural members only points list. That positioning would be all but finalized when Weaver won his first professional title just two weeks later at the Caddy For A Cure Classic in Concord, North Carolina.
Rounds of 64-68-67—199 put Weaver in a three-man playoff with Tadd Fujikawa and Fernando Mechereffe. A birdie on the first playoff hole gave Weaver the title, and allowed him to coast into the King Hassan II Trophy after a T8 finish at the season-ending Callaway Gardens Championship in October.
The tour’s two Morocco-based events – the Samanah Classic and the El Jadida Classic – were won by Chris McCartin and Phillip Mollica, respectively. The wins represented inaugural victories for both players, and each title came with an exemption into the King Hassan II Trophy.
For McCartin, the win was the result of many years of hard work on the eGolf Tour after a solid career at Wake Forest University. The Arlington, VA native posted rounds of 64-73-67-65—269 to run away with a four-shot victory and the $40,000 first-place prize in the first of the two Morocco events.
Mollica, in his second year on the eGolf Tour, finally capitalized on his immense talent after recording a standout amateur career while starring at Clemson University. The Anderson, SC resident entered the final round of the El Jadida Classic trailing 54-hole leader Brian Harman by three shots, but managed to take advantage of Harman’s final-round struggles with a spectacular 5-under 67 to notch a two-shot win over former PGA TOUR player Derek Fathauer.
The final eGolf Tour member to compete in this week’s event is Jhared Hack of Sanford, Florida .
Hack, a two-time winner on the eGolf Tour, was granted an exemption into the 2010 King Hassan II Trophy and posted rounds of 71-68-76-79—294 en route to a 64th-place finish – in turn becoming one of just two American golfers to make the cut (Anthony Kang).
Hack’s play, and the good publicity that came with it, allowed the tournament committee to easily award him with an exemption for this year’s tournament. It will mark his fifth start in the country of Morocco in the last calendar year, including the Trophy, the Moroccan Golf Classic and both eGolf Tour events.
The tour’s footprint in the international golf scene is historical in nature, yet simplified when viewed through the vast potential of what the game has to offer on a worldwide stage. By venturing into developing golf markets, the tour has a direct connection to the growth of the game in countries that might not otherwise benefit from the highest levels of the professional game.
“As a tour, we were honoured to be a part of these historical tournaments,” said eGolf Tour president David Siegel. “The globalization of golf is very important to the game’s future, and I feel that Morocco is at the forefront of that future. We are excited about the future possibilities in such a wonderful country, and I personally look forward to expanding on our existing relationship with the ATH, as well as the Moroccan golf fans.”
