There was good news and bad news for Riley Wheeldon at his most recent golf tournament.
Although he missed the cut this week at the NGA Tour Brunswick-Heritage Oaks Classic in Brunswick, Ga., the Comox golfer earned an event exemption into the Web.com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am which will be played May 16-19 at Thornblade Club, Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer course and The Reserve at Lake Keowee.
Wheeldon, a University of Louisville alumnus, earned $32,782 during the Kandy Waters Memorial Classic, NeSmith Chevrolet Classic, Milton Martin Honda Classic and Brunswick-Heritage Oaks Classic to claim the exemption.
The Brunswick-Heritage Oaks Classic was the last chance for NGA Tour members to claim an event exemption into the Web.com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am.
Wheeldon won the Kandy Waters Memorial Classic to jump out to a commanding lead in the exemption race. He also earned a T19 finish in the Milton Martin Honda Classic, giving him over $30,000 in winnings during the last three events and placing him nearly $10,000 ahead of M.J. Daffue in the race for the BMW Charity Pro-Am event exemption.
“It was one of my goals coming into this season to put myself in position to win the BMW and (PGA Reno-Tahoe Open) exemptions,” said Wheeldon. “It’s great that the NGA Tour gets these exemptions. It provides extra motivation, and I’m glad I got off to a good start.”
The NGA Tour Pro Series will return to action with the playing of the Mountain Lakes Classic, presented by Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau, at Cross Creek Plantation in Seneca, S.C., on April 25.
The NGA Pro Golf Tour is the No. 3 men’s professional golf tour in the United States after the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour and is the No. 1 recommended developmental tour by more PGA Tour and Web.com Tour professionals.
The NGA has helped hundreds of professionals acquire their PGA Tour, Euro, Web.com, and Champions Tour cards. In fact, NGA alumni have won a 15 major championships. On average, over 60 per cent of every Web.com Tour field and over 40 per cent of every PGA Tour field have spent time on the NGA Tour.
– NGA Tour