Monday qualifiers: Wells Fargo Championship
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SAVANNAH, GA - MARCH 30: Nathan Stamey plays his shot from the 14th tee during the second round of the Web.com Tour's Savannah Golf Championship at the Landings Club Deer Creek Golf Course on March 30, 2018 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Ryan Young/PGA TOUR)
On Monday, four players earned the right to tee it up alongside PGA TOUR stars Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler. The group includes a veteran who played alongside a legend in the final group of a major, a player with a top-10 this season and two players who have never made a PGA TOUR cut.
The Wells Fargo Championship’s Monday qualifier was held at Gaston Country Club in Gastonia, North Carolina. Chip McDaniel, who finished T5 in a TOUR event earlier this season, won by three shots. Three players tied for second, including Mathew Goggin, a five-time winner on the Web.com Tour and two-time runner-up on the PGA TOUR who played with Tom Watson in the final group of the 2009 Open Championship.
CHIP McDANIEL (65)
Hometown: Manchester, Kentucky
Alma mater: Kentucky
PGA TOUR starts: 3
Cuts made: 3
Best PGA TOUR finish: T5, Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship
Notes: A 2018 graduate of Kentucky with an accounting degree. … Made six consecutive back-nine birdies Monday. … Shot a final-round 63 to finish fifth at Puntacana. … That top-10 got him into the Valero Texas Open, where he finished T71. … His 65 non-member FedExCup points would rank him 192nd in this season’s FedExCup standings. … His three PGA TOUR starts are his only official starts since turning pro last year. … Won the 2013 PGA Junior Championship over PGA TOUR rookie Sam Burns. … Was a first-team All-State basketball player in high school.
MATHEW GOGGIN (68)
Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Age: 44
PGA TOUR starts: 278
Cuts made: 142
Best PGA TOUR finish: 2nd, 2006 Western Open and 2008 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide
Notes: Has played just one event this season, missing the cut at the Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship. … Tied with Tiger Woods, two strokes behind winner Trevor Immelman, at the 2006 Western Open. … Finished two strokes behind Kenny Perry at 2008 Memorial Tournament. … Rose to a career-best 48th in the world ranking after finishing T5 in the 2009 Open Championship. … Played in the final group at Turnberry with 59-year-old Tom Watson, who lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink. … Is a five-time winner on the Web.com Tour, most recently at the 2015 Panama Championship.
NATHAN STAMEY (68)
Hometown: Bluffton, South Carolina
Alma mater: UNC Greensboro
PGA TOUR starts: 1
Cuts made: 0
Best finish: MC, 2011 Wyndham Championship
Notes: Has made the cut in seven of 21 official pro starts, including events on the PGA TOUR, Web.com Tour and Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. … Has four top-30 finishes on PGA TOUR Canada, highlighted by a T11 at the 2012 Canadian Tour Championship. … Monday qualified for his only previous PGA TOUR start, at the 2011 Wyndham Championship.
MATTHEW SHORT (68)
Hometown: Hudson, North Carolina
PGA TOUR starts: Debut
Notes: Won the Greensboro Open on the G Pro Tour 10 days earlier, shooting 65-68-66 to win by five. … Is second on the G Pro money list with $10,000 in earnings. … Made it to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-School in 2016 but finished T149.
Sean Martin manages PGATOUR.COM’s staff of writers as the Lead, Editorial. He covered all levels of competitive golf at Golfweek Magazine for seven years, including tournaments on four continents, before coming to the PGA TOUR in 2013. Follow Sean Martin on Twitter.