Breakthrough victory gave 32-year-old exempt status through 2009
George McNeill seemed like just another guy hoping to make a big score in Las Vegas when he hit town in October.
He struck it rich, all right.
Except McNeill's success didn't come inside a casino. The 32-year-old won the Frys.com Open by four shots for his first PGA Tour victory and a $720,000 payday.
McNeill's win didn't just bolster his bank account. It gave him some unexpected celebrity while providing him job security for the next two years, giving him exempt status on the PGA Tour through 2009.
"I'm received a little better now," McNeill said. "Guys say hi in the locker room now. But what it comes down to is it's just a bunch of people out here trying to win a golf tournament."
McNeill will return to Las Vegas this fall as defending champion of what now is the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
The tournament, scheduled for Oct. 13 to 19, will be played only at TPC Summerlin instead of at two courses as in the past.
"It won't change the way I play," McNeill said. "Both the courses (TPC Summerlin and TPC Las Vegas) had a similar feel to them, and when you're playing well, it doesn't really matter what kind of golf course you're playing.
"I think the format will help with Justin Timberlake headlining the event, and I'm sure the Wednesday pro-am will be a little more rock star-esque. It will add some excitement to the event."
McNeill said there will be something different about him, too, when he returns this fall.
"It did a little bit to change my confidence," he said of winning in Las Vegas. "I proved to myself that I could win out here when I won at Q School (in 2006). But to win a regular tour event against these guys is everyone's goal, and I proved to myself that I could do that."
McNeill ranks No. 79 on the PGA Tour's 2008 money list with earnings of $592,428. In 14 events, his best finish has been a tie for second in March at the PODS Championship, where he finished two shots behind Sean O'Hair.
"Other than that, I don't think I'm playing all that well," McNeill said. "I've been making cuts, but I'm not quite where I want to be yet."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
No comments:
Post a Comment