News >> Lavery Earns PHS Wichita Open Exemption

Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open
Crestview Country Club
Wichita, Kansas
August 1-8, 2010
$550,000 Purse
 
Longs, SC…The National Golf Association’s Hooters Professional Golf Tour announced in early February that the Nationwide Tour’s Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open had granted an exemption into the event to The NGA Hooters Tour leading money winner over the third set of four (4) events of the 2010 season: Bentonville Arkansas, Miami, Oklahoma, Pearland, Texas and Victoria, Texas. The NGA Hooters Tour member who accumulated the most money in those four events would earn the exemption into The PHS Wichita Open at Crestview Country Club.
 
Michael Lavery of Mission Viejo, California earned that exemption thanks in part to one of his most successful months of golf. Lavery started his run at The PHS Wichita exemption the first week out with a playoff victory in the Bentonville Open. The former UC Irvine golfer missed the Miami event because he Monday Qualified for the Nationwide’s Fort Smith Classic that week. He made his tenth cut of the season out of ten events in Pearland, Texas but managed only a T-55 and trailed leader Matt Harmon by nearly $400 entering the final event of the four event series. In Victoria the following week, Lavery entered the final round T-35 but a final round five-under par 66 moved him into a T-15 and earned him a check worth $2,689. Lavery earned $33,862 for the four events and was able to hold off a charging Ryan Henry by nearly $450 for the exemption.
 
“This has been a great month for me; winning my first event, qualifying for Fort Smith and playing well enough over the last two events to earn the exemption,” said Lavery. “It’s going to be less stressful knowing I’m in the event and that I don’t have to qualify to get in and I just want to thank the Hooters Tour and the PHS Wichita Open committee for this opportunity.”
 
Lavery will be making his eighth career start on The Nationwide Tour and second career start at PHS Wichita Open. In 2007, he posted rounds of 70-67-69-69 for nine-under par total and T-30.
  
“The #1 goal of The Hooters Tour has always been, and always will be to help professional golfers achieve their dream of playing on The PGA Tour,” said Robin L. Waters, NGA Hooters Tour President. “Playing in The PHS Wichita Open will provide Michael invaluable experience. We would like to congratulate him on his success this season and wish him the best of luck in Wichita.”
 
The Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open has long been a stepping stone for former Hooters Tour players in realizing their dream of playing on the PGA Tour. Past champions include Hooters Tour alumni Scott Piercy, Jeff Klauk, Tyler Williamson, David Toms and Tom Lehman. 
 
One of the longest standing PGA Nationwide Tour events in the country, the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open will embark upon its 21st year at the Crestview Country Club from August 1 - 8, 2010. In 1990 Wichita was one of the original 30 stops on the then Hogan Tour.
 
The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink, 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 British Open winner Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open winner Jim Furyk, two time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open and PGA Champion John Daly, as well as British Open winner Tom Lehman, PGA Champion David Toms, 2003 Tour Championship Winner Chad Campbell, 2004 & 2005 Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor and TPC winner Craig Perks to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour’s alumni have an incredible 11 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped hundreds professionals acquire their PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tour cards. In fact, 48% of the players that earned their 2010 PGA Tour card, and 53% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA/Hooters Tour.

For more information about the NGA/Hooters Tour, please visit our web site, www.HOOTERSTOUR.com.