River Run win signals Reavie’s recovery
A year ago, at what was then the Chiquita Classic, Chez Reavie was just happy to be playing golf again.
This year, at the renamed Small Business Connection Championship at River Run Country Club, his birdie on the par 5 18th hole made him a winner by one stroke.
The 34-year-old former PGA Tour regular missed a year of play after surgery on his left wrist. The 2014 Web.com Tour stop at River Run was his first tournament back.
“I was just happy to be off the couch and out and about,” Reavie said. “And my wife was happy that I was out of the house because she was sick of me.”
His 38th place finish last year at River Run marked the start of a comeback that led to the win Sunday, his first since the 2008 RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour.
“It was scary,” Reavie said of the surgery to repair a sheath that runs over the tendons in his wrist. “I know there are guys who’ve come back from it, but you never know when someone’s cutting you open.”
This week’s victory also clinched a new PGA Tour card for Reavie, who had his best season in 2011, when he finished 10th in FedEx Cup points and earned nearly $2.3 million.
The top 25 money-winners during the Web.com Tour regular season have already earned PGA Tour cards for next season. Reavie is among the players vying for 25 additional PGA Tour cards based on combined results of the four-event Web.com Tour Finals. The Small Business Connection Championship was the second tournament in the series, and Reavie’s win means he’ll finish safely within the top 25.
Three who mattered
Emiliano Grillo: Argentinian locked in his first PGA Tour card by tying for second at -14.
Brett Stegmaier: Former Florida Gator also nailed down his first PGA Tour card with a 13-under-par, 5th place finish.
Ricky Barnes: Longtime former PGA Tour regular shot 68 to move him to 6th place at -12 and will likely finish safely within the top 25 and get his tour card back.
Observations
India’s Anirban Lahiri, the 40th ranked player in the world, took a big step toward earning his PGA Tour card before playing on the International Team at the Presidents Cup in South Korea Oct. 8. Lahiri shot a final-round 69 to finish at -10, good for a 16th place tie.
Huntersville resident and River Run member Sean Power continued to struggle on his home course. He shot a 9 on the Par 4 10th hole on his way to a 78 for the day and a 72nd place finish.
Clemson was well represented. Former Tiger Kyle Stanley finished 7th and Lucas Glover tied for 25th. Jonathan Byrd missed the cut.
Worth mentioning
Charlotte resident Matthew Goggin shot 4 over par and tied for 39th.
Gastonia native Harold Varner III, who already earned his PGA Tour card, finished at -8 to tie for 16th.
Zack Fischer, who was at -11 and in 3rd place after two rounds, shot 16-over-par in Rounds 3 and 4 and ended up in a tie for 56th.
This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 7:53 PM with the headline "River Run win signals Reavie’s recovery."