June 29, 2004

MONROE, La. - Virginia golfer Daniel McGurk (Woodlands, Texas) won his first amateur event over the weekend in Louisiana.

Shortened by rain and lightning, the 54th W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational ended with co-champions- McGurk and Kane Streat.

The two players were declared co-champions after weather ended their championship match after just two holes.

"You can't really control the weather," McGurk said. "You've got two deserving guys, so it's just as well."

McGurk, a sophomore-to-be at the University of Virginia, had won the first two holes with a birdie and par and was 2-up. It was the continuation of the strong play that brought McGurk into the championship match.

McGurk easily cruised to victory in two of his three matches, with the only close call coming on Saturday with a 1-up win over Shaun Melville. In that match, McGurk found himself down one with three to play.

"It was back and forth," McGurk said. "I birdied 16 and 17. It was kind of fun."

On Sunday morning, he dispatched Jared Jimenez 5 and 3 to reach the championship.

McGurk is a former AJGA Junior All-American and led The Woodlands (Texas) High School team to the Class 5A state title in 2003. This past season he played at Virginia where his best finish was ninth in the Turtle Bay Invitational.

"I got to travel a lot and played in some great tournaments," said McGurk. "The golf courses were a lot harder than the junior golf courses I played on. The ACC was pretty competitive and playing in tournaments against guys who are the best in the country helps."

Information and quotes courtesy of Scott Beder and The News-Star
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Tie for Two