Omar Uresti and Bob Heintz managed to play just well enough to make the Saturday cut of 4-under par at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Uresti's up-and-down 70 at Thornblade left him at 4-under, despite a sloppy 3-putt bogey at the long 18th. Uresti's finish snaps a streak of two consecutive missed cuts on the Tour. Uresti finished the day in a tie for 53rd after starting in a share of 49th.
For Heintz, the challenge of making the cut came at Chanticleer - the toughest course in the BMW rotation. Heintz did not get off to an encouraging start, and an early binge of bogeys left him 3-over on the round thru 11 holes. At this point Heintz was 3-under for the tournament, and one shot back of the cut line.
But Heintz quickly responded. He birdied the par-4 12th to move back inside the cut line, and six consecutive pars to close the round kept him in. This was Heintz' first and possibly only event of the year, as the journeyman pro said he is contemplating retirement from professional golf to pursue other careers.
If Heintz finishes inside the top-25, he will qualify for The Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh in two weeks, but he is currently three strokes back of that position. 7-under is currently tied for 22nd place, and Heintz is at 4-under. Heintz said he will probably play in Raleigh if he qualifies.
Jeff Gove was not as fortunate this week. Gove shot even-par in all three of his rounds this week, to finish four strokes back of the cut line. Gove has now missed three consecutive cuts on the Nationwide Tour, and is still without a top-25 finish on the season in 9 starts.
Other Notes
-Heintz has his dad, Bob, on the bag this week as caddie.
-Uresti said he will play occasional PGA Tour events this summer if he gets in, which he said he probably will. Uresti has the opportunity due to his status as a veteran member on the PGA Tour, as he has made over 150 PGA Tour cuts in his career (Uresti has 173).
-Heintz and Uresti both made double-bogey 6 on the eighth hole at Carolina Club this week. Heintz played Carolina Club on Thursday, and Uresti played it on Friday.
-Playing in the group ahead of Uresti on Saturday, Robert Damron rolled in a 30-footer for birdie on the 18th hole to make the cut on the number. Damron had stumbled to double-bogey 7 on the 15th hole, after his second shot hit a tree and shot out of bounds.
-Gove convinced a friend from Puerto Rico make the trip to South Carolina and play as his partner in the pro-am. Gove met Carlos Lopez-Lay at a fundraiser in Puerto Rico a few years ago, and the two became fast friends. Lopez-Lay's wife tagged along on the trip to the United States.
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