Medley Moves to PGA Stage 2: Athens Golfer Wins First Stage at Auburn

By Michael Wetzel, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
Oct. 25--In golf, when you hit a tee shot it's nice to see it land safely in the fairway.
For Athens' Andrew Medley, it's making his fall game that much better.
Medley fired a four-round 12-under 276 to win PGA Tour first-stage qualifying in Auburn, which concluded Saturday.
"My driving has been good pretty much all year," said Medley, who finished at Auburn in 2007. "I like it when I know where my ball is going off the tee. And the past couple of months, my putter has started to warm up. It's the right time of the year for that."
Medley had rounds of 70, 68, 68, 70 to win the first stage. The top 21 finishers and ties advanced to second-stage events set for Nov. 18-21.
"Coming into today I was pretty certain I was going to qualify," said Medley, who was The Daily golfer of the year in 1999, 2001 (with Decatur's Michael Daniels) and 2002. "I didn't try to do anything different. I just tried to keep the ball in play and keep striking it well."
He was tied for the lead going into Saturday's final round.
So what did he receive for winning first stage?
"There's no money in this thing," the 25-year-old said. "So really it didn't matter if I finished first or 21st, as long as I advanced. But sure, winning gave me more confidence. I beat a good group of players this week."
He said playing at the hosting Auburn University Golf Club gave him a tad of an advantage.
"Some of us this week have played the course considerably more than the other guys, but you still have to strike it good and put it in the hole."
Finishing second, a shot behind Medley, was Patton Kizzire, Medley's roommate for the past five years.
Are the roomies planning a special celebration?
"It'll be a great weekend if Auburn can beat LSU tonight," Medley said Saturday afternoon. "I might even buy the pizza."
After a successful year on the NGA/Hooters and Tarheel tours, Medley can afford to pay for the pizza with some extra toppings, too.
The son of Jim and Lisa Medley of Athens finished seventh on the Hooters pro series money list with $74,967, making the cut in 12 of 14 tournaments, including a win and four top-five finishes. On the Tarheel, Medley made won $29,729 in the five tournaments in which he participated.
Medley said he would concentrate on his wedges and putting to prepare for the next stage at the Mountain course at Callaway Gardens, Ga.
Those golfers advancing through the next stage will earn either PGA Tour cards or Nationwide Tour cards.
In 2008, Medley played in the second stage but didn't advance.
"I know what to expect there this year," he said. "And I believe I'm playing better now."
Among others advancing to the second stage from the Auburn tournament were Fort Payne's Scott Weatherly, who finished tied for fourth, and 2006 Spirit of America runner-up Chris Wells, who tied for the final spot in 21st.
At other first-stage sites, 2006 Spirit of America winner Chris Rogers of Nashville finished sixth overall in Spring, Texas, to advance.
In Florence, S.C., recent Tide grad Mark Harrell was 35th and didn't advance.
Also not advancing was former Alabama golfer Chip Deason, who finished 37th in St. Augustine, Fla.
In Port St. Lucie, Fla., Gary Nicklaus, son of Jack Nicklaus, shot a final round 73 and missed advancing by two strokes.
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