On Monday, four players earned the right to tee it up alongside PGA TOUR stars Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler. The group includes a veteran who played alongside a legend in the final group of a major, a player with a top-10 this season and two players who have never made a PGA TOUR cut.
The Wells Fargo Championships Monday qualifier was held at Gaston Country Club in Gastonia, North Carolina. Chip McDaniel, who finished T5 in a TOUR event earlier this season, won by three shots. Three players tied for second, including Mathew Goggin, a five-time winner on the Web.com Tour and two-time runner-up on the PGA TOUR who played with Tom Watson in the final group of the 2009 Open Championship.
CHIP McDANIEL (65)
Hometown: Manchester, Kentucky
Alma mater: Kentucky
PGA TOUR starts: 3
Cuts made: 3
Best PGA TOUR finish: T5, Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship
Notes: A 2018 graduate of Kentucky with an accounting degree. & Made six consecutive back-nine birdies Monday. & Shot a final-round 63 to finish fifth at Puntacana. & That top-10 got him into the Valero Texas Open, where he finished T71. & His 65 non-member FedExCup points would rank him 192nd in this seasons FedExCup standings. & His three PGA TOUR starts are his only official starts since turning pro last year. & Won the 2013 PGA Junior Championship over PGA TOUR rookie Sam Burns. & Was a first-team All-State basketball player in high school.
MATHEW GOGGIN (68)
Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Age: 44
PGA TOUR starts: 278
Cuts made: 142
Best PGA TOUR finish: 2nd, 2006 Western Open and 2008 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide
Notes: Has played just one event this season, missing the cut at the Web.com Tours Panama Championship. & Tied with Tiger Woods, two strokes behind winner Trevor Immelman, at the 2006 Western Open. & Finished two strokes behind Kenny Perry at 2008 Memorial Tournament. & Rose to a career-best 48th in the world ranking after finishing T5 in the 2009 Open Championship. & Played in the final group at Turnberry with 59-year-old Tom Watson, who lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink. & Is a five-time winner on the Web.com Tour, most recently at the 2015 Panama Championship.
NATHAN STAMEY (68)
Hometown: Bluffton, South Carolina
Alma mater: UNC Greensboro
PGA TOUR starts: 1
Cuts made: 0
Best finish: MC, 2011 Wyndham Championship
Notes: Has made the cut in seven of 21 official pro starts, including events on the PGA TOUR, Web.com Tour and Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. & Has four top-30 finishes on PGA TOUR Canada, highlighted by a T11 at the 2012 Canadian Tour Championship. & Monday qualified for his only previous PGA TOUR start, at the 2011 Wyndham Championship.
MATTHEW SHORT (68)
Hometown: Hudson, North Carolina
PGA TOUR starts: Debut
Notes: Won the Greensboro Open on the G Pro Tour 10 days earlier, shooting 65-68-66 to win by five. & Is second on the G Pro money list with $10,000 in earnings. & Made it to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-School in 2016 but finished T149.