Loren Personett of McCabe Field Golf Course in Antioch earned a spot in the Chattanooga Classic on Thursday by winning the Tennessee Section PGA member qualifier at Black Creek Club.
Personett shot a 4-under-par 68. He will be joined in the Nationwide Tour event Oct. 16-19 at Black Creek by Audie Johnson of Lebanon Golf and Country Club and Kelvin Burgin of the Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, who each shot 72.
“I played pretty steady and didn’t get into too much trouble,” said Personett, whose round included six birdies and two bogeys. “I hit it to within 10 inches on No. 1, so that was a pretty good start.”
Personett last played on the Nationwide Tour when it was called the Ben Hogan Tour.
“I think that was 1989,” Personett said. “I played with Tom Lehman and Estaban Toledo in the first two rounds.”
Johnson will be playing in his third consecutive Chattanooga Classic. Burgin has never played in a Nationwide event, but he has won the TPGA Section Championship the last three years. He’s played the last two years, missing the cut, in the PGA Tour’s St. Jude Classic in Memphis.
“I didn’t do too much flag-hunting today,” Burgin said. “I tried to let my putter do the work.”
Keith Burdette of the Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is the first alternate after shooting 74.
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...
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