In only his fifth event as a professional long driver, Jeff Swihart of Jackson, Michigan, took home the $10,000 first prize Saturday in the fifth annual Tennessee Long Drive Shoot-Out.
Swihart, who turned professional in 2004, blasted the golf ball 370 yds. from the No. 1 tee at Graysburg Hill’s Knobs Course, edging veteran long driver Vince Howell by three yards to take home the top prize money, beating a group of golfers that resembled a World Championship field.
Current World Long Driving champion Dave Mobley finished third at 363 yds.
While Swihart’s first five long drive events have been successful with a first in Phoenix, a second place, fourth place and ninth place, he’s quick to point out that luck has a lot to do with how you perform in this sport.
“It takes so much luck,” he said. “Everybody hits it about the same distance. I was fortunate to hit the perfect line with a good ball and I got a bounce.”
The preferred line was down the right side of the fairway with a draw. That seemed to be the spot all day that was giving the competitors the best distance.
Swihart, who has been playing golf since he was a child, said he decided to get into long drive competition last year after getting a new driver that he was hitting really far.
“Some people told me I was crazy for at least not giving long drive a try, so I did,” he said. “I went to a local qualifer, then a regional, and went on to the 2004 Remax Long Drive event.”
The Laughlin Memorial Hospital sponsored event always brings out some of the best long drivers in the world, and this year’s event was no exception.
“This is the best,” Swihart smiled.”You’re going against the same people that are at the world (championship), especially when you get to the semifinals.”
Swihart said he intended on getting into as many long drive contests as possible, and this win will go a long way in helping his confidence.
“I was pretty confident after a couple (of events) this year,” he said. “ Then I was ninth at Des Moines last week. I hit it good and they hit it right past me. I was down a little bit, but this will bring me back up.”
Swihart hit the winning drive on his second shot after his first of six balls bounced out of the grid, which was some 50-yards wide and lined off far down the No. 1 fairway on the Knobs Course.
He and Howell were on the tee af the same time, alternating hits. Howell’s fourth ball looked like it was a winner, and Howell’s yell indicated he thought so, too. But the markers radioed in and told the public address announcer that it was 367 yds., three yards short of Swihart’s ball.
“I think Vinny hit that one ball harder than any I hit, but it was on the wrong side of the grid,” Swihart noted.
The competition began at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and did not end until just before darkness settled in on Graysburg Hills. The 45 pros competing were gradually pared down through first round and first round consolations, quarterfinals and consolations, semifinals and then the final eight were given a chance to win the title.
The longest hit of the day belonged to Scott Smith of Cincinnati, who belted a ball 380 yds. in the quarterfinal round. Smith holds the national record for the longest drive, with a ball that carried 539 yds. earlier this year.
The top 16 pros competed in the semis in two groups, with three players advancing to the finals from each group, then two more players who had the next longest balls were added as wild card entrants, giving the field the final eight performers.
Howell’s 369 yd.-drive led the first group of semifinalists, with John Downey of Tampa, Fla., second at 359 and Dave Gurekis from Massachusetts third at 355. In the second group, Tim Hanley led the way with 364, Swihart was second at 354, and rookie Brooks Baldwin of Mississippi, who won last week’s long drive event in Iowa, was third at 346.
Jason Chester of Georgia (350 yds.) and Dave Mobley of Charlotte (349 yds.) were the two wild card entrants into the finals.
Local long driver Bart Hartsell of Greeneville made it into the quarterfinal round, blasting a shot 357, before being eliminated at that point.
Last year’s champ, Danny Luirette, was eliminated in the semifinal round, but he did win top money in Friday’s Pro-Am Tournament, shooting a 63 which included a 29 over his first nine holes.
Noah Roark, director of human resources for Laughlin Memorial Hospital, said that revenue from the tournament will have a great impact on the number of qualified healthcare employees the hospital will be able “to grow” in the community. Funds from the tourney are used to support the Laughlin Memorial Hospital Educational Scholarship Fund. Roark said that this is the third year the tourney has had a revenue mission for scholarships, and to date the fund has supported students with distributions of $37,000.
Here are the top eight finishers in the Tennessee Long Drive Shoot-Out, with their longest ball hit in the finals and prize money earned:
•1. Jeff Swihart, Jackson, Mich., 370 yds., $10,000.
•2. Vince Howell, Brentwood, Calif., 367 yds., $4,900.
•3. Dave Mobley, Charlotte, N.C., 363 yds., $3,900.
•4. Tim Hanley, Arizona, 360 yds., $2,750.
•5. Dave Gurekis, Massachusetts, 355 yds., $2,200.
•6. Brooks Baldwin, Mendenhall, Miss., 354 yds., $1,900.
•7. John Downey, Tampa,Fla., 353 yds., $1,600.
•8. Jason Chester, Georgia, 344 yds., $1,300.
*The total purse for the shoot-out was $36,000.
