Lee McCoy is a senior golfer at Georgia, but he got an exemption to play as an amateur at a PGA Tour event at his hometown golf course, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, in Palm Harbor, Florida. McCoy made the cut at the Valspar Championship and was paired with fellow 22-year-old Jordan Spieth on the final day, outshooting the No. 1 golfer in the world by four shots on Sunday. He finished the weekend three strokes behind winner Charl Schwartzel, who bested Bill Haas in a one-hole playoff.McCoy grew up not far from the course and couldn't even remember how many times he'd played there, but he was clearly familiar with it and it showed on his scorecard. Unfortunately, when he went to hand it in, he saw something terrible. Something Spieth told him not to look at.
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Fourth place should have netted McCoy $292,800. Do you know how many Natty Lights a college senior could buy with $292,800? 292,800. Still, he's got a little exposure and a nice finish in a PGA Tour event, so that should help when he gets to turn pro after his college career. Unfortunately, that's not so comforting when you've got to drive seven and a half hours back home to Athens to get ready for a title defense at the Southern Intercollegiate beginning today.As for the money McCoy had to forfeit? Charles Howell III and Graham DeLaet, who finished tied for fifth, split the winnings.[Golf.com]Q. How difficult is it for you to think of 200-some-thousand-dollars you might have won?
LEE MCCOY: Jordan, we were sitting in the scoring tent and it was a sheet with the winnings there and he told me not to look. I looked. I shouldn't have looked. Lot of money. Lot of money. I think I got like 350 bucks in my bank account right now so it's mostly gas money. It hurt but there's so much going great for me right now. I'm just trying to take it all in, just really grateful to be standing here.