Swihart Captures Inaugural PEDC Championship in Laughlin, Nevada
SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS — Jason Swihart, a 30-year-old amateur who resides in Horton, Michigan, a suburb of Jackson, has emerged as the most exceptional driver of the golf ball in North America.
Swihart captured the 2005 Pinnacle Exceptional Driver Championship, which rewards accurate power, at Laughlin Golf Ranch in Laughlin, Nevada on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Swihart earned a $50,000 first prize and the keys to a new Honda S2000 Roadster.
Swihart, who posted 41 points in the championship five-ball set, said he needed "about five minutes" to decide to accept the prizes and forgo his amateur status. "I was only planning to take the money if I finished first or second," he said.
Swihart’s winning performance will be the centerpiece of a 60-minute PEDC highlights package scheduled to debut on ESPN2 on Friday, Nov. 25 at 3:30 EST.
The program is scheduled to re-air on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 2:30 EST.
Swihart was one of 128 local winners from across North America who competed at the inaugural PEDC championship finals. He qualified for the finals at Laughlin Ranch Golf Club with a winning score of 65 points at a July 31 qualifying event at Wedgewood Golf Course in Ottawa Lake, Michigan.
Kyle Kulling of Discovery Bay, California, finished runner-up to Swihart by amassing 33 points in his championship five-ball set. He earned $22,000. On July 23 at Brentwood (Calif.) Golf Club, Kulling posted the only perfect score (84 points) during the eight months of PEDC qualifying. He scored the maximum of 14 points on five consecutive drives and the same on a bonus sixth ball.
The other two PEDC finalists, Mike Tominic of Hilliard, Ohio, and Danny Sinksen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, each scored 16 points and earned $9,000 apiece.
Swihart had previously qualified for the 2005 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship finals in October. He said the RE/MAX experience in front of a large gallery and grandstands helped him control his emotions in Laughlin and find his comfort zone.
Swihart also said he worked with his brother, Jeff, a long-drive specialist who finished fourth at the 2004 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, on staying calm and focused.
Swihart placed four of his five drives with the Pinnacle Exception, the official golf ball of the PEDC, into the 40-yard-wide championship grid at the 280-290 range. That was good enough to pocket the cash and allow Swihart to drive away as golf’s new "Mr. Accurate Power."
PEDC results are posted at www.longdrivers.com and www.pinnaclegolf.com.
Contact:
Russ Pate
(214) 349-3603
Steve Wiley
(888) 233-4654
