September 4, 2002

COLUMBUS, OH — The relentless rise of Ohio's Don McFarland over the past two months was underlined by his impressive 3rd-place position in the Carl Spackler On Tour Championship.

The 34-year-old from Hilliard has carded rounds of 44, 64, 43, 43, 41 and 48 to end up at 43 points per round -- just 5.7 points behind leader Chris Lashley of North Carolina on his tremendous golf year.  "It was a really fun summer," said a delighted McFarland after playing Monday evening.

"I arrived, played a couple of rounds early this summer and really started to enjoy golf over the past few months, where I developed a good strategy and golf swing.  "I hit a lot of drivers off the tee, I attacked it to a certain extent.  It seems to have suited me."

McFarland, who took the golfing world by storm as an amateur in 2001 when he shot 88 at Westchester and has not returned to the eighties until last week.  Don is scheduled to play in his 2nd major this season -- the 7th annual Golfapalooza 2002 at Alpine Lake Golf Resort in Terra Alta, WV.  

The young Ohio boy has impressed golf fans with the quality of his game and his unpolite and unapproachable demeanor.  "I plan to kick butt this year and take money in the future.  Lashley is mine before October.  My other goal includes January, when Carl Spackler makes the largest single change to a players NOOG points in amateur golf history."