On Thursday in the opening round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, the 38-year-old Fairmont native will add two more names to his list: Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.
The group will go off at 10:55 a.m. Eastern time from the 10th tee box at TPC Summerlin on Thursday morning.
“It will be fun,” McGirt told The Robesonian. “I’ve never played with either of them before, but I know them both. Ernie, I know a lot better. I have played in his charity events several times; he’s just a really good guy. One thing is for sure: I’ll be hitting first from most every fairway.”
Els, known as “The Big Easy,” is a four-time major champion and former No. 1 player in the world. Singh, who was also the top golfer in the world at one time, has won three major championships, including The Masters in 2000 — a three-stroke victory over Els.
With his driver, McGirt hits a golf ball roughly 280 yards off the tee. The 48-year-old Els drives the ball roughly 284 yards and Singh, 54, hits it 289 yards.
Playing four solid rounds of golf isn’t the only goal for McGirt this week in Las Vegas. He’s one of 19 players committed to help raise $10,000 to be donated to Shriners Hospitals across the nation as part of the “Fundraise FORE Love” campaign.
“I think it’s great that we have some players willing to jump in and help raise money,” McGirt said. “For me, it’s personal because my dad (Curtis) was a patient at Shriners Hospital as a kid.”
McGirt has visited the Shriners Hospitals in Honolulu, Tampa, Houston, Los Angeles and Greenville.
He will be donating $250 per birdie and $500 per eagle back to Shriners Hospitals for Children during this week’s event.
To donate, visit the story on robesonian.com and click on this link.
Coming off a tie for 25th at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, McGirt will look to bounce back from last season’s missed cut in Vegas.
In 2015, McGirt matched his career-low round of 62 at TPC Summerlin, finishing in a tie for eighth.
Source: robesonian
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