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Who is Will McGirt? A closer look at the Northern Trust Open's 54-hole leader

February 16, 2014

Everyone who doesn't follow the PGA Tour religiously -- and even some who do -- might be excused for not knowing more about the Northern Trust Open's 54-hole leader. Will McGirt isn't particularly high profile (although, until a few weeks ago, neither was Jimmy Walker), so here's a quick fact file about him:

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__A North Carolina native, McGirt attended Wofford College in South Carolina and graduated in 2001. After school he remained an amateur for three years, working for his dad for a time at the Eastern Junior Golf Association.

"I just never won that much in college or did anything spectacular as an amateur," McGirt said about not turning pro sooner. "I knew I wasn't ready."

Early Pro Career

After turning pro in 2004, McGirt played a variety of mini-tours, mostly in the Southeastern United States. In 2009 he made it onto the Web.com Tour via Q-School and, after failing to gain promotion to the PGA Tour, went back to Q-School in 2010. He finished second, earning him his PGA Tour card for the following year. He lost his card in 2011, but finished in the top three again at Q-School to make his way back onto the PGA Tour in 2012.

Related: William McGirt takes lead at Riviera

2012 and 2013__

__In the 54 PGA Tour events McGirt played in 2012 and 2013, he accumulated five top ten finishes, including consecutive runner-up finishes at the Canadian Open. He finished 74th and 92nd on the 2012 and 2013 PGA Tour money list, respectively. A win at the 2014 Northern Trust Open would be his first on tour.

Golf Swing

Here it is: