Community pulling for PGA qualifier

Since his high school days, McCook has known of the golfing talent of Chris Wiemers. Now, as a qualifier for the 87th PGA Championship, Chris's game will be showcased for the entire golfing world.

As the climax of a whirlwind summer, Chris will be playing against 97 of the 100 top-ranked players in the world at the PGA tournament. One of golf's four major championships, this year's PGA will be played at the historic Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. The tournament will be telecast to a worldwide audience starting Thursday, Aug. 11, through Sunday, Aug. 14.

To show support for Chris's accomplishment, a fund drive is now in progress in McCook to help with his expenses. "We have $1,000 committed, and gifts are continuing to come in," said Lee Maiden, golf professional at Heritage Hills Golf Course. Others wishing to contribute may do so by sending checks to McCOOK FOR WIEMERS, % Heritage Hills Pro Shop, 6000 Clubhouse Drive, McCook, NE 69001.

Although Chris now serves as the golf pro at Eagle Run in Omaha, he keeps in close touch with McCook. He has a number of relatives here and returns as often as possible for the John Mullen Pro-Am.

Golfing wise, "Chris has it all," says his good friend and high school classmate, Jason Loop. "Chris is super long and is a really good putter," said Jason, who now serves as a CPA in McCook.

Chris and Jason started golfing together in the early 1980s, soon after the opening of the Heritage Hills Golf Course. They went on to high school success, playing together on the 1990 MHS team which won the state Class B title.

Qualifying for the PGA is only one of Chris's achievements this summer. He also qualified for the Cox Classic, the Nationwide Tour event taking place in Omaha this week.

Showing he can compete with touring professionals, Chris shot two under par Thursday, which put him in a tie for 45th place after the first round of the Cox Classic. If he can put together another good round today, he will make the cut and play in the final rounds of the Nationwide Tour event Friday and Saturday.

That will leave him a short amount of time to get to Baltusrol, where his brother, Greg, will serve as his caddy during the Aug. 11-14 event.

McCook will be watching and pulling for Chris in his PGA debut. With the support of family and friends, Chris is putting McCook and Heritage Hills on the worldwide golfing map.