By Brian Hurlburt | GolfLasVegas.com
Las Vegas, Nevada (September 13, 2012)–Pretty much every birdie or eagle a PGA Tour player makes means something. But most of the time it’s only meaningful to the player; a better finish; thousands more dollars in the bank ; possibly a victory; etc. But for Las Vegas Golf Region resident and native Scott Piercy, each under par score helps others as much as those birdies throughout the year helped secure him a spot in the FedEx Cup TOUR Championship.
Piercy, along with fellow Las Vegas Golf Region resident Ryan Moore, are a part of the Birdies4Shriners charitable campaign. With both securing spots in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the TOUR Championship, they each have chances to make a lot more birdies and eagles therefore raising more dollars for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The public can join in on the fun by agreeing to pledge a certain amount for each birdie and eagle they make. And there is still time get involved for the TOUR Championship and any other events the two play down the stretch, including the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (click now to sign up for Birdies4Shriners). And that’s pretty cool according to Piercy.
“It’s definitely nice when I get done with a round to check the card and see my birdies, and know that I am helping others give back to a great cause,” says Piercy, a native of Las Vegas. “It’s very nice to know that when I do well it means a lot more than just posting a low score.” Piercy is a two-time PGA Tour champion having won the 2012 Canadian Open and also the 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open. Birdies4Shriners is a joint initiative between the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and Shift4, a Las Vegas-baed company which sponsors Piercy and Moore.
To date, the campaign has raised more than $62,000. Through the BMW Championship, Piercy had generated 337 birdies while Moore was in with 303 birdies. And more than $11,000 has been raised during the FedEx Cup alone with the TOUR Championship still to come. It ‘s the first time Piercy has qualified for the TOUR Championship, and despite not playing up to his standards in the Playoffs to this point, Piercy sees the big picture of what it all means. He entered the Playoffs in 15th in the standings but barely secured a spot in the TOUR Championship with the final 30th spot in the standings when Vijay Singh and others finished poorly at the BMW Championship.
“After I won and I moved up in the standings I really thought I had a chance at winning the FedEx Cup, but I kind of ran out of gas,” says Piercy from his home during the week break between the BMW and the TOUR Championship. “Realistically I still have a chance but I didn’t play well last week so my chances are slim and none, and slim just left the building. But I am very excited to be in the TOUR Championship because of the doors it opens, and it makes planning my schedule for next year a lot easier. I am also very excited for my sponsors. A lot would have to go my way at the TOUR Championship but I feel like I am getting good rest this week and I will be ready to go.”
While Piercy is focused on the final FedEx Cup event, he has taken a bit of time to think about the hometown event which tees off October 4-7 at TPC Summerlin. In 2013, the event becomes a full-point event in the FedEx Cup. “I am always excited to be home and to play in Vegas,” says Piercy. “It’s kind of one of those tournaments you really want to win because it’s in the hometown. And with family, friends, and sponsors all here it would be great to tie all of those things together with a victory … (The FedEx Cup in 2013) makes the tournament far more appealing to the top players and they can now try to start the year off right and get some points going. It’s a little early for players to be thinking about it but I think it only means the tournament will get bigger and better.”
In addition to Shift4, Piercy is sponsored by APEX Systems and Keyed In Solutions. Shift4 is involved with the JT Shriners Open in other ways besides the Birdies4Shriners campaign including as a major sponsor and as the creator of the “Who’s Your Hero” campaign which recognizes Las Vegas heroes during tournament week. Shift4 is a leading developer of enterprise payment solutions, provides powerful, web-based applications that allow merchants to turn their customers’ credit, check, debit or gift card transactions into dollars in the bank quickly, accurately and securely.