William McGirt is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

er who plays on the PGA Tour

PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...

.

College career

McGirt attended Wofford College

Wofford College

Established in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...

 and won three collegiate events, including the 2001 Southern Conference Championship, before graduating in 2001. He was the 1998 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and a 2010 inductee of the Wofford College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

McGirt turned professional in 2004 and spent several years playing on mini-tours. His first break came by reaching the final stage of qualifying school

Qualifying school

In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...

 in 2009, allowing him to play on the Nationwide Tour

Nationwide Tour

The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...

 in 2010. He ended 2010 34th on that tour's money list, then finished runner-up at qualifying school to earn his PGA Tour card for 2011. McGirt qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs

FedEx Cup

The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007 after a NASCAR-like points race. Bill Haas is the current champion...

 in his rookie season, advancing as far as the Deutsche Bank Championship

Deutsche Bank Championship

The Deutsche Bank Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held annually over the Labor Day weekend. The tournament made its debut in 2003 and is held at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton, Massachusetts...

. He finished 141st on the 2011 PGA Tour money list.

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