Gus Ulrich, a professional at the Country Club of Whispering Pines, has qualified for the national TaylorMade-Adidas Golf PGA Assistant Professional Championship to be held Oct. 26-29 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Ulrich earned the berth with a third-place finish in the Carolinas Assistant Professional Championship played at Wachesaw Plantation in Murrells Inlet, S.C., Monday and Tuesday.

Consistently one of the top players in the Carolinas PGA Section, Ulrich, who recently moved from Pinewild Country Club to Whispering Pines, shot 70-72 -- 142.

Curt Sanders of Wilmington won the title, defeating Mike Way of Hamlet in a one-hole playoff. Sanders shot 71-70, while Way had rounds of 70-71.

Joining Sanders, Way and Ulrich in the national championship was Eric Dugas of Powells Point, who won a three-way playoff for the final berth.

Sanders won the playoff when Way, of Richmond Pines Country Club in Rockingham hit his second shot into a water hazard.

Sanders won $2,000, Way $1,400 and Ulrich $1,190.

Jamie Johnson of West End tied for 10th with 148 and won $552. Gene Roberts of Whispering Pines shot 166, Gordon McKinlay of Pinehurst was at 167, and Brandon Grecco of Aberdeen and Billy Ore of Pinehurst shot 170.

The winner of the national event earns $9,000 out of the purse of $100,000, and will be invited to the 2007 Australian PGA National Futures Championship. If eligible, he also earns a berth in the 2007 PGA Club Professional Championship.

Tarheel Tour: Jeff Curl of Jupiter, Fla., holed a 45-foot eagle putt on the final hole to win the Tarheel Tour's Emerald Lake Classic held at Stonebridge Golf Club in Monroe and the $10,500 first-place prize.

"The last two years, I've played the best golf of my life," said Curl, whose father Rod Curl won the PGA Tour's Colonial Tournament in 1974.

Matt Cannon earned $5,850 for his runner-up finish. Brian Quackenbush, Kyle Bradley and David Sanchez of Pinehurst tied for third place with three-day totals of 200.

Chrysler Classic: Junior golfers can learn the game from the best in the business at the Youth Golf Clinic presented by Coca-Cola and Triad Golf Today.

The clinic is set for Sunday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

A PGA Tour player will headline the professionals teaching at the free Youth Golf Clinic. In addition to the player, local PGA professionals from Rick Murphy's Carolina Golf Academy and Robert Linville's Precision Golf School will provide instruction to kids in attendance.

There is no age requirement, but most of the attendees are between the ages of 5 and 15. In addition to the gratis instruction, each child will receive a free goody bag.

"The junior clinic is the first event of the week and the unofficial tournament kickoff," tournament director Mark Brazil said. "It's become a great event. You have the two best golf schools in the Triad teaming with a PGA Tour player to teach the game for a couple of hours. This event has really grown in the past couple of years, and we're going to do everything we can to continue to elevate it."

Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at all Triad-area Harris Teeter locations and all Piedmont Triad Chrysler Dealerships. Tickets remain available through the Chrysler Classic office.

The Player's Package includes four weekly clubhouse badges, two sponsor parking passes and a round of golf for four people at Forest Oaks Country Club following the Chrysler Classic, all for just $500.

Fans choosing to purchase tickets at Harris Teeter will receive a $10 per ticket discount when they show a valid VIC Card. The tickets available at Harris Teeter and Chrysler dealerships can be used on any single day during tournament play, Thursday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 8, or can be used as a passport for all three practice-round days, Monday, Oct. 2, through Wednesday, Oct. 4.

Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Weekly sponsor badges and ticket packages including The Player's Package are only available through the Chrysler Classic office or by visiting www.chryslerclassic.org/tickets.asp.

Tournament dates are Oct. 2 through 8 at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro. Additional tournament information is available at www.chryslerclassic.org or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570.

Mid-Am Moved: The 13th annual North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship conducted by the Carolinas Golf Association concludes today at Jacksonville Country Club.

The 54-hole event was originally scheduled for River Landing in Wallace, but flooding from hurricane Ernesto forced the move.

The CGA issued a statement from its office in West End expressing gratitude to Jacksonville Country Club and its members for making the facilities available on short notice.

Gates Four Golf and Country Club in Fayetteville and Statesville Country Club also offered their courses as substitute hosts.

Competitors who had successfully qualified or were exempt into the championship proper and had withdrawn from the event were given the opportunity to re-enter.