Nate Barbee Earns United Leasing Championship Exemption at Moon Valley

Phoenix, Ariz. – Nate Barbee of Gilbert, Ariz. recorded a stunning nine birdies on Monday morning at Moon Valley Country Club en route to an 8-under 64, good for a one-shot victory in the eGolf Gateway Tour’s 18-hole qualifier for an exemption into the Web.com Tour’s United Leasing Championship, set to be contested at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Ind. on April 30 – May 3, 2015.

Barbee, who starred in college at Kansas University, pared his opening three holes before going on a tear over the next 14 holes on the famed Dick Wilson-designed course at Moon Valley.

Birdies on Nos. 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10 put Barbee at 5-under par and in the driver’s seat for the exemption, but it was a back-nine surge featuring birdies on 12, 13, 15 and 17 that vaulted the 26-year-old to 9-under par and two shots clear of the field heading to the par-4 18th.

Barbee bogeyed the last to post 8-under 64, which wound up being good enough to claim medalist honors once the last putt dropped by Monday afternoon.

The 64 was good for a one-shot win over Brandon Harkins of Scottsdale, Ariz. and a two-shot win over Jimmy Gunn of Scotland – both of whom entered the week with a win this year on the All-American Gateway Tour.

On the contrary, Barbee entered the qualifier with three missed cuts in five starts this season and just one top-25 to his name – a T12 at Sundance Golf Club last month.

The United Leasing Championship start will mark his first in a Web.com Tour event since the 2012 Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open.

The exemption marks the 27th Web.com Tour exemption awarded to AAGT in tour history, and the fourth of the 2015 season following three spots granted into the Rex Hospital Open. In addition, the tour has been granted a total of three PGA TOUR exemptions and four European Tour exemptions.

After three years of existence, the United Leasing Championship has become one of the Web.com Tour’s most popular stops, thanks in part to host Victoria National Golf Club.

The 1998 Tom Fazio design was named “Best New Private Course” by Golf Digest in 1999, No. 11 on Golf Digest’s “Best New Modern Courses” list in 2007, “Best in State” for Indiana by Golf Digest in 2013, and No. 47 on Golf Digest’s “America’s Greatest 100 Courses” in 2013.

For more information on the United Leasing Championship, please visit www.ulcgolf.com.