Despite having the latest starting time for any of the final round pairings of the 2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX, Ryan Gerard carded a 5-under 66 to finish at 26-under for the tournament, giving him a six-stroke lead and his first win of his Korn Ferry Tour career.
“I didn’t really know how many shots I had until No. 17 green,” Gerard, a North Carolina native, said of his lead. “When I saw that, I figured I could get it in the house from there. It was cool to go bogey-free on the weekend.”
Ryan Gerard wins the BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Thornblade Club on June 9, 2024. Gerard pulled away from the field on Sunday for a six-shot win. Gerard’s final-round was 66: he had a 72-hole total of 26-under 259. Here, Gerard evaluates his final putt. Image courtesy of ALEX HICKS JR./SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL
Gerard has played golf essentially since learning to walk, getting his first clubs at age 2. Playing on teams through school, Gerard won the American Junior Golf Association’s Polo Golf Junior Classic while in high school. He was recruited for the golf team at the University of North Carolina, and managed to beat Ben Griffin’s school record for career scoring average. Gerard has played professionally since 2022 after parcipating in the 2022 NCAA Championship.
While Gerard has won nearly $1 million in official earnings as a pro-golfer, his win at the BMW Pro-Am was his first on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, which moved him into the number 10 spot for the tour.
About the BMW Pro-Am
The official website describes the charity event as the only “tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour where celebrities and amateurs are grouped with Korn Ferry Tour golf professionals in a three-day better-ball competition over two courses.” For the event 160 tour pros are paired with 160 amateurs and celebrities. This year, the teams competed for the $1,000,000 purse with rotating rounds on two courses: the Thornblade Club and The Carolina Country Club. Since 2001, the tournament has raised nearly $16 million for multiple Upstate charities and non-profit organizations.
According to the event’s website, funds raised during the 2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am will benefit eight featured charities: Folds of Honor Palmetto State Chapter, Friends of the Reedy River, Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute, The Hispanic Alliance, Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, Neighborhood Cancer Connection, PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well Spartanburg and Upstate Warrior Solution.
Read more about Ryan Gerard’s win on GoUpstate.com
Watch Ryan Gerard’s Pro-Am reel on Facebook.
Read the PGA’s article about Ryan Gerard’s win.