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Area Pros Set for PGA Championship

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 7, 2016) -- Professional golf's final major championship of the year is here once again, as the best players in the world compete in the 99th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., August 10-13. The Met Area is represented once again, as Matt Dobyns of Fresh Meadow, Adam Rainaud of Winged Foot and Alex Beach of Baltusrol are all in the field following top finishes in June's PGA Professional Championship at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.

Related: Video: Alex Beach previews PGA Championship

Rainaud and Beach both logged top-10 finishes. Rainaud tied fifth at 1-under 286 over four rounds to secure his second trip to the PGA Championship, while Beach posted 1-over 288 to tie for ninth and advance to his first-ever major championship. Dobyns, a two-time winner of the PGA Professional Championship, finished at 2-over 289 to tie for 16th and earn his third consecutive and fourth overall appearance in the PGA Championship.

Starting times for the 99th PGA Championship:

Pairings Thursday Friday
Adam Rainaud, Tony Finau, Fabrizio Zanotti 7:30 a.m. 12:40 p.m.*
Lucas Glover, Matt Dobyns, Hideto Tanihara 12:35 p.m. 7:25 a.m.*
Alex Beach, Sean O'Hair, Kevin Na 2:25 p.m. 9:15 a.m.*
* 10th tee start    

Prior to his trip to Charlotte, we caught up with Rainaud, who is in his first year at Winged Foot Golf Club, for a quick Q&A:

How has your first season been so far at Winged Foot?
I thoroughly enjoy working at Winged Foot. The staff I work with are top-notch professionals and we all get along very well. The members are very supportive of our careers and playing schedules. There is not a better golf club in the world.

You played very steadily at the PGA Professional Championship en route to a T5 finish, what were some keys to your performance that week?
My brother and I have a good system going while he is on the bag. I kept a nice even attitude the whole week and just took it one shot at a time. I drove the ball well and didn't make any big mistakes. I will score well if I can limit my mental errors for the week. In Oregon I only had one or two.

What does it mean to be competing in the PGA Championship once again?
It feels great! A big career goal of mine is to play in as many majors as I can. So far so good, in the PGA PC. To spend a week with my family and play on the big stage makes it a very memorable experience.

What do you know about Quail Hollow, and how do you see your game fitting the course?
It is very long!! I do not hit the ball very far so I hope the fairways are firm! I think the key for me will be to hit a lot of fairways and I will need a great putting week. I heard the place is pure!

What have you been working on leading into the PGA Championship?
I practice on the range very rarely. I do play several times per week and that is where I work on my game. Playing at Winged Foot, you need every shot in the bag, let's just hope I can execute next week! When I arrive at Quail Hollow, I will focus on 50 yards and in and getting used to the turf conditions.

Can you give us an idea of what your preparations will look like early in the week?
I arrive Sunday night. Monday I will play nine and then be on The Golf Fix that night at 6:00!! Tuesday, I'll play 18 and on Wednesday I'll play nine early, then rest. I will work on short game after each round for a few hours.

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