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Miller Capps Named N.C. Junior Boys’ Player of the
Year |
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West End, NC— December 2,
2011 - Miller Capps of Denver has been named the 2011
N.C. Junior Boy's Player of the Year by the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and
the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA). The N.C. Junior Player of
the Year award recognizes one girl and one boy who have had the most successful
year in amateur and junior golf events at the local, state, regional and
national levels.
Capps, an
18 year old high school senior at North Lincoln
Senior High school, placed in the top 10 seven times
along with finishing tied for 33rd in the
US Junior Amateur Championship at Golf Mountain Golf
Club in Bremerton, WA after reaching match play. In
May, Capps finished in sixth place in the state 2A
high school championship while leading
North Lincoln to
a runner-up team finish. Over the summer, Capps
made the cut in the NC Open and Amateur
Championships and finished the year with a 72.8
tournament stroke average. Capps has signed to play
college golf at Clemson University.
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Carter
Cheves, WCU Men’s Golf inks National
Letter of Intent with Tyler Lail to play for
the Catamounts |
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CULLOWHEE, N.C. – December 1,
2011 - Western Carolina head men’s golf coach Carter
Cheves this week announced the signing Tyler Lail (Conover, N.C. / Bunker Hill
HS) to a National Letter of Intent to play golf for the Catamounts beginning in
the 2012-13 season.
"We are excited to add Tyler Lail to our roster. We have a lot of talented
players returning next season and Tyler will add quality depth to our team,”
said Cheves. “He is an excellent putter and has played an extensive junior and
amateur schedule to prepare his self for college golf."
He added, "Tyler's confidence and enthusiasm for the game will help push our
team even further in the right direction. Western Carolina is getting a great
young man and a talented player ready to represent the Purple and Gold."
Lail joins a strong, on-going trend of
premier signees for WCU. Over the previous two seasons, the Catamounts have
inked top amateur players including the last two winners of the Trusted Choice
Big “I” National, Greg Bunner (2010) and J.T. Poston (2011).
Lail
has been a three-time All-Catawba Valley Athletic
2-A Conference (CCAC) selection including league
Player of the Year honors last season. He
additionally garnered All-State plaudits last year
as a junior, finishing as the runner-up in the state
2-A West Regional.
As of the most recent rankings released in early
November, Lail ranks 28th among all boy’s golfers in
the state of North Carolina.
Lail placed 10th in the American Junior Golf
Association (AJGA) Cleveland Healthcare Junior by
posting rounds of 70, 72 and 70. He also placed in
an eighth-place tie at the AJGA Woodward Video
Junior with rounds of 72 and 68. Additionally, Lail
recorded a top 10 finish at the AJGA Preseason at
St. James, a top 15 in the Dogwood Junior
Championship and a top 20 showing in the North
Carolina Junior Championship. In June of 2011, he
finished third in the Greater Hickory High School
Challenge at Rock Barn – an event won by current
Catamount freshman Poston.
Back in August, Lail carded an opening round
five-under, 67, in the prestigious Joe Cheves Junior
Invitational at the Mimosa Hills Country Club which
enabled him to be in the final pairing before
placing in a tie for 20th overall.
Western Carolina opens the spring portion of its
2011-12 season in late February at the Wexford
Plantation Intercollegiate, hosted by Francis Marion
Feb. 20-21. The 54-hole event will be hosted on
Hilton Head Island, S.C.<>
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John
Ervin Crowned 2011 #1 Golfer in the
Unifour |
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NEWTON, NC – November
26, 2011 – Western Steer
- The Unifour Golf
Association is an
amateur golf
developmental tour for
adults and has been in
operation since 2001.
Each season they put on
30 plus events that the
participants will be
awarded points according
to their finish in each
event. The player with
the most points at the
end of the season is
crowned the “#1 Golfer
in The Unifour.”
The UGA has just
completed its eleventh
season but is crowning
only its fourth tour
champion, John Ervin
from Hiddenite, NC.
Scott Miller of
Taylorsville, NC has won
five tour championships,
Jack Beach of Newton, NC
has won two tour
championships and Dennis
Cranford of Hickory, NC
has won one tour
championship. There was
no tour championship
award in 2001 and 2003
the first two years of
its operation.
John Ervin competed in
30 events in route to
his Tour Championship.
Of those 30 events Ervin
won six Tour Titles.
Ervin is a scrambler on
the golf course. He
finished fourth in
scoring averages, third
in “Greens in
Regulation” and sixth in
“Ball Striking.” His
money stick kept him out
of the top ten in
putting and his long
stick was his most
detrimental club in his
bag. Ervin ended up 20th
in getting his ball on
the fairway with his
driver.
Where there is a will
there is a way and John
Ervin has a lot of will
and he found ways to
score and end the day at
or near the top in all
of his events. Ervin
epitomizes a UGA player.
They

love
the game of golf and
play the game as it is
designed to be played.
Their competitive desire
drives them to practice
and work on their
weakness and more
importantly they are not
quitters. No matter how
bad the round is they
will stay in the fight
till the last hole is
played.
The
“B: Flight Champion for
this season is JD
Osborne from Union
Grove, NC. Osborne has
been on the Tour since
2007. Finishing at the
top of the heap for the
“C” Flight was Eric
Parker from
Granite
Falls, NC. The completion of the 2011 season was
Parker’s seventh season on Tour. Doug Wolfe from
Maiden, NC captured his first flight championship
winning the “D” Flight .
Wolfe completes his third season with the UGA Tour and
has been on a consistent scoring improvement every
season.
The UGA Tour
will kick off its 2012 season on March 3, 2012. New in
2012 is that the four majors will become two day
events rather than the single day events that they
have been. The total number of events in 2012 will
mirror the 2011 season.
For more
information on the UGA Tour go to
www.theuga.com Back
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Christ
School Sends Three of it's golfers to Notre
Dame, Purdue and High Point |
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ARDEN, NC - November 9, 2011 -
Christ School - This must be the year of triplets.
Salisbury high school had three of its golfers sign letters of intent yesterday
and Christ School in Arden, NC capped Salisbury with their own trio of golfers
signing NLOI. Cory Sciupider is headed to Notre Dame, Jeff Krieger will be
playing for Purdue and Tye McKay will play golf for High Point University.
Cory
Sciupider, North Carolina's 17 best junior golfer signed his LOI with Notre
Dame.
Prep golfer Cory Sciupider has signed a
National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall of
2012, eighth-year Irish head coach
Jim Kubinski
recently announced.
"We're
thrilled to announce the signing of Cory," Kubinski
said. "Cory has excelled in the classroom and on the
golf course and has played extensively and
successfully at the national level. He has a chance
to do great things."
Sciupider,
enjoyed a busy prep career that saw him earn four
varsity letters in golf at Christ School in Arden,
N.C., while also competing in both soccer and
basketball. During his time with the high school
team, Sciupider helped the squad go undefeated and
claim the state championship his sophomore year
after birdying the second playoff hole, while also
claiming the individual conference championship
during his freshman and junior years and earning
conference Player of the Year recognition both
years. A two-time selection as team MVP, Sciupider
also was a three time all-conference, two time
all-region and four time all-state honoree.
On the junior circuit, Sciupider
earned five top-10 results including
placing third at the North and South
Junior in '10 with a 216 (+1). His
other top results included a tie for
fifth at the AJGA at the Greenbrier
, highlighted by a second round 67,
sixth place at the AJGA Preseason at
the Chateau Elan in '10, sixth place
at the '11 North Carolina Big I
(140, -4) and a ninth place showing
at the '11 North and South Junior
after finishing one over (216). Over
the course of his playing days,
Sciupider also has managed to card
four hole-in-ones, including two
within a four-day span at age 13.
"Cory is a talented and
well-rounded player," Kubinski
stated. "I like his short game a
great deal. He's a very good ball
striker though too. I first saw him
at the Western Junior and was
immediately impressed by how he
carried himself out there; low
stress and very confident. Cory can
compete for a spot when he arrives
in August. He has the game to make
an easy transition to college golf.
He certainly makes enough birdies."
The other two players from Christ
School are Jeff Krieger who signed
to play golf at Purdue and Tye Mckay
will be playing golf at High Point
University. At the time of this
writing neither school has published
their signing's. When they have we
will publish those reports.<>Back
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The
Blue Knight of North Lincoln High Turns
Orange Miller
Capps Signs
Letter of Intent with Clemson |
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LINCOLNTON, NC
– November 9, 2011 – North Lincoln High School –
Today
is “Letter Signing” day all across North Carolina
and the CGNT was present at one of them. Senior
Miller Capps of North Lincoln high school signed his
letter of intent to play college golf at Clemson
University. On hand to witness the signing were his
parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters as well
a a wealth of well wishers.
Capps is
currently ranked as the number one junior boy’s
golfer in the state. His choice of Clemson
University is as he says, “A dream come true.” You
see Miller Capps is not a native of North Carolina.
His father was transferred from South Carolina to
North Carolina with Duke Energy. Capps has only
lived in North Carolina for four years.
Capps came to
golf by way of his father. He began knocking a golf ball
around before the age of two and joined his father
on his trips to the golf course where he would play
a few holes but mostly ride in the cart. The seed of
golf was planted early in Miller by his dad and they
would play their favorite game in the shadows of
Clemson University where both of his parents went to
college.
So this
commitment to play golf at Clemson University is a
way of taking Miller back home. In fact that is what
he says whenever they go back for football games
that it just feels like home.
This is a
great loss to North Carolina but the
coming to fruition of a young boys dream is much
more valuable as evidence that dreams do indeed come
true. Video Interview........... |
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Mark Lauffenburger Wins at Brushy Mt.
John
Ervin Earns #1 Golfer in the Unifour
Title |
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TAYLORSVILLE, NC –
October 29, 2011 –
Brushy Mountain Golf
Club – Everything was on
the line at Brushy
Mountain for Hiddenite’s
John Ervin,
Hickory’s
Chris Murray, Hickory’s
Brian Pitts and Granite
Falls Eric Parker. As
the players unloaded
their clubs they were
met with the coldest
temperature they’ve
played in this season as
well as some pretty
strong winds that
complicated play more by
the leaves that the wind
blew off the trees.
The battle for the UGA Tour
Championship was between
John Ervin and Chris
Murray. Parker and Pitts
were battling it out for
the “C” Flight
Championship.
The first hole may have set the tone
for the Championship
race. Chris Murray took
a bogey and Ervin came
off the first green with
a double. The leader
after the first hole was
Granite Falls Tim Cooke
with his only birdie on
the front nine. That
birdie allowed Cooke to
keep the lead through
two holes but his bogey
at three allowed Ron
Frady from
Hickory to take a share
of the lead.
Frady’s share of the lead evaporated at
four with his bogey that
was followed four with his bogey that
was followed by another
bogey at five. Cooke
alone in first stayed
there until hole six
when he carded his third
bogey of the day while Frady made his first and
only birdie on the front
side for a two stroke
swing that brought him a
share of the lead with
Cooke.
Cooke’s bogey at six began a bogey run
that led to the turn at
the clubhouse costing
him the lead after seven
holes to Frady who
finished the front side
par-par bogey for a 38
to Cooke’s 40.
Both the race for the UGA Championship
and the “C” Flight were
no where close to being
settled through the
turn.
Murray had Ervin by two
strokes and Pitts had
Parker by the same
margin.
Frady, with the lead in hand, self
destructed at ten with
the dreaded snowman.
Frady was never able to
recover from his eight
on ten.
The wind was playing havoc with the
player’s shots. The cold
was causing errors in
club selection. All in
all it was turning out
to be a bad day. The two
races for the
championships were going
to the player who can make the fewest
bogeys.
Out of the mess of bogeys there began
to emerge a par run by Mark Lauffenburger.
Lauffenburger made the turn at
41, three behind the leader at the turn Frady. With
ever par made his taking of the lead was done by the
twelfth hole. After making par at 14, his fifth par
in a row since the turn, he iced his lead with his
first birdie of the round at fifteen.
Lauffenburger huge lead was diminished
a few at 16 where he found a lot of trouble and came
away with a triple bogey but went back to work
making birdies on 17 and 18 for an even par backside
of 36 and a five over 77 for the day winning his
second UGA title in row.
In the battle for the “C” Flight
Championship Pitts led at the turn but he book ended
his back nine with a pair of triples thus
surrendering his effort for the title. Eric Parker
came away at Brushy with the title.
The battle between John Ervin and Chris
Murray turned out to be a battle to see how could
make the least bogeys with
Murray winning the day but not winning enough points
to over take Ervin for the UGA Points Championship.
John Ervin joins Scott Miller, Dennis Carnford and
Jack Beach as UGA Tour Champions.
John Ervin is the 2011 #1 Golfer in the
Unifour. |
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Hendersonville Man Handles Their Competition
In 1/2A West Regional |
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KINGS
MOUNTIAN, NC – October 24, 2011 – 1/2A West Regional
– Woodbridge GC – The Hendersonville Bearcats
ripped up their competition at the 1/2A West
Regional at Woodbridge. Their lead Bearcat Allea
Hawkins carded the second best round of the day at
Woodbridge. Hawkins 84 was trumped by Rachel Trent
from Owens High School. Ranger Trent shot a front
nine of 39, the best for nine holes front or back.
Trent’s back nine of 43 was the second lowest behind
Brittany Smith from East Lincoln.
Trent’s 82 won
for her a trip to the state and the medalist honors
at Woodbridge. Owens as a team will not see any
state playoff activity.
The Bearcats
of Hendersonville gave no quarters in their romp at
Woodbridge. All four members of the Owens team will
be traveling to Pinehurst next weekend. Hawkins
wingmen Kelly Jackson and Courtney Simpkins added
scores of 95 and 103 respectfully to Hawkins 84 for
a team total of 282, a 23 stroke victory by the

L-R Kelly Jackson, Courtney
Simpkins, Allea Hawkins, Bailey Ford, Coach Greg
Pace( Click Photo for larger view)
Bearcats.
Sitting 23
strokes back of the Bearcats in second place were
the Knights of Lake Norman Charter. Megan Ports, the
Knights No.1 led the way with a 97 just one stroke
ahead of fellow Knight Kaelyn Pack with a 98. Kayla
Thomas completed the Knights team score of 305 with
a round of 110.
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Third place
and state bound are the North Lincoln Knights led by
KC Crister with a 101. Hannah Nixon supplied 102
strokes along with Brook Bennes 103 for a team total
of 306.
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L-R Kelly Jackson, Courtney
Simpkins, Allea Hawkins, Bailey Ford, Coach Greg
Pace( Click Photo for larger view) |
The fourth
team to win a berth at this years state playoffs in
Pinehurst are the East Lincoln Mustangs. Mustanger Brittany Smith led the herd with a round of 90. Tori
Morgan and Taylor Johnson supplied the 110 and 112
strokes respectfully for team total of 312 and a
punched ticket to Pinehurst.
Results....
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Marvin Ridge Takes
Home the Gold at the West 3A Regional in Asheville |
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ASHEVILLE, NC - October 24, 2011 -
Asheville Municipal Golf Course - Marvin
Ridge's marked their first time
appearance in the 3A West Regional with
a ten stroke victory over West
Henderson.
The Mavericks were led to victory by
Rachel Walker with an 81. Amanda Hampton
added 89 and Morgan Laird threw in 91
strokes for a team total of 261.
West Henderson team scored 271 strokes
to place as runner-ups in the 3A West
Regional. The Dynamic Duo of Chandler
Danielson and Payton Culler
shot an 85 and a 84 respectfully and
Stasia McMullen, who won the admiration
of her teammates and coaches with her
round of 102. This is the first time
that she has even come close to
qualifying to participate at Regionals
and she was steady as a rock posting
identical front/back nine hole scores of
51 for a total of 102.
Third place at 3A West regional went to
South Pointe with a team total of 280.
South Pointe's Katie Barnette lead the
way with a round of 89 that was backed
up by Keslynn Pihl with a round of 94.
Madi Cauble topped off the scoring for
South Pointe with a 97.
The Fourth place team to win a ticket
tot he state playoffs is Forestview.
Kelsi Rowland led the way with a 94 and
Julia-Kay Reece was two strokes back at
96. Karlee Garrison brought in a 100 to
complete the team total of 290.
Results.... Back
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Where There is a Will There is
a Way! |
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MORGANTON,
NC – 2011 Girl’s Golf Season – The Burke County
Girl’s Golf League – Across the foothills of
Western North Carolina there are two high school
conferences called the CVAC, which stands for the
Catawba Valley Athletic Conference, and the South
Mountain Piedmont Conference. Both of these
conferences are very active in all the other sports
except for girl’s golf. Oh, there is a pulse there
but very faint.
When the
girl’s who wanted to come out and play golf for
their high schools there was no place for them to
play, but thanks to the service of the men and women
we call coaches they were not turned away. Instead
they formed a girl’s golf league.
Mr. Yates Jensen, the girl’s golf
team coach at Jimmy Draughn high school in Morganton
explains it this way, “We actually played an
inter-county league this past season due to the fact
that our respective conferences that our schools are
members of do not have any other schools that
participate in Women's Golf. Therefore, we just
play matches that
involve the
four schools in Burke County (Draughn, East Burke,
Burke, Freedom, and Patton).
Draughn and East Burke are part of the CVAC 2A
Conference. South Iredell (2A CVAC) has a team but
due to travel distance, they did not participate
with us except on a couple of occasions. Patton and
Freedom are part of the South Mountain Piedmont and
they are the only schools that have Women's Golf.”
Thanks Coach
Jensen and all the rest of the coaches of the Burke
Country Girl’s League for keeping the pulse beating
and cultivating these young golfing seeds.
Golf is a
lonely sport. These junior golfers never get carried
off the field on shoulders; they never get applauded
for crossing the finish line, goal line, hitting a
game winning basket or a home run. They go out most
times by themselves carrying that bag of clubs from
one and half to three miles every time they go out.
They dig their game out of the dirt with
perseverance and determination to find the best way
for them to get that little white orb into the cup.
With all of that comes self assurance and belief
that they can do anything. With all of that they
learn how to handle disappointment and
accomplishments. With all of that they learn how to
manage their game around 18 holes. With all of that
creates, I believe with all of my heart, the future
leaders of our communities. Way to go young ladies
of Burke County.
YTD Results......... |
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Lake Norman Charter Brings
Home the Southern Piedmont 2A Conference Championship |
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DAVIDSON, NC – October 19, 2011 – River Run CC – The
Southern Piedmont 2A conference completed their 2011 season
at River Run CC in Davidson, NC in spite of the very wet
conditions.
Lake Norman Charter hosted this last event of the season and
celebrated the completion of the season with a 15 stroke
victory. The Lady Knights finished the season with a 5-1
match wins. The Lake Norman Charter Knights win the
conference championship and their No.1, Maegan Ports was
crowned the Player of the Year. The Knights placed three of
their players on the All Conference list. They were Maegan
Ports, Kaelyn Pack and Brittany Buchstad. Ports won her
fifth medalist honors at River Run.
North Lincoln won their first match of the season to end the
2011 season but finished with three seconds and two thirds.
Hannah Nixon led North Lincoln this season well enough to
finish fifth in the conference. Nixon and three of her
teammates, KC Crisler, Brooke Bennes, and Margo Lovelace
were named to the All Conference team.
Other Southern Piedmont players named to the All Conference
were Brittany Smith of East Lincoln, Alexis Killian of
Lincoln High and Taylor Shellman of Highland Tech.
Next on the calendar
is the regional on Monday at Woodbridge in Kings Mountain,
NC. -
Match Results...... |
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The
Falcons Reign Supreme Over the Big Sky Country |
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HENDERSONVILLE, NC - October 18, 2011 - WNC Athletic
– The WNC Athletic conference convened for a two
day 18 hole event at Lake Juanluska and Etowah
Valley concluding their season’s play. The Falcon’s
entered this event with the conference championship
in hand. This was a great way to get tuned up for
the regional that begins next Monday in Asheville.
The final
event for most conferences are where the awards for
Player of the Year and All Conference Teams are
named as well as certifying those teams and players
that will be going to the regional. Over the two
days of play the Falcons exhibited why they were the
number one team in the WNC Athletic conference. Led
by their dynamic duo of Chandler Danielson and
Payton Culler they won the event by 81 strokes.
Danielson finished the two days with a 148 while
Culler carded a 157. Stasia McMullen finished out
the team total with a 194.
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Chandler
Danielson |
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Payton Culler |
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Pisgah Bears
rolled in at runner-up with a team total of 580 led
by Ashley Thompson who finished the two day event
with the second best total of the event at 155.
Elizabeth Belham and Haley Penland carded two day
rounds of 204 and 221 respectively.
The third
place finisher was Franklin with a team total of
592. Franklin No.1 was Carly Paysuer with a 183.
Erin Campbell and Sydney Pierce brought home a 193
and 216 to complete the team total.
The Player of
the Year for the WNC Athletic conference is Chandler
Danielson who finished the season with a 37.50
stroke average just nudging out teammate Payton
Culler. The All
Conference Team consisted of Chandler Danielson,
WHHS – Payton Culler, WHHS – Ashley Thompson, Pisgah
– Erin Campbell, Franklin – Carly Payseur, Franklin
– Stasia McMullen, WHHS – Elizabeth Belham, Pisgah..
All six
schools in the WNC Athletic conference are going to
the regional next Monday.<>
Match Results........
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CHARLOTTE,
NC – October 18, 2011 –
Southwestern 4A
Conference – Ardrey Kell
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CHARLOTTE,
NC – October 18, 2011 –
Southwestern 4A
Conference – Ardrey Kell
– The Knights of
Ardrey Kell entered
another undefeated season in their record books.
Coach Bart Whitney said this about this season,
“While many focused on the accomplishments of the
2009 and 2010 teams, this year’s team established
realistic academic
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Stinson |
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markiewicz |
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and
athletic goals and has remained committed to
achieving them. The Knights will prepare for
their Regional as we always have. Should we
build a good plan to navigate the challenging
Pine Island Country Club and execute well, we
hope to post a competitive score and qualify
for the State Championship in Pinehurst the
following week.”
Emily
Stinson, a junior at
Ardrey Kell leads the
team with a stroke
average of 37.0 and is
backed up by junior
Allyson Markiewicz with
a season average of
38.1. Markiewicz posted
her season best score, a
35 in a recent match.
Coach Whitney says,
“This is an indication
that her game is getting
sharp at the right
time.” Both of these
ladies are ranked in the
states top 25 junior
girl’s rankings.
Megan
Cullip, a freshman put a
season stroke average of
43.0 into golfing resume
for this season.
Rounding the Ardrey Kell
team are senior Amanda
Nguyen, freshman Haley
Lubas and freshman
Brianna Frank. <> |
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Mallard Creek
Wins I-Meck 4A Conference |
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CHARLOTTE,
NC – October 16, 2011 – I-Meck 4A Conference –
The I-Meck 4A Conference is made up of eight
schools. They are Hopewell, WA Hough, Lake Norman,
Mallard Creek, Mooresville, North Meck, Vance and
West Charlotte. Vance and West Charlotte are not
fielding a girl’s golf team this season.
In the first
competition of the season Mallard Creek won by a
very decisive margin of 14 strokes and has never
looked back. However there were two matches that
Mooresville gave Mallard Creek a run for their
money. In the second and fourth matches Mooresville
came within five strokes of taking the wind out of
the sails of Mallard Creek.
Mallard Creek
handily won the I-Mech 4A Conference title.
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Morgan Zemaitis |
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Josefin Ekesbo |
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Jade Dawkins |
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Mallard Creek
and Mooresville were the dominant teams in the I-Meck
Conference this season. Of the top ten spots. They
are Morgan Zemaitis (2013), Josefin
Ekesbo(2013) and Jade Dawkins(2012). In a tie for
the eighth spot is Sarah Bennett(2014). Mooresville
placed three of its top players in the top ten. The
fourth and fifth spots are Mooresville players
Jesses Long and Abby Cathcart and tied for the
eighth slot is Amanda Beard.
The No.1 spot
at Mallard Creek belongs to Morgan Zemaitis, but
only by less than a stroke. Josefin Ekesbo is the
No.2 at Mallard Creek. This pair sets the pace at
Mallard Creek but a good No.3 is required for a team
to dominate a conference as Mallard Creek does. The
No.3 slot is filled by Jade Dawkins. Dawkins filled
the No.3 spot with a consistent production of 46
strokes a round.
At Mooresville Jesse Long and Abby Cathcart are tied
at the hip in scoring. If it weren’t for dismal
points you could not tell their scoring apart.
Amanda Beard holds down the No.3 spot at
Mooresville. Mooresville has been more successful
outside of conference play in which they finished
second behind Mallard Creek in every match.
In a non conference match at
Cowans Ford CC they finished first against East
Lincoln, North Lincoln and Lincolnton along with two
other first played at Warrior and Mooresville. In a
more recent outing the Mooresville Blue Devils
entered the Iredell County Championship where they
finished first.
Coach Davidson said, “I am
excited! We are sending an entire team of five to
the regional.”
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WA Hough fills the third spot
in the team standings of the I-Meck 4A Conference as
of October third. Hough placed two players in the
top ten by season’s end. Hough is lead by Bailey
Jones. Jones placed as the seventh best golfer in
the I-Meck conference while teammate Tessa Young
placed tenth. Camille Battah contributed the most
scores for the number three golfer on the Huskies
team.
YTD Scorecard.. |
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Tim Cooke Wins First UGA
Title of Season at Lenoir Golf Club |
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LENOIR, NC – October 15, 2011 - Lenoir Golf Club –
Other than an occasional gust of wind this was a perfect day
for golf and the UGA Tour players were looking to get back
to their regular playing conditions and erase the fiasco of
those two holes at River Oaks Golf Club last week. Right out of the chute Rick Chapman, Time Cooke, Ron Frady,
Jim States and the 2010 UGA Tour champion Jack Beach made
back to back pars to take the early lead after two holes of
play. Then it was on to the short par five third which has
an eagle siren song when you step onto the teeing ground.
The par five third at Lenoir is only 448 yards from the back
tees. From the teeing ground you see a dog leg right that
has a creek running across the fairway away from the tee
box. That creek then splits and with the split running down
the right side of the fairway up to the green. On the other
side of the fairway and just over the creek is a fairway
bunker backed up by a line of trees running down the cart
path just as the bend in the dog leg begins.
For those who find a safe landing on the other side of the
creek can be rewarded with an eagle opportunity.
Today only three golfers had an eagle putt but none was
successful. The eagle putters came off of three with the
lead as they all made their birdie putts. The lead was now
in the hands of Tim Cooke, Ron Fardy and Jack Beach.
Cooke was facing a pretty good head wind on the par
three fourth requiring a successful club selection.
His approach was long sending him some ten yards
past the hole leaving him a down hill chip which he
came up short requiring him to two putt out for his
first bogey of the round and a loss of his share of
the lead.
Both Beach and Frady made par
at the fourth keeping their share of he lead in
tact.
Through the next two holes the
lead did not change but a door was opened by both
Frady and Beach who mimicked each other by carding
back to back bogeys on five and six. For Frady he
continued his bogey run all the way to the turn. The
open door allowed Cooke to step in. After his bogey
at four Cooke went par-par and took the lead away
from Beach at six.
The lead stayed the same
through seven but at eight Beach took a double
pushing him back of Cooke by three and it let Ervin,
who birdied eight, take advantage of a three stroke
swing to join Beach. Now both Beach and Ervin were
chasing Cooke who was now three strokes ahead going
to nine. Just in back of Ervin and Beach was Chris
Murray.
Cooke leading by three was
short on his tee shot at the par three ninth and
landed in the front greenside bunker. In his effort
to get out of the sand that hit just shy of the
green surface but ran up the hill towards the cup
stopping less than three feet short and left leaving
him one of those agonizing left to right breaking
putts at an angle to the cup. His putt was short
leaving him a tap in for his second bogey on the
front side giving him a one over par 37 front side.
Beach found his second double
in a row at the ninth while Ervin made par. Beach
went up to a front side total of 41 and Ervin made
the turn with a 39 two strokes behind Cooke.
While everyone had their eyes
on Cooke, Ervin and Beach all of sudden Mark
Lauffenburger joined Ervin in second after his tee
shot at nine which almost holed out and tapped in
for his birdie
Cooke opened the backside with
his third bogey of the day. Beach came back with a
birdie on ten along with Chris Murray. Ervin bogeyed
the tenth giving both Beach and Murray a two stroke
swing and putting them in a three way tie for third.
Lauffenburger made par at ten leaving him in second
now just one stroke behind Cooke because of his
bogey at ten.
Now the race was getting
excited as there were four good golfers within two
strokes of each other.
As the match progressed the
play remained at the pace it now stood at except for
Jim States who had worked his way up to the fourth
spot through the turn. Beacuse of missed putts,
bogeys and double bogeys the race for the finish
ended up between Cooke and States who was two shots
back of Cooke heading into seventeen.
With two holes to play States
needed to make it happen at seventeen especially if
Cooke has a hiccup which he did. All the others had
worked themselves out of contention by the 16th
hole. Cooke was the in the group ahead of States.
Cooke's drive found the fairway but Cooke’s approach
to the green was short requiring a chip for his
third on this par four. His first putt just missed
the cup which he holed out for a bogey.
States, in the group behind
Cooke had his opening. A par would bring him within
one stroke and a birdie would tie the match. States
tee shot also found the fairway. Now onto the green
but that was not to be. States also missed his
approach shot and ended up two putting for a bogey
and the runner-up title.
Cooke pared out at 18 and won
the Lenoir Fall Open by three strokes over States.
This was Cooke’s first win this season. The UGA
Tour’s next to last event of the season will be
played at Silvercreek Plantation in Morganton, NC
next Saturday, October 22. For more information on
the UGA Tour go to
www.theuga.com. Results....... |
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West
Henderson High Strolling
to Conference
Championship |
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MAGGIE VALLEY, NC –
October 12, 2011 –
Maggie Valley Golf Club
– The
WNC Athletic Conference
played their next to
last match of the season
on the beautiful Maggie
Valley Golf Club. Golf
played at Maggie Valley
is like playing on two
different courses. The
front nine is flat as a
fritter and the back
nine requires legs of a
Billy goat.
The West Henderson
Falcons took to Maggie
Valley with ease posting
a team total of 264.
This eighteen hole match
was their third this
season with two more to
play. Chandler Danielson
took back the role of
medalist at Maggie
Valley. Danielson had
won the first three
medalist titles at the
start of the season and
then teammate Payton
Culler took over and won
the medalist honors for
the last three matches
before this the seventh
match of the season.
Danielson posted an 80
to claim the medalist
honors while Culler came
in with an 84. Stasia
McMullen finished out
the team total with a
round of 100.
Winning the runner-up
title for the third time
this season were the
Panthers of Franklin.
The lead Panther was
Erin Campbell with a
round of 100. Carly
Payseur and Sydney
Pierce added 104 and 106
respectively to the team
total of 311.
Franklin’s 311 was one
stroke better than the
third place finisher the
Pisgah Bears. The lead
Bear was Ashley Thompson
with the second best
round of the day, an
83.
On Monday
the 17th the
WNC Athletic Conference
will begin an official
two day two round event
at Lake Junaluska
Match Results..... |
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NORTHWESTERN 3A/4A
CONFERENCE – October 11, 2011 – With the 2011
season winding down there is no doubt that the
Alexander Central Cougars will be crowned the
conference champions of the Northwestern 3A/4A
Conference. The Cougars are undefeated in their last
four outings of conference play.
This scrappy bunch of
Lady Cougars has all five of their players in the
top ten players list in this conference. The Cougars
No.1 and and tied for number one in the conference
is Abbey Hartsell, a freshman at Alexander Central.
Hartsell
started making waves in her middle school years and
continues to do so in high school. Hartsell is
averaging 38.25 strokes a match. Hartsell’s
teammates, Katie Lail, Kelsie Rhyne, Jessica Fisher
and Noel Gwaltney are averaging rounds of less than
45 strokes a round creating a very formidable
scoring machine, especially in women’s golf.
At a distant second
sits South Caldwell lead by Rachel Lineback.
Lineback averages 45 strokes a round
while her wingmen
are averaging near fifty strokes a round.
Watauga is bringing
up the rear in the Northwestern Conference but their
leader, Savanna Wood, is tied for the
individual lead with Alexander Central’s Abbey
Hartsell. Wood came out of the cute with a 40 and
41. After she had shaken off the rust her game
started coming around and won the medalist honors
her third time out and shared the medalist honors
with Hartsell in her fourth outing.
Based on the Cougars
scoring average they have a good chance to win a
team spot for the state playoff. Four teams from
each regional, there are nine, will go to the state.
In addition fourteen individuals who score well and
whose team did not make the cut will go to the
state. Both Watauga’s Wood and Alexander Central’s
Hartsell have a great chance to advance to the
state. The Northwestern
3A/4A Conference has several individuals playing as
individuals because there were not enough girls to
try out for the teams. Hickory high, a bastion for
3A state men’s championship teams, has only one
player, Bree Keller
who qualified for the state playoffs last year and
finished in the top 15. Fred T. Foard is represented
by Ashlyn Setzer. Setzer has qualified for the state
as an individual the last two seasons and finished
last year in the top 30. Representing St. Stephens
High are Faith Sronce and Cait Maciver. Hibritten
was not able to field any players this season.<> YTD
Results.....<>Back to the top......
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Lake
Norman Charter Continues Their Winning Ways |
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SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 2A CONFERENCE – October 10, 2011 –
Lake Norman Charter Knights are having no mercy on all
comers. The Lady Knights leader, Maegan Ports, cruised to
her third medalist honor out of the four matches that the
Southern Piedmont Conference has played this season.
Her round of 41 in this latest match is right on the button
of her stroke average. Her highest round this season is a 43
and her lowest round is a 40. Her medalist win helped her
team come in with their lowest team score of the season.
Ports got some big help from Kaelyn Pack who scored her
lowest nine hole total of the season with a 44. Helping the
Lake Norman Knights bring in their lowest round of the
season was Brittany Buckstad with a 53.
Runner up was North Lincoln lead by Hannah Nixon with a 51
and the third place team was East Lincoln with a 167 lead by
Brittany Smith who had the fourth lowest round of the match,
a 47.<>
Match results....... |
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Ervin Takes Tour Points
Lead With Win at River Oaks |
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STATESVILLE, NC – October 8, 2011 – River Oaks
Golf Club – In the fourth from last event of
the 2011 season the UGA Tour gathered at River
Oaks Golf Club. Though the course has had some
greens problems, as a lot of courses have this
summer, the
Tour was excited to be playing this recovering
tract.
Under some
of the best golf weather experienced this season
the Tour began play and within two holes
multiple UGA title winner this year, JP O’Renick,
jumped into the lead. O’Renick’s lead melted
away at three. Taking the leadership reins after
three were the two current Tour points leaders,
Chris Murray and John Ervin. Number three was
the waterloo for many players as the cup
placement was in a very difficult location
causing a larger number of putts than normal for
the field.
Ervin took
the out right lead at the par five fourth with
his first birdie of the round but gave of the
lead at the par three fifth with his bogey
allowing Murray to comeback into sharing the
lead. From the par three fifth Murray and Ervin
moved off from the field and remained
in a tie through the turn at 38 each, but that
was about to change at ten.
The UGA is
all about helping golfers improve their golf
skill and the Tour loves a very competitive golf
course-put, when a cup placement is set like the
one at River
Oaks on number ten the word
skill is replaced with luck. This cup
on No.10 at River Oaks was placed on the side of hill that
had to have at least a three inch or more inside of a foot.
There were as many as 18 attempts to cup a ball on this
hole. The actual number of putts was much higher as the Tour
only allows number of putts counted when putted from the
green surface. After the fiasco at ten Chris Murray landed
on top of the leaderboard followed by the ever present
Ervin.
The players were trying to shake off
the memories of snowmen and double-digit scores at ten but
for many of them it was very difficult. Murray scores a nine
on the par three 11th while Ervin made par and
regaining the lead by a substantial number.
From eleven on in to the clubhouse it
was Ervin. Ervin managed to maintain control though the
remaining eight holes to finish with an impressive 79 in
spite of No.10 and it’s impact on the players.
Next week the UGA Tour is headed for
its final play at Lenoir Golf Club for this season. For more
information on the UGA Tour GO to
www.theuga.com
Results......
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West Henderson Continues
to Roll |
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LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC - October 6, 2011 – Lake Junaluska
Golf Course – The Falcons of West Henderson continued
their dominance of the Western North Carolina Athletic
conference on Thursday at Lake Junaluska. This was the
second 18 hole match of this season for this conference.
The Falcons were led to victory by Payton Culler. Ever since
she turned the corner on August 31, there has been no
stopping her. For the third match in a row Culler walked
away with the medalist honors with a round of 74.
The other half of the dynamic duo, Chandler Danielson was
chasing her team mate but came up three strokes short with a
77. Stasia McMullen added 95 strokes to make the team score
at Lake Junaluska 246.
At 31 strokes back was Pisgah at 277. The lead Bear was
Ashely Thompson with an 83. Elizabeth Belham and Haley
Penland added 92 and 102 respectively to the team total of
277.
Franklin took home the third place plaque with a team score
of 285 led by Erin Campbell.
The NWC Athletic conference will now be preparing for the
regional that will take place at Woodbridge Golf Club
located in Kings Mountain, NC on October 24th.<>Back to the top...... |
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Lake Norman
Continues Their Dominance |
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Southern
Piedmont Conference – October 5, 2011 – East Lincoln High
School hosted the Southern Piedmont 2A Conference at its
home course for their third match of the season. The
visiting team of Lake Norman Charter took home its second
consecutive victory out of three matches. The Knights
leader, Megan Ports continues her leadership role for the
Knights. Ports carded her highest score of the season, a 43
but were aided by her No.2, Brittany Buckstad, who came in
with her lowest round of the season, a 48. The team total of
147 was completed by Kayla Thomas with a round of 56.
North Lincoln beat out East Lincoln for the runner-up spot
by three strokes; a little come up pence after East Lincoln
did it to North Lincoln in their last match. The North
Lincoln threesome took three of the top ten finishing spots
for a total of 154. Brittany Buckstad led the way with a 48
while Brook Bennes and KC Krisler brought home a pair of
51’s.
East Lincoln’s Brittany Smith continues her consistent play
leading her Mustangs to a third place finish with a round of
45.
With only three match completed the Southern Piedmont 2A
conference has got a lot of golf to get in before October
24, the beginning of the state wide regional play. The 2A
regional will be held at Woodbridge Golf Club located in
Kings Mountain, NC<>Back to the top......
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Payton Culler claims her
second medalist honor for 2011 |
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ETOWAH, NC – September 28, 2011 – Etowah Valley CC – The
Western North Carolina Athletic conference held their first
18 hole match of this season at the famed Etowah Valley CC.
Payton Culler who is normally wingman to Chandler Danielson
brought home a five over par 77 to claim her second medalist
honors of this season. Culler bested her team mate Danielson
by four strokes who claimed the individual runner-up title.
The play of these two fine golfers helped bring home another
match title for the West Henderson Falcons who are still
undefeated. Helping Culler and Danielson secure West
Henderson’s fifth victory was Stasia McMullen with a 110.
Culler looks to be gelling just at the right time as she has
pulled alongside her team mate Danielson in year to day
stroke averages. They are the Falcon’s dynamic duo!
The runner-up team title goes to Franklin for the second
time this season. Erin Campbell led the Panthers with a nice
round of 97. Carly Payseur and Sydney Pierce came in with
100 and 115 respectively to help Campbell win their second
runner-up title this season.
Pisgah, led by Ashley
Thompson had to settle for a third place finish. - Click
here for the full leaderboard...... |
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Lauffenburger
Wins at Cedar Rock |
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Continued from Front Page
LENOIR, NC – October 1,
2011 – Cedar Rock
Country Club –
The
UGA made its final stop
of this season at Ceda
Rock CC in Lenoir, NC.
The UGA gathered at
Cedar Rock on one of
the coldest mornings of
this season requiring
the players to think
about what clubs to use
approaching the greens.
Speaking of the greens,
they were just punched
the week before the UGA
came to Cedar Rock. The
club chose to use the
big tines so needless to
say the putts were going
to be bumpy most likely
meaning higher scores.
After the Westport event
the UGA Tour point’s
race narrowed to less
than a point separating
John Ervin and Chris
Murray in the first and
second spots. Then the
No. 3 man, Rick Chapman,
is less than a hundred
behind the top two. So
every stroke a t Cedar
Rock is very valuable.
The Cedar Rock event is
being played at one of
the longest yardage
played this season, over
6600 yards. That added
to the green’s condition
is sure to make things a
little dicey for those
needing points.
As expected the scores escalated
allacross the board. Tim
Cooke of Granite Falls
and Gary Dyson of
Statesville were tied
for the lead at the end
of two holes. Both
players recorded pars
while the rest of the
field was posting bogeys
and double bogeys.
Cedar Rock is still
recuperating from the
“Winter Kill” of 2010.
Though most of it has
been repaired fairways
three and seven are
still played as “ground
under repair.” As the
players moved on and
through number three
only two players were
able to manage a par on
the par five 502 yard
hole. Aaron Thomas from
Mt. Holly, NC and
current Tour points
leader John Ervin from
Hiddenite, NC played
their first two shots
just like the book but
both of their approach
shots missed the green.
Thomas has a great
chipping game and he
proved it again on this
hole to save his par.
His chip rested about
nine inches from the cup
for an easy tap in par.
Tour leader Ervin is as
deadly on his chipping
as well and was able to
almost duplicate the
chip of Thomas.
After three holes the
leaderboard changed
leaving Time Cooke and
Aaron Thomas tied for
the lead. Dyson came off
of three with a triple
bogey.
Thomas lost his share of the lead
at four when his approach shot landed in the
right hand greenside bunker from which his
effort to get out fell short of the putting
surface requiring his fine chipping skills to
save par but this time his chip was a little
long leaving him a down hill putt which he
missed. His come back putt was good for a double
bogey.
Cooke also
bogeyed four but was alone in the lead after
four holes of play and it stayed that way
through the next three holes even with Cooke
making a double at the par four seventh, one of
the two fairways still in recovery. Had Aaron
Thomas made his bogey putt he would have
regained his lost share of the lead at seven.
Now Thomas was one stroke back of Cooke after
seven.
Quietly
working his way around Cedar Rock was Lenoir,
NC’s Mark Lauffenburger. Lauffenburger also had
a chance to snare a share of the lead at seven
had he made his par putt. Now Cooke was being
tracked by both Thomas and Lauffenburger as they
neared the half way house. The scores were not
looking too good for all at the end of seven
holes.
The par
three eighth hole at Cedar Rock is not a deep
green but is wide and slopes right to left with
a little ridge running from front to back
leaving most shots off the back left side of the
green. For those who end up on the right front
side of the green or on the front apron their
putt of chip efforts would end up in the back
left corner of the green or apron.
Only three
pars were posted at eight and one of the bogeys
or doubles belonged to Cooke and Thomas. Making
par were Lauffenburger and Chris Murray, No.2 on
the Tour points chase. Laufenburger’s par
brought him into a tie with Cooke for the lead.
Murray’s par gained for him a share of second
with Thomas as they moved onto the final front
side hole.
No.9 at
Cedar Rock had some Winter Kill but only small
remnant of it remains along the left side of the
fairway from the fairway bunker on the left
ending up around the turn. This is a fairly easy
hole if you stay center and right of center, but
when you look at the average for the hole on
this day it stood at 6.33.
The co leaders both bogeyed
the hole, Cooke a bogey and Lauffenburger
doubled. This allowed Thomas and Murray, who
both made par at the ninth, to make it a three
way tie for the lead as they headed for the
inward nine.
As all the players made the
turn you could tell it was going to be a bad day
at the Rock. The average score on the front side
was 50.33.
Lauffenburger made a quick
strike starting out the back side with a birdie,
the only one made by the players through nine
ten holes of play. Cooke and Thomas bogeyed ten
while Murray made a double leaving Lauffenburger
in sole possession of the lead from which he
never looked back.
On the way in Lauffenburger
would make two more birdies and three pars and a
couple of bogeys for a backside score of 37 for
the victory. Out of seven starts he has now won
two titles raising him to eighteenth in the Tour
point’s race.
The UGA Tour travels to
River Oaks for its first of the last four events
of the 2011 season. The River Oaks event is a
double point’s event. Currently there is only 45
points separating Murray and Ervin with Rick
Chapman only 250 points out of first place. For
more information on the UGA Tour go to
www.theuga.com.-
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Maiden's Thomas Lilly
Wins the Ken and Betty Isaac Junior Invitational |
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NEWTON,
NC – September
25, 2011 – Catawba County Club – The
seventeenth annual Ken and Betty Isaac Junior
Invitational was held at Catawba Country Club in
Newton, NC. The tournament is named after the
Ken and Betty Isaac for their relentless
contributions to junior golf in Catawba County
North Carolina.
Every
year, the Board of Directors of the Ken and
Betty Isaac Scholarship Foundation, review
applications from high school seniors from
across the Catawba County high schools.
Current juniors
in Catawba County Schools who are interested in
applying for The Betty and Ken Isaac Scholarship
need to inquire about the scholarship with their
high school guidance counselors early in the
fall. Since the initial scholarship award of
1994-1995, winners have attended various
institutions including Appalachian State
University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne
College,
UNC-Wilmington, NC State
University, UNC-Greensboro, and East Carolina University.
Betty and Ken
Isaac, married for nearly 52 years and both
retired from Carolina Mills, had no children of
their own. Eleven years ago, they decided to set
up the scholarship to assist young students who
exemplify integrity, leadership in the
community, success in their school, and an
interest in golf. Another major criterion is
financial need. The Isaacs hope to continue to
help young people for as long as they can. In
fact, says Ken Isaac, “Our whole estate will go
into this scholarship upon our passing. We want
to continue providing for these deserving
students.
For more than a
decade, we have kept our young boys and girls in
school; as one leaves, another begins. We’ve not
been disappointed with any of our scholarship
winners. They have all graduated or they are
currently enrolled in college,” he said. “Betty
and I have met some of the finest young people
that you could ever imagine.” -
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Alexander Central
Wins by Seventeen at Catawba Springs CC |
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HICKORY, NC – September 27, 2011 –
Catawba Springs CC – The
Northwestern 3A conference finally got
to play some golf. It seemed like it
would rain on every scheduled match
day.
The lay off did not seem to dampen the
drive of the Alexander Central Cougars.
They took up where they left off –
Winning!
The lead Cougar for Alexander Central
continues to be Abby Hartsell. Hartsell
had a two over par round of 38 that won
for
her another medalist medal.. The
best three scores are used when adding
up the team’s totals for a match but in
this match all three of Hartsell’s
wingmen carded rounds of 42. They are
Jessica Fisher, Katie Lail and Kelsie
Rhyne.
South Caldwell came in second with a
team total of 139 and in the third slot
was Watauga with a score of 147. <>Back to the top...... |
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Southern Piedmont Update: |
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WESTERN REGION, NCHSAA – The
Southern Piedmont 2A conference has completed two matches
thus far this season with Lake Norman Charter leading this
six team conference by seven strokes over North Lincoln
High. Lake Norman Charter’s Maegan Ports has lead the
Knights with rounds of 40 and 41 earning her the medalist
honors in both matches.
A seven stroke lead is
tenuous at best, especially when the North Lincoln Knights
are the one’s chasing you. Lake Norman’s Ports is getting help
in this challenge from Kaelyn Pack and Brittany Buckstad.
All three of Lake Norman’s players have finished
in the top ten but so have North Lincoln’s Hannah Nixon, KC
Crisler and Brooke Bennes.
The wild card in this mix-up
will be East Lincoln. The East Lincoln Rams are sure to butt
their heads into the fray as they have the second best
Southern Piedmont golfer standing in the shadows of Ports,
Brittany Smith. Smith along with Tori Megan and Taylor
Johnson are ten strokes off of Lake Norman but only three off of
North Lincoln. This sounds like a Mexican standoff. So who
ever blinks first might just find them sliding backwards.
Lincoln High School has one
player, Alexis Killian in the top ten and
appears to be playing as
an individual this season. To complete the top ten
ranking is Taylor Shellman form Highland Tech. Shellman
is comfortably ranked fifth after two matches.
From a reporters point of
view this Southern Piedmont conference is one to watch
this season cause it looks like there will be some real
jockeying for positions as the season heads towards the
regional.
Current Standings....... -
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West
Henderson Falcons Remain Undefeated
Payton
Culler Claims First Medalist Medal |
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HENDERSONVILLE, NC – September 26, 2011 – Crooked
Creek Golf Course – The Western North Carolina
Athletic conference met on the nines at Crooked
Creek Golf Course for their third conference match
of the season. Up to now it has been an all Falcons
season and it still is.
The Falcons of
West Henderson High continued their dominance of the
WNCAC not only in wins but in strokes as well.
Posting a 127 which is their second best round of
this young season the Falcon have a huge stroke lead
over the rest of the conference teams.
The Falcons
dynamic duo of Culler and Danielson will be a force
to contend with in the conference, the regional and
the state. Chandler Danielson has claimed the
medalist honors in their first two matches but
surrender her run to the half of this duo, Payton
Culler. Culler claimed her medalist medal with an
even par round of 36. Danielson tied for second with
a 39, her highest score thus far this season. Stasia
McMullen contributed 52 strokes to the Falcon’s team
total of 127.
Pisgah’s
Ashley Thompson, who opened her conference play with
a low forties round, has settled down and is
becoming a challenger to the Falcons dynamic duo.
Thompson posted her second consecutive round of 39,
which tied with Danielson for the second spot in the
top ten. Thompson’s round helped the Bears of Pisgah
to grab the runner-up title in this third match.
Helping Thompson were Elizabeth Belham with a 52 and
Haley Penland with a round of 60 for the team total
of 151.
Franklin won
the third spot handedly over the remaining field
consisting of Tuscola, East and North Henderson.
Results......... -
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John Ervin
wins his 5th 2011 UGA Tour title |
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DENVER, NC –
September 24, 2011 – Westport Golf Club – The annual
pilgrimage to Westport Golf Club under threatening
clouds and a great prospect for rain was made this
weekend. The UGA Tour plays on a lot of different
courses throughout its 30 some odd match schedule
but this is the only stop for the Tour to play on
Bermuda greens which at this time of the season a
really fast.
Because of a
huge overnight rain the Bermuda greens at Westport
were quite slow at the start of the match but by the
turn the speed was ever increasing the more the
sunlight had shown through the clouds. Over all the
putting at Westport compared to last season’s event
were much improved.
Multiple 2011
title winner JP O’Renick jumped out to an early
command of the top spot of the
leaderboard
because of his birdie on the first hole. O’Renick
held the lead until hole No. 4 the number one
handicapped hole at Westport. O’Renick took
four shots just to reached the green on this
downhill over water and then up hill to a green.
Once on the green O”Renick needed two putts to get
the ball into the cup. O’Renick’s double at four
opened the door to a whole host of players to join
him at the top of the leaderboard.
Now, besides
O’Renick, there was Rick Chapman, last weeks winner
at Pudding Ridge, Tim Cooke, number four in the Tour
Points race and Josh Weddington from Statesville all
sharing the top spot.
On the way to
No. 6 Weddington dropped out of the lead with a
couple of bogeys and then at six Chapman tripled it
leaving only O’Renick and Cooke alone at the top of
the board.
Chapman’s triple
was fresh in the mind of O’Renick as they began to
play the par five seventh, so much so that O’Renick
duplicated Chapman’s play at six with his triple at
seven. Meanwhile Cooke took a commanding lead with
his first birdie of the round at seven.
While no one was
looking, last season Tour Champion Jack Beach was
making his move on the lead. Beach also birdied
seven which gave him the number two spot just one
stroke behind Cooke. As the front runners neared the
turn, both Cooke and Beach bogeyed eight. Their
bogey allowed the ever dangerous Ervin to move a
little closer to the leaders’ in fact just one
stroke behind Cooke in a tie with Beach for second.
Number nine cost
Cooke his share of the lead with his triple at nine
giving way for Beach and Ervin to now command the
lead through the first nine holes with their
duplicate pars at nine. After a string of bogeys
Josh Weddington settled down and was able to come
across the half way point in second with a front
nine score of 39, one stroke behind Beach and
Ervin.
Both Ervin and
Beach struggled at the par five tenth but Beach more
so than Ervin. Ervin’s bogey at ten opened the door
for Weddington to move his name to the top of the
board with his par at ten. Beach’s double at ten
allowed Cooke to come back into the shadows of the
lead sharing the number two sport with Beach.
Weddington’s par
on ten set him up to make a big move at eleven.
Eleven at Westport is a sort dog leg left that the
danger of hitting out of bounds on both sides of the
fairway is very high and today a lot of strokes were
lost at this hole.
Only four pars
and one birdie were cared at eleven and one of the
pars belonged to Weddington. Ervin’s drive was faded
left and long landing past the white stakes
eventually costing him seven strokes. This triple at
eleven by Ervin gave a three stroke lead to
Weddington over Ervin and a two stroke lead over
Beach and Cooke.
Ervin came back
with a birdie on twelve bringing him into a tie with
Cooke. Beach doubled twelve pushing him back into
the pack chasing Weddington, Ervin and Cooke.
Things remained
the same for the leaders until hole fourteen where
Weddington made a bogey against a par for Ervin
letting Ervin move one stroke closer to Weddington
with four holes to play.
With four holes
to play the race narrowed to two players, Weddington
and Ervin. Ervin made a move on Weddington at the
short, very short, par four fifteenth. Ervin’s drive
stopped short of the green by about 12 feet. With
his chip up he was left with a very makeable putt
for birdie which he did. With third birdie of the
round Ervin was now sitting along side of Weddington
at the top after Weddington made par at fifteen.
Ervin got into
some trouble at the par four sixteen with his drive
going right of the cart path. His ball was lying up
against a tree requiring him to chip out laterally
for his second shot. From there Ervin made a good
approach resulting in an easy two putt bogey. Bogey
was the word of the day for the leaders at sixteen.
Weddington also had trouble finding the fairway at
sixteen and even more so than Ervin. Weddington had
to take four shots to get to the green verses
Ervin’s three. Both two putted giving Ervin the edge
and the lead after sixteen holes.
Both would par
the par thee seventeenth taking the battle down to
the last hole but with a lot more pressure on
Weddington as he would have to make a birdie for the
tie and an eagle for the win assuming Ervin would
make par.
These two
golfers can rally grip it and rip it and when they
do they are not always accurate. Both Ervin and
Weddington missed the fairway on their drives and
Weddington’s was the worst of the two. Ervin was
able to chip out and reach the green in regulation
while Weddington could not so out the window went
the eagle opportunity leaving Weddington the
daunting knowledge that he would have to sink his
approach shot for his birdie which he did not. After
both golfers two putted the eighteenth the spoils
went to Ervin for his fifth UGA title this season.
Weddington ended up in a tie for second with Tim
Cooke.
The next UGA
event is scheduled for Cedar Rock CC in Lenoir, NC
on Saturday October first with the first tee time
set for eleven A.M..
Results.........
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Rick
Chapman Wins at Pudding Ridge |
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MOCKSVILLE, NC – September
17, 2011 – Pudding Ridge Golf Club – The UGA
Tour
traveled to Mocksville, North Carolina to play
Pudding Ridge Golf Club. With the threat of rain and
football games the smallest field of players
gathered at Pudding Ridge.
As play began it was sprinkling
that lasted through the front nine. The ground at
Pudding Ridge was already pretty well saturated from
a previous rain and as usual the greens were very
receptive to the player’s shots.
Last weeks title winner, Mark
Lauffenberger grabbed the lead after the second hole
with his first of five birdies he would make today.
A trio of good golfers was hot on his heels at one
stroke back. Tim Cooke, Rick Chapman and Brian Pitts
headed into number three looking to overtake
Lauffenberger at the new par four number three. No.
3 used to be a par five but has been redirected and
changed to a par four making the front nine a par
35.
After three the trio was
whittled down to two, Chapman and Cooke, and they
were still one behind Lauffenberger who was playing
par golf.
Tim Cooke from Granite Falls
jumped on a good drive on the par four 401 yard hole
four. His drive gave him a good chance for sticking
it close on a green that slopped from back to front.
The result was Cooke’s first birdie of the day. The
leader, Lauggenber made par which allowed Cooke to
take a share of the lead after four holes of play
and leaving Rick Chapman alone in second.
After five holes of play the
ranking did not change but it would at the second
hardest hole at Pudding Ridge. The par four sixth
plays only 362 yards with a good size pond in front
of the green and plenty of trouble down the left
side of the fairway. Too far left and a tree has you
blocked requiring you to go the long way over the
pond. This hole changed the ranking.
Both Lauffenberger and Cooke
could do no better than a double which opened up the
door to first place very wide. Both leaders remained
in the lead but were joined by three other players.
John Ervin, Rick Chapman and Brian Pitts who had
clawed his way back to the top after stumbling with
back to back bogeys at four and five.
The long par three seventh
removed Cooke and Pitts from atop the leaderboard
after they posted bogeys. Remaining at the top were
Lauffenberger, Ervin and Chapman.
The dreaded “blow up hole”
happened to Lauffenberger at eight, a dogleg left
with a big old oak guarding the turn keeping most
players from taking a short cut over a bunch of tall
grass behind and down the left side all the way to
the green. Lauffenberger recorded an eight sliding
him all the way down to fifth place.
“Mr. Majors,” Rick Chapman came
off of eight with his first birdie of the day and
the sole possession of the lead. John Ervin was one
stroke back alone in second and Tim Cooke owned
third alone. That is how the ranking stayed through
the turn.
A sign of a good golfer is
where a player can shake off a bad hole and get back
to playing well. Lauffenberger did just that. At
nine and ten he made his second and third birdies of
the day. It was not enough to get him back to the
top but he was sure working on it.
At ten Ervin lost his
possession of second place with a triple bogey thus
letting Tim Cooke take over second two strokes
behind Chapman the leader. Lauffenberger’s third
birdie took him from fifth to third one stroke
behind Cooke.
Only one par was made at the
552 yard par five eleventh and that belonged to
Lauffenberger. John Ervin got a little help at
eleven with his second birdie of the round taking
him to within two strokes of the leader Chapman who
bogeyed eleven. Lauggenberger had now worked his way
back to second with his par at eleven.
Chapman, the leader who had
been playing par golf got into some trouble at the
par three twelfth. Chapman carded his second bogey
in a row at the twelfth weakening his lead. Both
Ervin and Lauffenberger made par and were now only
one stroke behind Chapman.
With six holes to play the race
was heating up.
Just as it seemed that
Lauffenberger was on the comeback trail he finds a
triple bogey at the par four 405 yard number
thirteen. His seven was a big setback sending back
down to the fourth spot. Chapman put an end to his
bogeys at thirteen with his par which kept him in
the lead by one stroke over Ervin. Cooke remained in
third.
Chapman posted another par at
fourteen while Ervin made a double. At the par five
fourteenth Cooke made a par but Lauffenberger came
charging back into a tie for second with Cooke with
his fourth birdie of the round. Cooke and
Lauffenberger were now three strokes back of Chapman
with four holes remaining.
John Ervin traded places with
Cooke at fifteen when Cooke posted a bogey to
Ervin’s par. Now in second was Ervin and
Lauffenberger chasing Chapman the leader.
In the final three holes
Lauffenberger posted back to back bogeys at 16 and
17 but finished with his fifth birdie of the day at
eighteen giving him a third place finish. John Ervin
made a run at Chapman with a two pars and his third
birdie of the day in the final three holes that
would win for him a second place finish.
The two pars and birdie by
Ervin put a scare in Chapman who made back to back
bogeys at 16 and 17. Going into No.18 Chapman had a
two stoke lead over Ervin and walked off of 18 with
a par and a one stoke win over Ervin. The win at
Pudding Ridge is Chapman’s third UGA title.
Next week the UGA Tour goes to
Westport and this will be the first an only event
the Tour plays on Bermuda greens. This is the best
time of the season for Bermuda greens meaning they
will be slick as glass.
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West
Henderson Falcons Three-Peat |
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FRANKLIN,
NC - September 14, 2011 - Mill Creek CC - The
Western North Carolina Athletic Conference held
their third match at Mill Creek Country Club in
Franklin, NC and the Falcons of West Henderson won
their third consecutive match of this season.
Though the
Falcons came off the course the victor and with
their lowest score of the season their opponents
showed signs of a better game as well.
On average
Pisgah, Franklin, Tuscola and East Henderson shot 14
strokes lower than their last match. The Falcons
bettered their last score by thirteen strokes.
The Falcons
Chandler Danielson, a sophomore, recorded her first
even par round in conference play with a 36 at Mill
Creek which also won her a third medalist honor.
Her
wingman, Payton Culler carded her first round under
forty with a 38. Rounding out
the Falcon's team total of 122 was Stasia McMullen
with a 48.
The Pisgah
Bears claimed the runner-up slot with a round of
141. The lead bear for Pisgah was junior Ashley
Thompson with her best round in conference play this
season; a 39.
Helping the
Bears claim the No.2 slot were Elizabeth Belham and
Sydney Metcalf with scores of 48 and 54
respectively.
The
Panthers of Franklin had a hiccup in their second
match ballooning to over 160 but were came back with
a fine round of 148 that was good enough for third
place.
Erin
Campbell posted a 10 stroke turn around from her
previous match and led the Panthers to a third place
finish with he lowest round of this season, a 42.
Carly Payseur and Sydney Pierce added rounds
of 52 and 54 respectively.
Click here
for the full leaderboard.... -
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Alexander Central
Notches Another Win At Orchard Hills |
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CONNELLY SPRINGS, NC - September 13,
2011 - Orchard Hills Golf Club - The Lady
Cougars of Alexander Central High recorded a 16
stroke victory in their Northwest 4A match held at
Orchard Hills Golf Club.
The medalist for the second time in a
row was the Cougar's Abby Hartsell with
a solid round of 38. The Cougars team
total of 129 was completed with a 44
from Kelsie Rhyne and a 47 from Katie
Lail.
The runner-up title goes to the South
Caldwell Spartans. Rachel Lineback lead
the Spartans with a 44. Fellow Spartans
Kristi Reynolds and Kadi Blacknik filled
out the team total of 145 with rounds of
50 and 51 respectively.
Watauga
came in third with a team total of 150.
Savannah Wood carried the banner for
Watauga with a 40. Carrie Hayes carded a
round of 53 and Rebecca Hayes finished
with a round of 57.<>Back to the top...... |
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Mark Lauffenberger Wins First
UGA Tour Title |
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STATESVILLE, NC – September 10, 2011 – Statesville
Country Club – It was a real joy for the UGA to come
back to the Statesville Country Club. The
Statesville Country Club is highly ranked by the UGA
players.
It was a beautiful day for golf
especially with the excitement that was hanging over
one of the largest fields of this season. The
excitement was due to the expectation that JP
O’Renick would become the first golfer since Scott
Miller to win three UGA titles in a row. Miller
holds the record in the UGA for consecutive titles
won.
Jim States from Morganton took the early lead with
an opening hole birdie followed by a par on the No.1
hardest hole at
Statesville.
States continued to hold onto the lead through the
first four holes with O’Renick two strokes back.
States ran into a little trouble at the
par five fifth where he saved a bogey to
lose the lead to Hiddinite’s John Ervin who
made his first birdie of the day. States
bogey pushed him back into second along
with Time Cooke, Mark Lauffenberger and
Gary Dyson.
Ervin held the lead for only the one
hole after bogeying the par four fifth.
Ervin’s bogey allowed States to share
the lead with Ervin on his par at five.
Aaron Perlman took over Gary Dyson share
of second when he doubled five while
Perlman made his first birdie of the
round. Now the lead was shared by five
golfers. O’Renick was still two strokes
back.
The leaderboard got all shook up at the
par five sixth. States bogeyed;
Lauffenberger bogeyed; Perlman and Cooke
pared while Ervin cupped his second
birdie of the day to walk off the green
with the lead in his hand.
States is a competitor, a never say
never type of player. At the par three
seventh States threw a shot at the flag
that stopped short under the flag
resulting in a birdie bringing him one
stroke closer to Ervin who made par.
Both Ervin and States bogeyed eight
which allowed O’Renick to come into the
picture at two back with one hole to
play on the outward nine. Was a three
peat in the making?
Ervin and O’Renick both made par at
No.9 while States made a double giving
him a front side total of 40. Ervin’s
par gave him a front side total of 37 to
O’Renick’s 39 and three players at 40,
States, Lauffenberger and Doug Wolfe.
O’Renick bogeyed ten and doubled eleven
while Ervin made par at ten and bogeyed
eleven. States bogeyed both ten and
eleven. The back side at
Statesville
began to take its toll on the players.
The back nine played almost a whole
stroke higher than the front nine except
for one player.
Mark Lauffenberger made the turn at 40
which was three strokes behind Ervin.
After his bogey at ten Mark went on to
make par over the next seven holes.
Ervin was already in the clubhouse with
the lead at 78 beating out O’Renick and
Cooke who both turned in rounds of 80.
Mark came to the 18th hole
at 33 for the back nine and 73 for
seventeen. On the way to the eighteenth
Mark had hit eight fairways and eight
greens so chances were good that he
would come off the 396 yard par four
with no worse than a bogey for the tie.
Marks drive missed the fairway and his
approach missed the green. After four
shots Mark was aboard and ready to make
the flat stick do its thing which it did
for a two putt bogey and a tie at 78
with John Ervin.
The players were sent to the 409 yard
ninth hole for the sudden death playoff.
Ervin gets his drive off long and
straight. Lauffenberger sets up over his
ball and rotates back and unwinds with a
mighty gusto to only end up topping his
ball dribbling it out just past the
ladies tee. For most golfers this would
have ended it right then and there. Not
for Mark.
He pulls out a five iron to get his
third shot set up for his approach to
the green which he does nicely. Ervin
meanwhile hits his second shot that
misses the green requiring a chip up.
After Ervin’s approach shot misses the
green Lauffenberges does not. Ervin
chips onto the green after Marks
approach shot.
So after thee shots each they are both
on the green. Now it is a putting duel.
Ervin misses his first putt but cleans
it up for a two putt bogey. In the
regulation round Lauffenberger used 30
putts, not great but not bad either.
Mark gets up over his ball takes aim
and lets go and is rewarded for not
giving up after topping his drive on the
first hole of a sudden death playoff.
His put cuts the heart our of the cup
and Mark wins his first ever UGA Title.
This is especially rewarding for UGA
Tour Director Tom Millican. Mark
Lauffenberger is a product of St.
Stephens high school golf team and while
Mark was playing high school golf he
played a season or two on the UGA Tour.
Now as an adult he captured his first
UGA Tour title.
The UGA Tour travels to Pudding Ridge
Golf Club in
Mocksville, NC for its next event on
Saturday September 17, 2011. Results.......
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Alexander Central
Cruises to Victory at Catawba Springs |
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HICKORY, NC - September
8, 2011 - Catawba Springs CC -
The Alexander Central
Cougars are going to be the team to
watch in the Western Region.4A.
The Cougars were led to victory by Abbey
Hartsell who also won the medalist
honors with her three over par round of
39. Hearsay is inadmissible in a court
of law but if any of the hearsay about
Hartsell is half true this freshman will
be on top of the heap by year end.
Helping Hartsell to this Cougar win were
team mates Kelsie Rhyne with a 43 and
Jessica Fisher with a 45 completing the
team total of 127.
Runner-up honors goes to the Lady
Knights of North Lincolnton and the
third place slot was filled by the
Panthers from Patton high out of
Morganton.
This was a non-conference match.<>Back to the top...... |
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West Henderson has an
unspoiled walk at Etowah Valley Golf Club |
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HENDERSONVILLE, NC -
August 31, 2011 -
Etowah Valley Golf Club
- The West Henderson
Falcons won their second
pre-season match at
Etowah Valley Golf Club
today.
Chandler Danielson, a
sophomore at West
Henderson looks like she
will fill the FootJoy's
of, though they are big,
Kayla Sciupider.
Danielson carded a round
of 39 to win her second
medalist honors in as
many matches.
Payton Culler of West
Henderson and Ashley
Thompson of Pisgah both
came in with identical
scores of 41 to garner
runner-up spots.
You will see a lot of
these three young
players all season. They
already a staking out
the top three spots on
the leaderboard in the
WNC Athletic Conference.
After two matches, and
back in the distance but
worthy of note, there is
a trio of Franklin
players that are holding
down the next three
spots.
Erin Campbell, Carly
Payseur and Sydney
Pierce could become the
spoilers in the WNCAC
before the season is
over if they continue
improving their play.
Click here for the full
leaderboard,,,,,
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JP O'Renick
Collects 4th 2011 UGA Title at Brushy Mt.
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TAYLORSVILLE, NC – August 27, 2011
– The UGA made its third stop of the season at
Brushy Mt. Golf Club in Taylorsville, NC. With Irene
ragging on the cost the Tour got underway at the
noon hour under great conditions. As the round
continued the wind did pick up late in the day to a
very respectable velocity.
The course,
both the greens and fairways, were in excellent
conditions yet only one UGA player managed to come
in under 80 but only because he turned his game
around on the back nine.
On the front
side of the round Rick Chapman of Conover, Brian
Pitts of Hickory and Josh Weddington of Statesville
made the turn under forty. Weddington had the lead
at the turn with a 38 while Chapman and Pitts were
one stroke back.
All three of
the leaders got into trouble on the first hole on
the back tine. Weddington carded a triple while both
Chapman and Pitts penciled in bogeys. This allowed
JP O’Renick of Granite Falls to come into a share of the lead after his birdie on
nine and par on ten.
The par three
eleventh at Brushy provided a little shake up in the
lead when Weddington and O’Renick both
made bogey while Chapman and Pitts came off of
eleven with pars and the lead.
The short par five twelve always provides an
opportunity for a shake up with eagles and birdies.
Chapman extended his control on the lead to two at
twelve with a birdie.
The lead tree got shook at thirteen. Only Chapman
and O’Renick came off of thirteen unscathed with the
lead still by two for Chapman over O’Rencik. The
lead was due for a change at fourteen.
Chapman’s drive went right of the fairway leaving
him a less than desirable down hill lie that he
attempted to go for the green from. His attempt left
him in the pond requiring a drop that resulted in a
seven at fourteen and the loss of the lead to
O’Renick who made par at fourteen.
With four holes left O’Renick was ahead by one of
Chapman and two ahead of Chris Murray of Hickory and
Brian Pitts of Hickory with the easy birdie par
three fifteen next to play.
This is about the time the wind really picked up.
Only JP O’Renick made a birdie at fifteen. There
were only six pars made on the hole while the rest
were bogey and above. Fifteen added another stroke
to O’Renick’s lead.
O’Renick was not going to be denied his win today.
He went back to back birdies at fifteen and sixteen
essentially tying up the win. O’Renick came to the
club house with a one under par back nine for an
overall score of 76. Mark Lauffenberger who like
O’Renick, had a bad front nine also turned his game
around on the back side bringing a one under par
back nine score of 35 for a total of 80.
This is O’Renick third win of the season that is
keeping him right in the midst of the race for the
Tour Championship. The UGA’s next stop is at Cedar
Brook Country Club in Elkin, NC on Saturday,
September 3. Results....... |
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Taylor Coalson
Claims 9th Joe Cheves Invitational Boys Title
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MORGANTON,
NC - August 27, 2011 - Mimosa Hills CC - One to
the top 25 junior invitational tournaments in the
nation was held this past weekend in Morganton, NC.
The 9th Joe Cheves Junior Invitational is drawing
top junior players from all around the country to
come and test their skills against their peers.
117 players
showed up to test their skills against the 1929
Donald Ross course. Of the 117 players only eight of
the boys beat the course par.
Tanner
Owen, a sophomore at Bishop McGinnis in High Point,
NC carded the lowest round on the first day, a 66,
earning him a slot in the final pairing on Sunday.
Tyler Lail,
a Bunker Hill senior and Taylor Coalson, a North
Surry senior, both posted a pair of 67's enabling
them to join Owen in the final pairing for Sunday.
As the
Sunday morning round began to age several
of the other "red" number players from day one began
to run down the leaders, Austin Langdale of South
Carolina and Miller Capps of North Lincoln high in
Denver, NC were both throwing darts into the greens. While
Langdale and Miller were charging two of the final
pair began to find trouble on the back nine. Tanner
Owen and Tyler Lail began to find a bunch of bogeys
on the back side. Owen finished the day at 74 while
Lail ended the day at 80.
Langdale
started the Sunday round two strokes down but made
that up on the first hole with a birdie while
Coalson, the leader, made bogey. Coalson got his two
strokes back on the very next hole when he made par
while Langdale made bogey.
Gain a
stroke lose a stroke was the way it was going for
Coalson, Langdale and Miller. Walking off of eight
Langdale was now only one stroke down from Coalson.
That changed at nine.
The ninth at
Mimosa is a par three up hill and today’s yardage
was set at 190. Seems like any other par three
except for where they had placed the cup on Sunday.
Before today the hole had issued six birdies. Today
the hole only gave out one. The cup was set right in
the middle of the green less than 18 inches from the
crest of a mound that ran from one side green to the
other. It appeared that there was another little
ridge a few inches above the crest of the mound that
sent any ball that either did not make it over or
one that came from the back side that breached that
little ridge was sent running back down to the front
of the green. Nine was merciless today.
Coalson tee
shot at nine was long and with a very respectable
chip left a short putt for par. Langdale’s ball was
a victim of that little ridge and by the time he
came off of nine Langdale hand given two strokes
back to Caoalson.
Coalson made
the turn at two under for the day while Langdale
made the turn at one under for the day. Miller had
made the turn at even par but was by now seven
strokes back of the leader Coalson. Miller would be
minus four for Sunday and land in a tie for third
three behind the leader.
Coalson
started the back nine three up on Langdale and
increase that lead to four after Langdale bogeyed
ten and that is the way it stayed through hole
fifteen. At sixteen it became a different match.
If you get too
far off the fairway on either side at Mimosa’s 16
you are in trouble. Coalson did just that costing
him a double bogey. Sixteen provided Langdale a two
stroke swing with his par. Now with two holes to
play Coalson’s lead was cut to two stokes.
At the par
three seventeenth Coalson hit is tee shot over the
green and that spells trouble. By the time Coalson
walked off the green his scorecard was given another
bogey cutting his lead to one after Langdale made
his par at seventeen.
Going into
eighteen both players needed a birdie, Coalson to
insure his victory and Langdale to tie. Langdale got
himself in position to make his birdie. He was on
the green with an up hill putt of less than ten
feet. The put would break left to right. Langdale
pulled the trigger and off went his putt. Just shy
of the hole everyone thought it was a sure thing but
right at the cup as the forward momentum of the ball
was slowing the ball veered off to the left just
over the left front edge leaving a tap in putt for
par.
Coalson now
knew he had five shots on a par four to do no worse
than a tie. His long drive put him in vicinity of
100 yards to the center of the green. His approach
shot was long hitting the green above the hole where
it stayed leaving him a lengthy down hill putt of
which he need two for the win and three putts for a
tie.
Coalson’s
first putt was just the right speed to end up for a
tap in putt for his par and the title of the 9th
Joe Cheves Invitational Champion. Leaderboard.........
Back to the Top........... |
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Kelli
Murphy Wins the 9th Joe Cheves Invitational
Girl's Championship in a Three Hole Play-off |
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MORGANTON, NC - August
27, 2011 - Mimosa Hills CC - In the girl's championship the
first day ended up with some pretty tight races. There were
13 girls within three strokes of the lead. Seven of them
would end the day in the top five. The two first round
leaders ended the last round T-10.
Inside of the list of
the top ten leaders on day two were two very gifted and
medaled players, Kellie Murphy from Elgin, SC and
Katelyn Dambaugh from Goose Creek, SC. Sitting four stokes
off the first day lead was McKenzie Talbert from North
Augusta, SC.
The first round
leaders, Lyberty Anderson from Chesterfield, VA and Morgan
Webber from Moore, SC kept their hands on the lead through
the first nine holes. By the turn they were joined by
Katelyn Dambaugh for a three way tie for the lead.
It was at the turn
that Talbert and Murphy began their assault on the leaders
but they also had help from the leaders in the deterioration
of their game.
Anderson had only
two pars on the back nine the rest were a combination of
bogeys and double bogeys. Webber had four pars on the back
nine but along with a triple and several bogeys. Dambaugh matched
Anderson's two pars on the back side along with two birdies
and five bogeys. With this the race for the trophy was
between Kellie Murphy and McKenzie Talbert.
Murphy started the day
three strokes ahead of Talbert and that is where they stood
after the first nine holes on day two.
Both Murphy and
Talbert pared ten to remain three apart. At eleven Talbert
birdie against Murphy's bogey cutting into Murphy's lead.
Both girls would
birdie twelve and thirteen but at the par five fourteen
Talbert got back her second stroke from Murphy cutting
Murphy's lead to only one.
After both girls
pared fifteen and sixteen Talbert's hot hand struck again
with a par at seventeen while Murphy recorded her second
bogey on the inward nine. This brought the match to all
square as they headed to the final hole of the championship.
Both reached the
green in regulation and both cupped their balls for a par
and came off the 18th green tied for the lead.
Talbert was
the only girl to have a round under par at 71 for
Sunday. Her 71 gave her a share of the lead and a
spot in the two player sudden-death playoff that
began on hole 18.
On the first hole of
the sudden-death playoff both players hit booming
drives that ended up less than a hundred yards form
the center of the green with Murphy away. Murphy’s
approach was left of the pin but stopped just above
pin high some eight feet away.
Talbert’s approach was long and was heard calling
for her ball to get down! Get down! The ball stopped
above the pin almost thirty feet away. Talbert
carefully checked out her line and the slope. She
finally got over her ball and with a couple of taps
of the ground with her toes off went the putt. It
appeared that she was playing about six inches of
break from right to left. The ball approached he cup
and slid just over the “pro” side of the cup with
the ball coming to rest some 30” past the hole.
After carefully reviewing her line and the slope
Murphy addressed her ball from about eight feet
away. The line read that the ball was going to break
left to right leaving speed as the only variable.
Murphy has in her pre-shot routine something I have
never seen before. Just as you think she is about to
pull the trigger she lifts her putter with out
stretched arms chest high. Once there she appears to
see if the putter head is square. Then she returns
the putter behind the ball where she then looks one
more time at the cup and then back to the ball and
off goes the ball. It works pretty well.
Murphy’s putt heads off towards the hole and from my
angle it appears as it will fall in the bottom right
side of the cup but instead is a rim shot sending
the ball past the cup about three feet. With the
same routine as before Murphy drills her ball
against the back wall of the cup for par.
Talbert has been checking her line while Murphy
makes her two putts. Once over the ball Talbert
duplicates Murphy’s shot with a drilled punch into
the back of the cup for her par. Off to the second
hole of their sudden-death playoff.
The second hole playoff is on hole number four. Both
players perform accurate tee shots with Talbert
being the longest. Murphy’s tee shot left her 163
yards out while Talbert was 143 yards out. Murphy is
not a tall player. To make her 163 yard shot she
uses a 2 Hybrid. Her 163 yard shot was low and left
of the green catching the right side of the green
giving her favorable bounce to the left leaving her
a 45 foot putt.
Talbert pulls out two clubs as she sets up for her
pre-shot routine. She decides on her seven iron. Her
shot is also left of center of the green but hits
and comes to rest very close to Murphy’s ball. Now
it would be a putting contest form almost identical
spots with Murphy away.
Once Murphy has performed her pre-putt routine she
sends the ball off that will have to break right to
left as it does. On the downhill side of her bread
the ball appears to be headed for the heart of the
cup but slides about a half inch from the top side
edge coming to a stop about 27 inches past the hole.
Talbert’s putt has the same line and break. Once her
calculations are made she send her ball off but you
could tell from the start that it would come up
short and it did. In fact the two balls appear to
lay exactly the same distance away from the cup with
one in back of the cup for a left to right break and
the other in front of the cup with just the opposite
break. Both players ram their putts home and head
off the third hole of the sudden-death playoff.
On hole five a player who is long can get into some
trouble by going through the fairway and into the
rough. Murphy is up first and her drive as all of
her first two drives were deadly accurate. Talbert’s
drive was straight but longer as usual and it
bounded through the fairway and into the rough.
Talbert was only 118 yards from the center of the
green with the flag in the left lower front side of
the green.
Murphy, with the shorter drive, has 123 yards to the
center of the green.
When the players had made their drive on the second
hole of the playoff I asked them that since both are
from South Carolina have they ever had to play
against each other in a playoff. The answer was once
and Talbert said, “She (Murphy) beat me in that one
and this will make us even.”
Murphy chooses her club and set up over the ball.
Her shot is to the right center of the green and
comes to rest above the pin about 27 feet away.
Talbert again pulls out two clubs before making her
club selection. Her ball is in the rough that looks
to be about three inches high. Her swing is flawless
until the club head enters the rough and contacts
the ball. Her club head had to be turned slightly
open as she goes through the rough as her ball
flight started out low and actually towards the pin.
Then just short of the green the ball begins to fade
to the right. The fade looked like it helped check
the ball to keep it from running way to the back
right of the green.
Once the ball had stopped there was about 47 feet of
green between Talbert’s ball and the cup. With
Talbert away she gathered herself, checked out the
line and the slope and set herself over the ball.
Her putt was a good one but a mite too strong.
Talbert’s ball comes to a stop after passing the cup
on the high side about three feet from the cup. Now
it was Murphy’s time.
Not varying her routine Murphy get set to putt her
37 foot putt. It too was a good looking putt, in
fact as it neared the hole it look like it might
just drop in the cup but it did not as it slid by on
the high side less than a ball width from the cup
stopping just inside of Talbert’s ball marker.
Both players had about the same lie and line and it
would boil down to who has the best thought as to
where to enter the cup. Talbert is away and putts
first. The cup is cut into the side slope of the
green. The break is left to right falling away
towards the right front of the cup. Talbert chooses
to enter the cup on the high side. To keep her line
her putt is a little firmer than most amateurs would
use. The high side of the cup is correct but it was
too high. Talbert’s ball rides the high side edge of
the cup and spins off the cup coming to a stop but
is away. Talbert marks her ball, resets, places her
ball and putts it in for a bogey.
Having seen the results of Talbert’s putt Murphy
drops her ball into the left center of the cup for
par and the win. Murphy is two up on Talbert stay
tuned for more of this exciting golf over the next
couple of years as these two will surely be facing
each other off in the years to come. Leaderboard...........
Back to the Top........... |
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West Henderson
High Takes Up Where They Left Off Last Year - Winning! |
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BREVARD, NC - August 24, 2011 - Glenn Cannon CC
- The reigning 1A/2A/3A
States Champions appear not to have lost a beat
since the state tournament. In fact their are signs
of improvement even with the lost of Kayla Sciupider
who is now playing golf for Rollins College.
Sciupider's
leaving was thought to leave a big hole in W.
Henderson's scoring ability but it appears that
Chandler Danielson will be assuming that duty.
Danielson
in her first match of this new season posted a 37
for nine holes. That is five strokes better than her
best round at the state last year. It appears that
Miss Danielson has been working on her game.
W.
Henderson had a one two punch in their first match
of the season. Payton Culler, whose best nine hole
score at the state last year was two strokes higher
than the 40 she recorded at Glenn Cannon.
Both of these
girls had a very positive attitude before last
year's state. Now with the confidence that "State
Champions" adds to one's game along with an apparent
effort to improve their game over the last 10 months
this duo is set to turn some heads this season.
The third
card in the threesome of cards that it takes for a
team score W. Henderson's Stasia McMullen turned in
a round of 56 for their team total of 133. All three
of these players are sophomores.
The Lady
Panthers of Franklin played to the runner-up slot in
this first match of WNC Athletic 2A/3A conference.
Panther
Erin Campbell lead the Lady Panthers with her round
of 48. Carly Payseur came in one short of Campbell
at 49. Rounding out the top three for Franklin was
Sydney Pierce with a 52.
Full
Leaderboard............
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Statesville's Gary
Dyson Wins His First UGA Title of 2011 |
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LENOIR, NC – August 20, 2011 – The UGA Tour made its second summer trip back to the
Lenoir Golf Club. The Lenoir Summer Open II was met
with less than week old verdi-cut greens adding to
the challenge that this fine golf course always
presents.
Within the first two holes the
green’s condition began to take their toll on the
players putting. Seemingly unaffected by the green’s
condition was Jim Berry and Bill Foster. Berry and
Foster were two of three golfers to par the first
hole. Tim Cooke was the third.
At two, Foster continued his par golf
play but Berry dropped in his first birdie of the
day to take the lead leaving Foster alone in second
but should have changed at No.3 the short par five
where a lot of eagles are made.
That was not the case this day. Only
one sub par score was recorded on this eagle hole.
Stephen Schmidt form
Newton
recorded the only birdie at
three and it moved him into a tie for
second after making a triple at one.
Joining Schmidt in second was Aaron
Thomas from Mt. Holly. Foster, who was alone in
second, three putted himself out of second and into
a tie for fourth with five other golfers.
Though Berry bogeyed three he was
still alone in the lead. Berry’s bogey at three was
his first but would follow it up with back to back
bogeys at four and five. Even with three bogeys in a
row Berry managed to stay in first but tied with
Aaron Thomas. Stephen Schmidt moved into a tie for
third with his back to back bogeys at four and
five.
Schmidt was not alone in third as
John Ervin was steadily fighting his way back up the
leaderboard after making a triple bogey at one.
With the help of a double bogey at
six Aaron Thomas lost his share of the lead but
instead of joining Schmidt and Ervin he joined Tim
Cooke and Brian Pitts who both were sitting back in
the shadows of the leaders.
Berry’s par at six gave him a solid
two stroke lead over the pack. The lead in the pack
was changing on each hole which it did again at
seven. Thomas dropped in his first birdie of the day
to give him second alone and only one stroke off the
leader Berry. A race for the lead by the turn was
shaping up.
Tim Cooke moved into a share of
second with Thomas at the par five seventh which he
had reached the green in two leaving him well over
fifty feet for an eagle put which he came up short
but made the birdie putt.
Both Thomas and Cooke were chasing
the unyielding Berry towards the turn. Between them
and the turn was the 186 yard par three protected by
bunkers on the left and right entrance. Berry missed
the green on his tee shot and that was the least of
his problems. Berry needed three more shots to reach
the green. Once on the green he one putted for a
double bogey effectively taking him out of the
lead.
Taking advantage of Berry’s
misfortune was Cooke. Cooke’s birdie at eight
elevated him to second place and his par on nine
gave him the lead at the turn. Thomas’s bogey at
nine kept him in second where he was joined by Jim
Berry, the leader through eight holes.
The Verdi-cut greens were really
taking their toll by the turn. Putts that looked
like they were headed for the heart of the cup would
break hard left or right at the cup. An extremely
high number of putts and bogeys were recorded
through the front nine. The player who best figures
out these greens will go home with metal.
Jim Berry was not going to give up
his eight hole lead easily and returned to the top
of the leaderboard at ten with a par that gave him
his share of the lead when Cooke made a bogey.
Cooke and Berry had a three stroke
lead after ten. The complexion of second place had
changed also. Now in second were three new
contenders, JP O’Renick, Gary Dyson and Eric
Parker.
Cooke’s bogey at ten which allowed
Berry
back into a share of the lead was the first bogey of
a five bogey string. Cook’s double at eleven left
Berry, who also bogeyed eleven, alone in first.
Berry bogeyed twelve along with Cooke but left him
in first place after twelve holes.
Berry must have caught what Cooke had
as he posted his third consecutive bogey at thirteen
which allowed Thomas back into a share of the lead.
Slowly but persistently gary Dyson was moving in on
the top spot of the leaderboard. The question is
whether Dyson can stay our of bogey trouble through
the remaining five holes.
Berry’s infection of Cooke’s bogey
illness continued and began to take its toll on him.
Berry and Thomas both bogeyed fourteen and fifteen
knocking them out of first into second. Cooke’s
bogey medicine looked like it was beginning to work
for him as he took back over the lead after fifteen
with his par, but he had to share that lead with the
hard charging Gary Dyson from Statesville.
Dyson had his share of bogeys but he
had more pars than bogeys. With three holes to play
Dyson and Cooke lead the charge for the clubhouse.
One stroke back of the pair of leaders were Aaron
Thomas and Jim Berry.
At sixteen three of the top four
leaders made bogey. Only Dyson played sixteen
unscathed resulting in his complete control of the
lead.
Dyson held a two stroke lead with two
holes to play. He and Berry recorded identical
scores on the last two holes giving Dyson his first
UGA Title this season. Dyson’s win comes eight days
short of being a year from his win at Mimosa in
2010.
In the
Freshman/Sophomore Division of the UJGT Mt. Holly's
Aaron Thomas continued his winning streak. He has
steadily improved his weekly performance over the
last several events. Thomas is fully expected to be
carding rounds in the 70's by the end of October if
not sooner. Results...... |
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Chris Murray Wins
11th UGA Championship |
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MORGANTON,
NC – August 13, 2011 – The 11th UGA
Championship was held at the famed Mimosa Hills CC
in Morganton, NC on Saturday August 13, 2011. The
UGA Championship is the last of the Tour's four majors
and is generally a moving day in the UGA Tour Points
race.
Springing into
an early lead after back to back birdies on one and
two was Ron Frady of Hickory, NC. Frady”s lead was
short lived however as he followed the pair of
birdies up with a string seven bogeys finishing the
outward nine at eight over.
Once Frady
hitched a ride on the runaway bogey train Rick
Chapman of Conover and Stephen Schmidt of Newton
took the lead after number three at one under.
Schmidt’s share of the lead was surrender to Steve
Shuford of Newton after Schmidt’s bogey at five.
Chapman nick named “Mr. Majors” since
he has won two of the first three majors
of this season seemed to be on track to winning his
third in a row.
Chapman and
Shuford held the lead through six holes of play
before
2011 UGA Championship Champion Chris Murray Shuford stumbled at seven with his first
bogey of the round. Shuford’s bogey allowed Jim
Berry from Drexel to sit beside Chapman. Berry had
been shadowing the leaders since birdie at three.
At eight which
is considered the hardest hole at Mimosa Chapman
made his first bogey of the day allowing Berry in
the driver’s seat all alone but that changed as
Berry made his second bogey of the day at the par
three ninth while Chapman made par.
Through the
first nine Chapman and Berry lead the crossover to
the back with a matching par of one over 37’s. One
stroke back of the leaders was Christ Murray Sr. of
Hickory and two strokes back of the leaders were
2011 UGA Championship Champion Chris Murray
John Ervin, Steve Shuford and Tim Cooke.
Number ten
provide sweeping changes in the lead. Only Murray
escaped ten without a bogey. Murray’s bogey free
hole ten took him directly into a share of the lead
with Berry who also bogeyed ten. Chapman’s double
dropped him into second alone.
Then at eleven
the Mimosa course gave the lead another shuffling.
Murray tripled eleven taking him back into third
place. Chapman also made a bogey at eleven and
stayed in second. Berry followed the rest of the
leaders with bogey at eleven but his numbers keep
him in the lead.
Tim Cooke who
was part of the top three spots came off of eleven
with only birdie of day for that hole. Cooke’s
birdie took him into a share of the lead with Berry
at 47.
Number twelve at
Mimosa is an eagle hole if a player is accurate.
Twelve provided an unusual occurrence. With a
combination of birdies, pars and bogeys five players
walked off of twelve with a share of the lead;
Chapman, Murray, Cooke, Shuford and Berry were
heading into the home stretch all tied at 53.
Mimosa began to
shake the tree after twelve. At the par three
thirteenth every body but Shuford made bogey or more
allowing Shuford to have the lead alone which he
held on to through fourteen.
Shuford found
trouble at the par five fifteen and so did Berry but
not Murray. The combination Murrary’s par and
Shuford’s bogey allowed Murray to assume a share of
the lead with just three holes to play. Berry slid
back into second.
Both Shuford and
Murray played even through sixteen and seventeen
leaving number eighteen to decide the winner of the
11th UGA Championship.
Both players
missed the fairway with Murray in a better position
on the left side while Shuford was on the right and
blocked. Murray got his approach onto the green
while Shuford could not. Once on the green Shuford
two putted for a bogey as did Murray but for a par
and his first UGA Major Championship.
In the UJGT
Aaron Thomas produced his best round of the year
with an 87. His low round was achieved with two
chip-ins and par saving 27 putts. - Results..
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WCU Men’s Golf Signee J.T. Poston Wins
Big “I” National Championship
Poston
shot six-under, 282, over the four-round event |
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CULLOWHEE, N.C.
– August 5, 2011 - J.T. Poston, an incoming freshman for the Western
Carolina men’s golf team, claimed individual
medalist honors in the boy’s division at the 43rd
annual Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship
this week held at the par-72, Reunion Golf and
Country Club in Madison, Mississippi.
The Hickory,
N.C., native posted par-or-better on all four rounds
including a three-under 69 on the second 18 holes.
Poston shot 72-69-70 and 71 (282) over the
four-round stroke-play event to edge UC Davis
commitment Austin Smotherman by one shot in the
final standings.
“We
are really proud of J.T. and all of his
accomplishments,” said WCU men’s golf head
coach Carter Cheves. “I
know he wanted to end his junior career on top and
he did exactly what he set out to do. He has been
playing incredible golf and we are thrilled to have
him joining us this fall."
Poston’s
victory marks the second-straight season an incoming
WCU freshman has
won the junior national tournament. Last summer,
Catamount rising sophomore Greg Bunner claimed
individual medalist honors at the same event held at
the Olde York Country Club in Chesterfield, N.J.
The Big “I”
National Championship dates back to 1969. According
to research and available records through 1979, it
is the first-time that the tournament has been won
by juniors who were attending the same college in
back-to-back years. With two former winners on
roster, WCU is among six NCAA schools to have
individual champions join their roster including
four from Texas, three from Arizona State and
Oklahoma State, and two apiece from Stanford and
UNLV.
“Anytime you
have a student-athlete win a tournament, it is great
exposure for both the individual and for Western
Carolina. Having back-to-back National Champions (Bunner
and Poston) on the same roster at WCU is a very
exciting feeling. It's a testament to the talent we
have and the direction we are going,” Cheves added.<> |
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Hickory's JT
Poston Wins 43rd Trusted Choice Big "I" Championship |
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MADISON, MS - August 4, 2011 -
North Carolina had two out of three chances that the
43rd Trusted Choice Big "I"
L-R
- JT Poston, Ally McDonald
Championship trophy would be coming to the Old North
State.
Two excellent
North Carolina junior golfers playing in their last
junior tournament before reporting to college
represented themselves, their state and their skill
in the highest manner.
Concord's
Trevor Cone will be heading off to Virginia Tech
with a third place finish in his pocket. Cone
started out the final round in textbook form.
Sitting just one stroke behind the tournament
leader, JT Poston
L-R
- JT Poston, Ally McDonald
Cone posted one birdie and eight pars on the front
side but found himself two back of Poston at the
turn who had mimicked Cone's performance on the
front side except Poston had one more birdie than
Cone.
At the par
five fifth Cone made his second birdie of the day
taking him back to within one of Poston.
Meanwhile
Poston continued his plan of fairways and greens
equaling a lot of pars.
Cone ran
into the bogey man at the par three twelfth pushing
him to two back of Poston. Poston then birdied the
par four thirteenth while Cone made par adding
another stroke to Cone's deficit but the match then
got very interesting at the fourteenth.
The par
four fourteenth is the longest par four on the
course at 447 yards. For the tournament Poston
played the fourteenth at three over because in the
last round Poston doubled the fourteenth which
allowed Cone to get back to within one stroke of
Poston with four holes to play.
Poston's real strength is not in his swing but in
his demeanor. After re-opening the door for Cone
most golfers in Poston's position might crack under
the pressure and lose their concentration. At the
par three fifteenth Poston calmly steps up to his
ball and two strokes later he walks off the
fifteenth green with a birdie putting Cone two back
again.
With holes running out Cone had to make something
happen but what happened was not good. While Poston
was carding pars Cone was carding bogeys on 16 and
17 which
took him completely out of the running.
Going into the seventy-second hole Poston
vanquished Cone leaving only
Austin Smotherman who was two strokes back of
Poston.
Both Poston and Smotherman had two good
drives but Poston either miss hit or miss judged his
approach to the 18th green as he was left with a 60
foot putt. Smotherman hit his approach to eight feet
which he dropped it in for a birdie.
Poston needed to make it across those 60 feet in
three putts in order to win his last junior event of
his life.
Poston's first putt came up short by about seven
feet. With a two stroke cushion from seven feet
Poston nudged his ball towards the cup and it comes
up short by a half a foot. Winning his last junior tournament for the rest of
his life lay just six inches away. In the four years
we have covered Poston's play we never saw pressure
sweat but in his own words he said, "that six-inch
putt was one of the most nerve-racking of my junior
golf career."
How sweet the sound of a golf ball
rattling a cup especially for a big win such as
this. Poston won the 43rd Trusted Choice Big "I"
with six under par for 72 holes. Cone finished third
at three under.
On the girls side of the coin Chapel Hill's Casey
Ward finished T4. -
Girls
resutls...........
Boys
results..........
Back to the Top...........
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Aaron Perlman Back In
The Winners Circle |
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LENOIR, NC –
July 30, 2011 – Cedar Rock CC – The UGA Tour
converged on Cedar Rock with the anticipation of
a little cooler weather but there was none to be
had. The sweltering heat just added to the
challenging course that Cedar Rock CC is. In the last
several events of the Tour Brain Pitts of
Hickory has began to demonstrate a marked
improvement in his game. At Cedar Rock Pitts
took the early lead with his birdie on one
followed by pars on the next three holes. After
four holes of play Pitts had a two stroke lead
over the field.
Thomas Redding, a
senior at South Caldwell high school and a
member of the Unifour Junior Golf Tour was alone
in second after four holes.
Aggressively chasing Pitts and Redding were
seven golfers sitting in third place and among
them were multiple UGA title winners.
Pitts made his
first fumble of the lead at the par four fifth.
At the fifth Pitts missed his approach to the
green resulting in needing four strokes to get
onto the green where he two putted for his
double.
The fifth at
Cedar Rock is ranked the third hardest hole on
the course. Only six pars were made at the
fifth. The hole averaged 4.65 strokes for the
day. However, JD Osborne from Union Grove, NC was the only player to made
birdie on five. His birdie also moved him from
that pack of seven players in third to a share
of the lead with Pitts at one over. Redding
retained his hold on second even though he made
bogey at five but was joined by four other
players.
Gary Dyson and
Josh Weddington, a pair of players from
Statesville, NC moved in to join Pitts and
Osborne at the top of the leaderboard. Aaron
Perlman from Morganton, NC ran into some trouble at
three and four but was able to get back
into gear and now he too joined the other four at the top.
The junior player, Redding
was hanging onto his second spot but was joined by the John
Ervin from Hiddenite, NC. With three holes to play on the
outward nine a very capable trio was lurking in third place;
two time Tour Champion Jack Beach, multiple UGA title
winners Chris Murray and Ron Frady.
The dog leg left par four
seventh produced a lot of bogeys, doubles and even a few
triples which led to a shake up of the leaderboard. Pitts
came off of seven unscathed and alone at the top. Osborne
and Perlman fell back to join Redding at one back of Pitts
in second place with their bogeys. Dyson and Weddington both
tripled seven dropping them back into fourth. Ervin’s bogey
at seven dropped him back into third joining Beach, Murray
and Frady.
For the second easiest hole
at Cedar
Rock the par three
eighth produced the highest hole average of the day.
Pitts, Redding and Perlman managed pars at eight
leaving in first and second but that would change at
the par five ninth.
Pitts doubled, Redding bogeyed and Perlman made
birdie, his first of the round. The birdie
catapulted Perlman into first at the turn with a two
over par score of 38. Pitts and Redding dropped back
into second and was joined there by Ron Frady from
Hickory, NC. Ervin and Weddington were alone in
third at three strokes back of Perlman.
The leader at the turn, Perlman recorded his fourth
bogey of the day at the tenth allowing Pitts to
recover one stroke. Pitts’s running mate in second
at the turn, Redding, found a lot of trouble at the
par four tenth. Redding had to settle for a five
over par nine at ten which took him out of the race.
Frady dropped out of second after his double at ten
leaving the top three spots to Perlman, Pitts, Ervin
and Weddington.
Both Perlman and Pitts bogeyed eleven keeping them
one apart but Pitts bogey allowed Ervin and
Weddington to move into second. Gary Dyson dropped
in his second birdie of the round at eleven letting
him join Pitts, Ervin and Weddington in second
place.
The largest hole average of the round occurred at
the par four twelve. Its average for the day was almost a full two strokes of its par.
Perlman could do no better than bogey at twelve.
Perlman’s bogey opened the door for Ervin,
Weddington and Pitts, who were three of eight
players to make par at eleven to join Perlman in
first place.
A separation took place at the par four fourteenth.
Ervin, Weddington and Pitts all recorded a bogey
while Perlman canned his second birdie of the day
for a two stroke swing and first place all alone.
Now with the lead and four holes to play Perlman
backed up his birdie at fourteen with his third
birdie of the round at the par three fifteen
expanding his lead to three. Ron Frady who was near
the top once had worked his way back towards the
lead gaining a share of second place with his first
birdie at fifteen. Pitts triple at fifteen took him
out of the race.
All of Frady’s hard work to catch up was wasted by
his triple at the par five sixteenth. Weddington
made par at sixteen but John Ervin, who had walloped
a drive that left him in easy range of going for the
green in two did just that. Ervin’s attempt ended
with a three foot putt for eagle which he made.
Ervin’s eagle moved him to second place at one
stroke behind Perlman who had made par at sixteen.
That eagle at sixteen by Ervin was exciting.
However, Ervin bogeyed the last two holes to turn in
a finishing round of 78. While Ervin was sitting on
the lead in the clubhouse Perlman was working his
way through the last two holes. After making par at
the par three seventeenth Perlman knew he only
needed to play it safe at the eighteenth which is
basically straight away up hill.
Perlman’s drive missed the fairway. The rough had
been a nightmare for all of the players all day. It
was for Perlman at 18. Perlman finally got his ball
on the putting surface in three strokes and this is
for a guy who could almost have driven the green at
18. Knowing he had a two stoke lead all he had to do
was get his first putt close and then tap it in for
a bogey and the win. The first putt was fair but not
too close. The pressures were on and close only
counts in horseshoes. Perlman’s second attempt to
end the match missed also. Now it was do or die and
he did it. Perlman’s double at 18 was just enough by
one stroke to give him his first UGA title of this
season.<>Back to the top......
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Forestview's
Will Long Wins the 62nd Carolinas Junior Championship |
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GASTONIA, NC — July 28, 2011 - 54 holes were
not enough to determine the winner of the 62nd
Carolinas Junior Championship hosted by the Ellis
Maples designed course at Gaston CC in Gastonia,
NC. But on the fifth playoff hole, Will Long
captured the title with
a birdie three to defeat Will Starke of Chapin, SC.
Long, a rising high
school junior AT Forestview high school, shot a five
under par 67 to finish tied with Starke in the three
day event at ten under par 206.
Long made the turn with
a two shot lead after a front nine 33. Will Starke
made the turn with a 37 on the front nine. But
Starke battled back with a four under par 32 to
finish with a three under par 69.
On the first playoff
hole, Long’s second shot found the
rough to the right of the green, but after a good
chip shot, Long made a five footer for birdie to tie
the hole.
After trading pars on
the second playoff hole, both players two putted for birdie on hole
number 1 to send the playoff to hole number 2.
At the fourth playoff
hole Starke made a great up and down from the short
side of the green to save par. Long, already on the
green two putted for his par and the playoff moved
to hole number 3.
On the fifth playoff
hole, Starke found the right rough and managed to
get his approach shot to the left side of the green.
Long, from the fairway, hit his second shot to
5 fee and then made the putt for a birdie to win his
first Carolinas Golf Association championship.
Finishing in third
place was Kendrick Vinar, Jr of Chapel who finished
with a three day total of seven under par 209.
Results.........
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Jack Beach Claims First
UGA Title of 2011 |
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MORGANTON, NC – July 23, 2011 – Silver Creek Plantation –
The UGA/UJGT returned to Silver Creek Plantation for its
Summer Open. This was also the UJGT’s first ever appearance
at Silver Creek.
As the first tee time approached so did the thundering. Way
out west over the Blue Ridge Mountains thunderstorms were
forming. The radar at the course indicated that as these
storms headed easterly that they were going to spare the
Morganton area. Once everyone had teed off a slight sprinkle
of rain came lasting only minutes but more importantly the
air cooled and the high humidity dropped dramatically. It
was only near the end of the tournament that the humidity
increased.
Hiddenite’s John Ervin threw down the early challenge to the
rest of the field as he put back to back birdies on the
leaderboard in the first two holes. Ervin’s challenge did
not go unanswered as Aaron Perlman from Morganton par one
and then hit a booming drive on the par five second leaving
only 150 yards to the green.
Perlman’s approach was on target leaving a very makable
eagle putt which he made and settled in along side
of Ervin for the lead after two. This excellent start by
these two formidable players did not create much cushion as
Jack Beach of Newton, Jim Berry of Drexel and Chris Murray
of Hickory was just one back.
Three and four were not very hospitable to
Ervin as he made back to back bogeys on them. For Perlman,
his play on three and four gave him the sole lead at three
under after four holes of play.
Mr. Majors, Rick Chapman
from Conover and Brian Pitts of Hickory caught up with Ervin
after four holes by playing par golf. With Ervin, Chapman
and Pitts at par after four holes and Perlman at three under
Jack Beach, Jim Berry and Chris Murray of Hickory controlled
the number two spot at one under each. Would Perlman be able
to continue his torrid pace was now the question?
In the par group both
Chapman and Berry found trouble at the par five fifth.
Chapman doubled while Berry bogeyed. Ervin regained some
lost ground with his third birdie in five holes. Ervin’s
birdied brought him into a three-way tie with Beach and
Murray.
Perlman got through five
ok but found his first bogey of the day at the dog-leg right
par four sixth. This bogey allowed the whole field to move
one stroke closer to the leader. With just a one stroke lead
over the likes of Ervin, Beach and Murray Perlman was sure
to feel their pressure.
At the dog-leg left 345
yard par four seventh that pressure manifested itself in a
double for Perlman which opened the door for Ervin and
Murray to take over the lead which they did with a pair of
pars. Beach was left out of the shuffle as he too made a
bogey at seventh giving him a seat beside Perlman on the
second row.
Murray had been playing
par golf through the first seven holes. The par three eighth
at Silver Creek was the first bump in the road for Murray
and it was bone jarring bump – a double which knocked Murray
all the way down into third place with Brian Pitts. Beach
and Perlman moved into second.
Murray came back with
his second birdie of the round at the ninth that brought his
round to even through the first nine holes. Murray’s 36
joined Beach and Perlman in the chase to run down the front
side leader John Ervin who made the turn at one under 35.
Sitting alone in third place at the turn was Brian Pitts who
turned in his best ever nine hole score since joining the
Tour in 2004.
Murray and Beach started
the back nine with a set of pars on the first two holes on
the inward side. Their pars allowed them to now make it a
three way tie for the lead after eleven holes of play as
Ervin posted his third bogey of the day at the eleventh.
Perlman also carded his third bogey of the round leaving him
alone in second place.
Ervin took over the
third spot after backing up his bogey at eleven with another
one at the par five twelfth. Perlman also backed up his
bogey at eleven with a bogey, a double that is dropping him
to fourth.
Every golfer has those
“Boogey Holes” and for Jack Beach it is number twelve at
Silver Creek. This par five runs down parallel to a pond on
the right from the Blue tees to the green. For the first
time ever playing this hole Beach took out a four iron and
played four iron, four iron and nine iron into the green
leaving with a par with his share of the lead in tact with
Murray.
With six holes left to
play the top of the leaderboard was thinning out. Beach and
Murray sat atop of the board with Ervin in third. Rick
Chapman and Brain Pitts held the second spot and Perlman was
alone in third.
Through thirteen and
fourteen Beach and Murrray both made a bogey, Murray on
thirteen and Beach on fourteen all the while Ervin made par
on both allowing him to move into a three way tie for the
lead.
While everyone else was
melting away this threesome began their final four hole
assault on the Silver Creek Title. Murray was the first to
be sidelined. After playing par golf through fourteen holes
Murray had to pencil in a “snowman” at fifteen leaving Ervin
and Beach to fight it out over the last three holes.
Ervin made par on both
the fifteenth and sixteenth holes keeping the pressure up on
Beach now that Murray lay wounded in third place. Then Ervin
got a wiff of the sweet smell of victory when Beach could do
no better than a bogey on the sixteenth leaving Ervin alone
at the top.
The never say die spirit
that resides in Jack Beach guided him to a birdie on the par
three seventh where he took a five iron and landed his ball
about two feet from the pin and when the ball quite rolling
he had only inches for a birdie. Though it was only inches
he still had to make. His putt was not all that true and
gave Beach a momentary gut wrenching filling as he saw his
putt run left of center heading for the left edge but
finally fell after making almost 180 degrees around the back
of the cup taking him into a tie with Ervin and one hole to
play.
As so many of the UGA
Tour events do this one also is headed into a one hole shoot
out. The finishing hole at Silver Creek is not a difficult
hole and produces its fair share of birdies. Ervin’s second
shot was pulled left leaving him a less than desired third
approach shot to the green. On the green in two Ervin need
two putts to finish out his round at one over 73.
Beach hit the fairway
and positioned his approach shot for a go at the pin. The
pin was a little back of center in a flatter section of the
green. Beach pitched his approach perfectly leaving him a
very appetizing birdie putt. Ervin was already in at one
over. Birdie would give Beach even par and a par would mean
a playoff.
Beach taps his putter
against the ball and while still bent over his stroke Beach
saw his ball disappear from sight and the sweet sound of the
ball hitting the bottom of the cup brought a smile to his
face and his first victory of this season.
In the UJGT event Thomas
Redding from Hudson, NC won his first UJGT event with a
great round of 76. Redding now holds down the top spot in
the Junior/Senior division. Redding does not play high
school golf as his first love is baseball and he plays that
well for South Caldwell high school.
Aaron Thomas of Mr. Airy
won the Freshman/Sophomore division with a round of 93 and
Stone Dyson won the thirteen and under division with a round
of 106. During Dyson’s round he drove the green on the par
four ninth hole.
The UJGT had its first
junior girl playing at Silver Creek. Taylor Shellman from
Gastonia plays in the Junior/Senior Girl’s division. Taylor
shot a round of 100.
The nest UGA/UJGT event
is scheduled for July 30th at Cedar Rock CC in
Lenoir, NC. For more information on the UGA Tour click on
the following:
www.theuga.com For more information on the UJGT
click on the following:
www.theujga.com
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Call Him "Mr.
Majors" |
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CONOVER, NC – July 16, 2011 – The UGA/UJGT Open
Championship – Rock Barn Golf & Sap – The 11th
UGA/UJGT Open Championship was held at Rock Barn Golf & Spa
in Conover, NC. One of the largest fields of this season
gathered at Rock Barn to do battle. All UGA/UJGT majors are
triple point events and that can really shake up the Tour
Points standings and it did this week.
Chris Murray of Hickory, NC, a multiple title winner this
season, jumped out to an early control of the leadeboard
after the first two holes but at the par three third Murray
found trouble. This is one of the most challenging and
visually pleasing par three’s in all of the state. From a
high teeing ground you have to go out and down over Lyle
Creek. The green runs parallel to Lyle Creek with the slope
running from the left side down to the creek.
Murray came off of three with a double and lost the lead to
Steve Shuford of Newton, NC by one stroke. The par three put
Murray on a bogey train that
he did not get off till hole
eight. Shuford tightened his grip on the lead with his first
birdie of the round at the par five fourth.
After bogeying the first two holes, Rick Chapman from
Conover, NC, put on a charge in an effort to keep Shuford
from gaining too much momentum on his lead. By the fifth
hole Chapman reined in Shuford to within two strokes and
gained a share of the lead at the par four sixth.
The sixth is very testy hole for most players. You hit blind
drive up an incline from the teeing ground to a fairway that
bends right and down to Lyle Creek. If you hit too far to
the right you have a chance of being blocked by a huge
bolder that just out of the said of the hill the
fairway has been cut out of.
Shuford came off of six with a double while Chapman took a
par his fourth in a row. Chapman’s fifth par in a row came
at the par five seventh giving him the lead. Shuford carded
his third, second in a row bogey at the seventh dropping him
back into second place with Tim
Cooke of Granite Falls, NC.
Chapman continued his par string through
the turn and in doing so had a two
stroke lead on the field.
"Trouble in turn four” usually wakes you
up when watching a NASCAR race that has
been to that point uneventful. The
trouble after the turn for Chapman was
back to back bogeys at ten and eleven.
This bump in an otherwise smooth sailing
round allowed both Tim Cooke and Steve
Shuford to come back into a three wide
race for the home stretch.
The
back to back bogeys also allowed the
potential for others to get a draft that
could sling them around the leaders.
At
thirteen Cooke dropped off the lead with
a bogey which was the first of four in a
row on the back side. Shuford looked
like he found his second wind. He strung
three pars together keeping him
headlight to headlight with Chapman with
five holes to play.
“Hello Houston, we have a problem.”
Shuford ran afoul at the par five
fourteenth with a triple bogey
effectively taking him out of the race.
Chapman recorded his only birdie of his
round at the fourteenth giving him a
four stroke swing.
If
this was match play it would be all over
at this point. The only player that
could give Chapman any trouble would be
Chapman himself. After making par on
fifteen and sixteen Chapman bogeyed
seventeen and eighteen but had enough
cushion to coast across the finish line
and raise his second major checker flag
of 2011.
Chapman came into “The UGA/UJGT Open
Championship” in third on the Tour
Points race for the season. With this
victory Chapman once again regains the
number one spot in the Tour Points race.
Back in June at the second major, the
“UGA Open” Chapman put his first ever
major trophy on his mantel. That win in
June also gave him the points lead for a
week. Now he has done it again. Just
call him “Mr. Majors.”
The
UGA celebrated at Rock Barn with its
inaugural UJGT Open Championship. Aaron
Thomas from Mt. Holly and a
student at Highland Tech will go into
the record books as the Unifour Junior
Golf Tour’s first ever major winner.
The
UJGT is a new junior tour for Western
North Carolina that when the membership
reaches the minimum number of players
required by the CGA it will become a NC
junior ranking tour of the Carolina Golf
Association which is the governing body
for golf in both the Carolinas. The UJGT
is owned and operated by the Unifour
Golf Association. Information on the
UJGT can be found at
www.theujga.com.
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The
UGA Tour Gets Back Down to Business Ervin
Captures 4th 2011 Tour Title |
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STATESVILLE, NC – July 9, 2011 –
The UGA returned to tournament play
after taking off for the Fourth of July.
Most of the players were bantering about
how they really missed playing last week
and were looking forward to getting back
into the hunt for the 2011 Tour
Championship.
The defending champion Chris Murray was
on hand to defend his title. Murray had
missed the event before the break but by
the way he started you could not tell
it. Murray opened with three straight
pars taking control of the early lead.
Murray a three time winner this season
stumbled at the par five fourth allowing
the ever present John Ervin to take a
share of the lead. The duo of Murray and
Ervin were being stalked by two time
Tour Champion Jack Beach, multiple title
winner Ron Frady, Brain Johnson and
Doris Gragg all just one stroke back.
Both Murray and Ervin bogeyed the par
three fifth. All of the stalkers bogeyed five
except Doris Gragg. With her par at five
Gragg moved into a three way tie with
Murray and Ervin.
Gragg and Murray fell out of the lead at
six, a par four 396 yard dogleg left.
Ervin said, “This is the first time that I
have pared this hole” after making par and
taking back sole possession of the lead
after six holes of play.
Ervin’s excitement about paring six for
the first time must have taken his mind
off his game as he bogeyed the short par
three seven while Murray birdied it.
Murray’s birdie gave the lead back to him
but only by one stroke over Ervin, Beach
and Tim Cooke.
Holes eight and nine at River Oaks can
make or break a round. Ervin doubled eight
and Beach tripled eight while Murray made
par expanding his lead. At nine Murray
gave back a stroke to both Ervin and Beach
but he was still firmly in the lead by two
at the turn.
Ervin, Cooke, Bill
Hodge, JD Osborne and Stephen Schmidt came across the turn
two strokes back of Murray at 41. Beach was three strokes
back at 42.
From the get go on the
back nine it the match became a two man race. For the first
six holes on the back side Murray and Ervin went stroke for
stroke until Ervin faltered at the short par four sixteen.
With this bogey Murray now had a three stoke lead with just
two holes to play. It’s over right? Not by a long shot.
The seventeenth is a par
three at 195 yards over water with encroaching trees
overhead. You can give it all away at this hole is you are
not careful. Murray almost did. Ervin successfully navigated
18 with a par while Murray will have nightmares about this
hole for weeks. Murray tripled 16 which brought the match
back to dead even with the easy par five 18th.
Both Murray and Ervin
knew what had to be done at 18. Both threw their drives out
a respectable distance and you could see a birdie smile on
each of their faces. Murray was left with about 250 yards to
the green while Ervin was about 230 yards out.
Murray elected to lay up
to about 70 yards and from there he hit the green in
regulation leaving him about an 8 foot putt for birdie.
Ervin was no sure where the match stood but felt he had to
go for the green which at 230 yards is no problem for
Ervin.
Ervin took dead aim and
with a very determined swing was going for all of the
marbles. As he followed through with his swing he saw his
ball take off like a shot just above the ground and as it
approached the creek that cuts across the whole fairway it
hits the ground sending it into the creek where his ball hit
a rock and came back out towards John finally settling down
in the fairway leaving him a very long shot third shot.
Normally a resulting
shot like that rattles golfers and their next attempt is
much more cautious. That is not the way John Ervin plays
golf. For his third shot he reared back and let it fly. The
result was a green in regulation above the hole about seven
feet.
Now Murray and Ervin
were both on the green in regulation at all square. Murray
was away so he putted first. His birdie putt slid just past
the hole leaving a four foot comeback putt which he elected
to clean up instead of waiting for Ervin to putt his birdie
putt.
Murray pushed his putt
just to the side of the cup missing his par. In disgust he
taps in for a bogey.
Ervin is either on
or off on his putting but when he is on you had better watch
out. From seven feet above the hole and down hill at that
Ervin sends his birdie putt off now knowing that he as two
putts to win the match. Birdie!! In the hole the ball went
giving John Ervin his four tour title for 2011.
Next week the UGA Tour
travels to the famed Jones Course at Rock Barn Golf and Spa
for “The UGA Open” and it will be a triple points event.
Results.....
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A star is on the rise! |
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GRANITE FALLS, NC -
July 6, 2011 -
From the President of Geek Golf: “I generally do not isolate a player from the Staff or
Associate Staff from the Team as I root for all of them.
But, for the first time I am going to do that as I know the
Team will understand why.
Trent Scruggs is 16 years old and just missed the Finals
this weekend (June 11&12. 2011) at Shank's event I am told.
He has the eye of the Tiger just like Jamie did at that age
and Dominic M. has as well. This is the part I really love
about LDing...watching the development of talent (at any
age)! In the last 2 years two possible Major talents at a
young age are helping the sport to grow and will entice
other talented teenage kids to compete with the BEST in the
World and have a very good chance to WIN the World's with
the right attitude! Now some of you never had the chance to
compete at that age at World Class level. D.M. and Trent
are doing just that thanks to their parents that are leading
them in the right direction. Maury Scruggs is a first class
Dad...Just like Danny and Louise Sadlowski is first class
parents to Jamie and Dom's parents are as well.
And you, that are bringing up
your kids in this sport, I really applaud you for doing that
as the torch will be passed to them somewhere down the
road. Keep up the good work!
Great Finish and you will make a big noise at World's
Trent! See you there and at the Geek party!
On behalf of Team Geek and Team Captain Mark Rodrigues!”
So who is this
Trent Scruggs?
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When Trent was 8 years old he started playing golf with his
dad and brother Trey. This was just eight years ago. Trent
was like most 8 years olds in that he was interested but not
to the point that he stuck to it. As Trent and Trey
grew older Trey developed a real love for the game while
Trent just played when he was not hunting, fishing, or
trying his hand at horseback riding and riding bulls.
However, both boys started participating in the Mutual of
Omaha's drive, chip and putt competitions as they came
around every year. Trent was 11 years old when he went to
his first event. It was then that he began to stand out as
a young man who could hit a driver a long way. In 2005 at
age 12 he won the driving portion of the competition with a
drive of 311 yards which was at least 40 yards further than
anyone in his age group. Unfortunately Mutual of Omaha
stopped their support of the event thus ending long drive
competitions for youngsters.
In 2005 Trent and Trey both started playing in the Catawba
Valley Junior Golf program at which both did very well.
Trent was so much longer off the red tees he was playing
that he moved up to the white tees that his older brother
Trey was playing. Trent’s
move to the white tees also allowed him to play 18 holes
instead of the 9 holes he was playing from the red tees.
When Trey aged out of the program
Trent lost interest and drifted towards baseball.
Trent signed up for the Optimist league where he did very
well. Trent’s
playing skills allowed him to play up 2 age groups with one
of the
Caldwell County traveling baseball teams to help his
development. While playing baseball Trent continued to play
golf with his brother Trey and his dad once every month or
so because he said 18 holes of golf bored him.
During his fourth year of baseball Trent fell and dislocated
his shoulder severely hampering his throwing ability. After
several months of recuperation it became obvious that he was
not getting any better. At one of the many visits to the
doctor it was discovered that he had tore his
labrium 180 degrees and chipped part
of the bone that secured the arm in his shoulder. He had to
have surgery at the end of the season in August of 2010 and
the prognosis was 50/50 that he would fully recover.
Trent was released form the doctor in early 2011. After an
effort to get his throwing arm back in shape Trent decided
to give up on baseball as his throwing motion was not as
good as it was before his fall. With that his attention went
back to golf that was spurred on by an incident that
happened just after his fall.
Back in 2010 shortly after his fall Trent was helping his
dad who was coordinating a March of Dimes benefit golf
tournament. Participating in the tournament program was the
Bridgestone golf ball company. Bridgestone was there with
their swing simulator that helped golfers find the right
ball to match up with their swings. Seeing this it reminded
Trent of his days competing in the long drive contest that
the Mutual of Omaha sponsored and prompted Trent to have his
swing clocked, more out of curiosity than anything else.
Tent’s dad said, “Trey came running up to me out of breath
saying the Bridgestone guy says you need to come to the
range.”
Maury, Trent’s father, followed his son to the range
to talk to the guy from Bridgestone. The Bridgestone rep
told Maury that Trent had just set the record for the
fastest swing speed that had been measured in over 800
events and all of Bridgestone’s touring pro staff. Maury
asked how fast Trent’s swing speed was and the guy said he
averaged 142mph with a max of 147mph. Maury said, “At that
time we just thought it was pretty cool but to realize that
his shoulder was damaged and made me wonder what he could do
if he was healthy.”
A couple of months later at the Lenoir Golf Club member
guest there was a long drive contest and of course Trent
wanted to participate. He won the event with a drive of 330
yards and it was very exciting. After that Maury started
researching swing speeds to find out what 147mph swing speed
meant. He found out that the average for touring pros,
including Tiger Woods, swing the driver anywhere form 118mph
to 125mph. It was then that Maury realized that his son
Trent had a very special talent.
Armed with that excitement the Scruggs decided to find some
long drive competitions to see how Trent would match up.
They soon discovered that there are no junior long drive
competitions and that if Trent was going to compete it would
have to be in the open division of the Remax Long Drive
competitions. Maury began to ask around the local golf
industry if there was known to be anyone who competed in
these types of events. A local guy by the name of Brian
Harris who plays out of Brushy Mountain Golf Club in
Taylorsville, NC was brought to Murray’s attention. After
three months of trying to contact Harris Maury was able to
reach him by phone.
Harris not only gave Trent some great advice he even
provided Trent with some of his old drivers to start
practicing with. After getting use to those very long
drivers the Scruggs began looking for some local qualifiers
for the Remax World Championships. Trent’s practice field
was the driving range owned by Don and Lori Teague who with
their retail connections to golf club reps tried to help
Trent find a company willing to help with the supply of
clubs. By this time Trent had already busted the face of
four of his drivers.
The Teague’s driving range and golf shop host a big annual
demo day for all of its customers. All of the major club
manufacturers are usually there. At the one held this past
Spring the reps pulse was skyrocketing as they all watched
this young man swing a club at speeds unseen by any of them.
The Adams rep got out his video camera and began filming
Trent’s swing. He even went so far as to put an Adams hat on
him with one of Adam’s golf bags in each scene.
The Ping rep offered to fly Trent to Arizona for a VIP club
fitting and the TaylorMade rep suggested that Trent go down
to Charlotte to hit on their simulator which he did.
The trip to Charlotte validated all of Trent’s numbers such
as swing speed (140’s), ball speed (195-205), launch angle
that is between 12 and 16 degrees with a ball spin between
1500 and 2200. With the confidence these numbers offered a
video was soon made to be sent to anyone interested in
Trent’s talent.
While shopping the video around Trent entered his first
Remax qualifier in April, 2011 in Greenville, SC. With a
drive of 369 yards on a very wet grid Tent qualified in the
North Carolina region. The following week Trent traveled to
Tuscaloosa, AL to take part in a super qualifier that if won
Trent would then qualify in multiple regions. Trent won
three local qualifiers in one day that got him first round
byes in the Southeast, Dallas and St. Louis regions.
After crushing four driver faces the Scruggs found
themselves with only one driver to continue competing. They
desperately needed a club deal in order to keep competing.
James Nelson, another long drive competitor from the
Hickory, NC area who had hit with Trent was contacted for
some advice on how to go about getting a club deal. Nelson
suggested they call his contacts at Geek golf and Krank
golf.
Geek Golf located in Anaheim CA was called because
Trent had broke 2 of their drivers and was hoping that they
may replace the heads or at least give a discount on the
purchase of new ones. Steve Almo, the president and club
builder, was sent a link to Tent's video. Before watching
the video Almo told Maury that they have a program that
would allow him to pay $500 and Geek would provide 4
drivers, some hats, shirts and monitor Trent for one year.
At the end of that first year they may offer him a position
on Geek’s staff.
Within the same day Almo called Maury back having just
watched Trent's video to say he needed 24 hours to come up
with a better deal. 24 hours later Almo called Maury back
with shocking news. Geek offered Trent a spot on Geek’s
staff because he felt that Trent had what it takes to do
well in the long drive business. Additionally Almo got
Aldila to provide some shafts to get Tent started.
Armed and outfitted with the Red and Black colors of Geek
Golf Trent jumped right into the mix and traveled to the
Tennessee Shootout which is one of five events that Remax
sponsors as a qualifier for the World Championships. The
event was held in Greenville TN. After arriving a day early
to see the grid, how it works and is set up both Trey and
Trent were asked to mark balls in the grid while competitors
in a local qualifier were hitting.
After the local qualifier was completed Trent was given the
opportunity to hit a few balls before the day was over.
While waiting for Trent to finish hitting Maury observed a
lady who was sitting under the Aldila scoring tent. Maury
had overheard someone call out her name which was Brenda
Prudham who turned out to be the rep at Aldila in San Diego
that had provided Trent the shafts for his clubs. After
introducing himself as the father of the 16 year old that
Geek was bringing on board Brenda said that Steve Almo of
Geek told her to make sure she found Trent at this event.
She and Maury watched as Trent hit eight balls hitting the
grid three times with drives of 375, 381 and 388 yards. This
impressed Brenda very much and prompted her to call Almo
right then telling him that she was taking the Scruggs to
dinner that night and that Trent would then be taken care
of.
At dinner Trent was offered a spot on the Aldila long drive
team and he accepted. Brenda then asked if Trent could
obtain a passport because she wanted Trent to join the team
in the
World Match Play being held in Stockholm Sweden in July.
Win lose or draw in the shootout the next day the trip was a
complete success.
As for the shootout Trent was not able to match his practice
round hits managing only 356 yards in both rounds. Maury
said, “It was not quite good enough to move on but the
experience was great. In such a short time he has
accomplished a great deal and we are excited about what the
future holds for Trent.” Tent was the youngest participant
in the 11 year history of the Tennessee Shootout.
Trent’s itinerary is as follows:
The Metter
in Metter Ga…Longest running Long Drive event in U.S…Pro-Am
Saturday July 9th with long drive event following
and 2nd long drive event on Sunday July 10th
Aldila
World Powergolf Match Play
Stockholm
Sweden July 21-24th Pro-Am on the 23rd
Remax World
qualifier in St. Louis Mo Region 6 with 1st round
bye July 29-31
Remax World
qualifier in Viera FL Region 3 with 1st round bye
Aug 13-14
Dixie
Classic in Warner Robbins Ga Aug 19-20 with Pro-am on the 19th
Remax World
qualifier in Greensboro NC Bryan Park Region 2 Aug 27th
Remax World
qualifier Thackerville OK region 5 Sept.10 with a first
round bye
Remax World
Championships in
Mesquite
NV beginning Oct.28th*
*Trent need
only to qualify in one of the above events to win a slot for
the World ChampionshipBack to the top......
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Ron Frady Out Duels Beach
for Crescent Title |
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SALISBURY, NC – June 25, 2011 – The UGA Tour invaded
Salisbury, NC over the weekend to hold its Crescent
Summer Open at the Crescent Golf Club. The greens were in
excellent shape providing ample opportunity to go low and a
goodly number did so.
After lying off for a season Ron Frady came back with a new
outlook and a much improved game. Frady has been knocking on
the door all season long. It would only be a matter of time
for him to hit pay-dirt. At Crescent the time was now and
what an exhibition he put on.
Frady’s round did not start off like he would want it to but
it is never about where you start it is where you finish
that matters. After taking a three putt on number two he
said, “I changed my putting grip and from there on in my
putts started to fall.”
With a good round under way Frady soon found himself in a
battle with two time Tour winner Jack Beach. Beach opened
with a double on the par five first but settled down real
quick. Beach’s double gave Frady the opening lead through
the first two holes but Beach took over after Frady made his
double at the 425 yard par four third.
Beach had the lead by one which he kept all the way through
to the turn. Beach came across at 38 and Frady at 39.
Beach opens the door for Frady with
back to back bogeys at
ten and eleven giving the lead over to Frady but for only
one hole as Frady bogeyed No.12. Now they are tied as they
go into the last six holes.
Frady cards his third birdie of the day at thirteen taking
back the lead. Beach answers with a birdie at fourteen
bringing them back together and that is where it stayed for
the remaining four holes. Beach cards a back nine of 37 and
Frady cards an even par of 36 giving them both a 75.
Both players had an excellent round but went about it in two
different ways. Both Frady and Beach had almost identical
stats for the front nine. The back nine was a different game
all together.
Frady’s game was a
game of “fairways and greens” where as Beach had to
scramble the whole back nine. Beach only hit four greens
in regulation on the back nine. For the last six holes
Beach hit only two greens requiring him to get up and
down on four of the six holes. Beach used one put per
hole for the last six holes to close it out with a tie.
Frady’s exhibition
was his accuracy. For eighteen holes Frady hit 79% of
his fairways, 67% of his greens in regulation and used
1.7 putts per hole. This is the kind of golf one must
play to score low. This is by far the best round Frady
has produced on the UGA Tour and is his second Tour
title.
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Back to
back wins for Murray at Brushy Mt. |
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TAYLORSVILLE, NC – June, 18, 2011 – Brushy Mt. Golf Club –
The UGA returned to one of its most favorite golf
courses, Brushy Mt... The course at Brushy was found to be
in excellent condition and was expected to yield some good
scores however; Mother Nature had another idea in mind.
Just as the field completed the front nine the siren’s
sounded to clear the course as the on coming black clouds
began to issue forth ear busting thunder. Head Pro Joe
Ferguson estimated that it would take several hours for the
danger to clear so a decision was made by Tour Director to
call it a day.
As a result, the Brushy Mt. Summer Open was called after
nine holes. This is only the second time in the eleven year
history of the UGA Tour that an event had to be called after
nine holes. This is especially tough for the players. Each
UGA Tour event is a single event creating the feel of a
sudden death playoff. Every hole counts and any errors made
on the front side have to be rectified on the back – there
is no cut.
You either win or lose! So it is no easy task to call an
event after nine holes.
At the turn Chris Murray of Hickory stood at 39 with Steve
Shuford of Newton and John Ervin of Hiddenite chasing Murray
at 40 and at 41 was two times Tour Champion Jack Beach along
with a hoard of players following at 42.
Murray’s 39 gave him his second victory in as many weeks as
well as placing him at the top of the leaderboard. Murray’s
win is tightening up the Tour Points race.
The UGA Tour travels to Crescent Golf Club in Salisbury next
Saturady for the Salisbury Summer Open..
Brushy Mt.
Results........
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Chris
Murray Captures Lenoir Summer Open |
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LENOIR, NC – June 11,
2011-06-12- Lenoir Golf Club – The UGA
Tour made its second stop of this season
at the 1928 Donald Ross designed Lenoir
Golf Club, a Tour favorite when playing in
the Unifour area. The course is in
excellent shape and in particularly the
greens. The putts rolled true all day
especially for Chris Murray. Murray’s 71
is the lowest round carded this season for
the Tour.
Though Murray turned
in the low round of the day and season it
was done so with Rick Chapman, the 2011
UGA Open Champion in close pursuit.
However both Murray and Chapman were both
chasing Bill Hodge of Newton through the
first 12 holes.
Hodge opened his
round with a par, the first of seven in a
row and capped those seven pars off with
back to back birdies on eight and nine to
give him a three stroke lead over Murray
and Chapman at the turn. If you were
counting that would give Hodge a front
nine score of two under at 34.
Hodge continued his par run through the
first three holes on the back nine. At
thirteen Hodge recorded his first blemish,
a double bogey which cracked open the door
for with Chapman or Murray to get their
toe in.
Chapman and Murray both carded birdies at
ten giving them a slight gain in the chase
to run down Hodge. From eleven on in
Chapman recorded five bogeys taking him
out of the chase leaving Murray to
continue his assault on Hodge.
Chris Murray
Hodge and Murray matched pars through
eleven and twelve but when Hodge had his
hiccup at thirteen it allowed Murray to
take a share of the lead. Hodge may still
have been rattled by his double at 13 as
he backed that up with a bogey at 14 which
surrendered the lead to Murray of which he
took to the clubhouse by carding one
birdie and eight pars the rest of the way
in. Hodge finished in second.
Click here for more information on the UGA
Tour
Results.......
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A fitting End to a
Exceptional High School Golf Career |
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CONOVER, NC -
June 6, 2011 - Greater Hickory High School Classic - Rock
Barn Golf & Spa -
Due to the early
scheduling of the Greater Hickory Classic this year the
number of high school players in this year’s Greater Hickory
High School Classic was down due to end of school year
requirements.
Thirty six players showed up for this year’s event. Among
them were three of the state’s best junior golfers. Leading
the list is Hickory’s JT Poston who has won everything he
has ever entered except the Greater Hickory High School
Classic. In fact he said today that he has never made par in
this event. This being his senior year and the last time he
can participate as well as the look in his face you could
tell that he is going to do everything he can to change
that.
Next on the list of notable
junior golfers attending this year’s Classic is Thomas Lilly
from Maiden who was the go to player for his high school
team. Even though his team did not make the state playoffs
Thomas did and finished in the top ten as an individual.
Equally notable in this
year’s event is Tyler Lail from Bunker Hill. Lail, like
Lilly earned the right to play in the state championship as
an individual where he finished tied for fourth
Both Lail and Lilly played in
the 2A State Championships.
Poston is currently posted as the states 16th
best junior player in the state and has signed to play
college golf at Western Carolina in the fall.
Lail is ranked as the 56th
best junior player in the state and Lilly is ranked as the
116th best junior golfer.
The Greater Hickory High
School Classic calls for a nine hole event and is played
from the same tee box set up as the Champions Pro’s played
from in the morning qualifier on the Jackson Course. The top
five finishers earn the right to play in the Dale Jarrett
Shootout on Tuesday. The top two finishers are offered an
opportunity watch an official round from inside the ropes as
honorary observers.
One of the first sets of
players to post a score was the threesome that included
Tyler Lail from Bunker Hill and his score of 35 set off a buzz. They used a shotgun start in this
event so the scores began to really roll in. Another buzz
was set off when the score for a sophomore from Statesville
High by the name of Jack Archibald was posted, a 33.
Sprinkled in and around Lail
and Archibald were some 37’s but none were coming in any
lower. Then across the patio in front of the scoreboard
Poston comes ambling in showing no sign of emotion to
indicate how well or how bad he had played. In the five
years we have been covering this kid his demeanor never
changes. A couple of years ago we nicknamed him “Cool Hand
Luke.”
Remember in the three years
before that Poston has played in this event he has never
come close, not even a par. But today that changed. He along
with his game has matured and is fully prepared and ready to
play college golf. Poston, JT to his friends, cracked the
nut. Not only did he shoot par he shot four under par – a
32. What a way to top off a fine high school golf career.
Coach Ben Hale, Poston’s high school coach, emailed me
earlier after hearing the news of Poston’s victory and in it
he said, “His
win today was truly a defining exclamation point to an
outstanding season and high school golfing career at
Hickory! With his incredible work ethic and constant desire
to improve his game, I look forward to following this
outstanding student-athlete's progress for years to come as
he will now attend Western Carolina on a golf scholarship!”
I couldn’t have said it any better Coach Hale. JT – well
done!
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Rick Chapman Wins First
UGA Title and First major - The UGA Open |
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HICKORY, NC – June 4, 2011 – Catawba Springs Country Club –
The UGA was excited to return to Catawba Springs for its
second major of this season. The weather was terrific and
the golf course was in excellent condition, especially the
greens.
All UGA majors are triple point events and
thus draw a goodly number of players. This years Tour Points
race is really heating up especially since first time title
winner Rick Chapman won this years UGA Open. The 360
garnered by Chapman at Catawba Springs puts him within
striking distance of the Points lead.
Rick Chapman is from the Conover
area and has been a UGA
Tour member since 2009 and this is his first title and major
win since his arrival on the Tour. Chapman’s round today
started off as most of the other players did. By the time he
reached the turn he was tied for second at 44 with two times
UGA Tour Champion Jack Beach.
The turn leaders were Tim Cooke of Granite Falls, Chris
Murray Sr. of Hickory, Brian Pitts of Hickory and Brian
Johnson of Statesville. At tem both Pitts and Cooke birdie
this short par five but from there on out it became
Chapman’s event.
Chapman pared ten and bogeyed eleven. Then he went on a
birdie-par run all the way into the clubhouse to win The UGA
Open by three strokes over JP O’Renick of Granite Falls.
Results....
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