Top-ranked Players for Creed Boys' Invitational

Camden Country Club member Tyler Gray of Lugoff, S.C. finished T6 last year (Chronicle-Independent)

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (May 23, 2017) -- The Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) will conduct the 5th Creed Boys' Invitational from May 27-28. Camden Country Club in Camden, S.C. has been the home of the event since its inception in 2013. The  format is 36 holes of stroke play. All boys will compete at approximately 6,400 yards, par 70 in three age divisions; boys’ 13-14, boys’15-16 and boys’ 17-18.

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field of Players | Starting Times | Scoring | History

---- Below Preview by Tom Didato for the Chronicle-Independent

What started out as a tournament to honor the memory of the late Jimmy Creed has turned into an event which now has junior golfers from both North Carolina and South Carolina lined up in trying to play their way into the select field.

Now in its fifth year, the Jimmy Creed Junior Boys’ Invitational will open its two-day, 36-hole run on Saturday at the Camden Country Club with 84 of the best young golfers from the Carolinas testing their skills on the 6,400-yard, par 70 layout on Knights Hill Road. The age divisions are 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18.

The event was the brainchild of Camden Country Club head golf professional Matt McCarley who, while driving in his truck one day, thought about an appropriate way to honor his friend who had recently passed. McCarley placed a call to the Carolinas Golf Association, whose leadership was well acquainted with Creed and his contributions to the junior golf program and golf, in general, in Camden.

“I grew up playing golf with Jimmy and I always looked up to him. He was a unique person,” McCarley said of the popular Creed. “Jimmy loved children and even though he was five or six years older than me, he always loved playing golf with kids in my age group. As the years went on, he was always very generous in donating money, whenever we needed it, to our junior golf program or our (the Camden High) golf team.

“I just thought this was a good idea to have this tournament and, one day, I just got on the phone with the CGA guys and they thought it was a great idea, too. As it turned out, it was a home run.”

The event has turned out three champions in four years, all of whom are now playing Division I golf. Trace Crowe of Bluffton won the 2013 and 2014 events before going on to play at Auburn. In 2015, Eric Bae of Pinehurst, N.C., won The Creed and is now playing at Wake Forest. Last year’s winner, Caleb Proveaux of Pelion is a freshman member of the USC golf team.

McCarley said this weekend’s event, which tees off from the first and 10th tees at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday, is the place to see and be seen for up and coming golfers and college coaches. “We usually have a number of college coaches who come in to scout the kids over the weekend,” said the former two-time USC golf team captain.

There are several different ways in which golfers qualified for the tournament. Exemptions are handed out to the top 25 finishers from last year’s Creed Invitational, the top 25-ranked players in the most recent South Carolina Junior Golf Association (SCJGA) rankings, the top 25 players in the most recent North Carolina junior rankings, the top 10 finishers from the SCJGA Caddie Classic, the top 10 finishers from the Archdale Junior Open in North Carolina and the top five finishers from the CGA’s Jimmy Anderson Boys’ Tournament.

After that, there were 38 available spaces up for grabs and those were filled following last week’s qualifier at the Lancaster Country Club, which drew a field of 100 golfers.

In the field are five players with local connections including Tyler Gray. The Lugoff resident and Thomas Sumter Academy junior is ranked sixth in the SCJGA rankings and finished tied for sixth in last year’s Creed Invitational after carding a 73-73--143, which was five strokes behind Proveaux’s winning tally.

McCarley said Gray, who finished tied for 12th at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship at played at TPC Myrtle Beach in March, would like nothing better than to collect a win this weekend on his home course. The CCC head pro said Gray has to be considered among the favorites.

“I know Tyler wants to win this tournament bad,” McCarley said. “He’s good enough to win it.”

A quartet of McCarley’s players from Camden High also qualified for the tournament. Wills Kelly comes in after tying for 14th in last week’s AAA State Championship played over the True Blue Golf Club in Pawley’s Island. The eighth-grader shot a 73-77—150. “Wills is really playing well,” McCarley said.

Joining Kelly will be Bulldog teammates David Bishop, Patrick Lindsay and Evan Younghans. Playing in a competitive setting such as the one they will find themselves in this weekend will only serve to help them as they progress in the sport.

“For the younger kids,” McCarley said, “this will be a great experience. I know they will be nervous playing in this tournament but at the same time, it’s good experience for them to help them get better between now and, hopefully, next golf season.”

While playing a course of which they are familiar, McCarley said the local quintet does not necessarily have a home course advantage, given the strength of this weekend’s field.

“Sometimes, playing on your home golf course is not a little more difficult than people think,” he said. “Guys think they may automatically have an advantage but there’s also a lot more pressure that comes with it; the expectations are higher when you are playing on your home golf course.”

All golfers, McCarley said, will get the royal treatment once in Camden. Players are presented with gifts from the host club and the CGA while Saturday’s post-round dinner and Sunday’s pre-round breakfast are open to both players and their families.

McCarley said the CCC community rallies around this tournament which honors the legacy of one of their most popular members.

“The tournament is very popular. The club gets behind it and we try and give the kids a lot of gifts and feed the parents as well as the kids,” McCarley said.

“The members here at the country club are very supportive of junior golf and of being able to host a tournament which has turned out to be one of the most prestigious junior tournaments in North and South Carolina. It means a lot to me and the club.”

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Top-ranked Players to Watch

Levi Moody, 17, of Greenville, S.C. currently ranks fourth in the South Carolina junior rankings. He has three first-place finishes in 2017, including the Independent High School Region 4A, Independent High School Greenville County, as well as the Hurricane Invitational.

East Carolina commit Jack Massei, 17, of Cary, N.C. ranks sixth in the state rankings. He paced Green Hope High School by going 2-under 142, helping them secure a second place finish in the 4A North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Championships.

Tyler Gray, 17,  of Lugoff, S.C. is a member of Camden Country Club. He ranks as the sixth-best junior golfer in the state of South Carolina. He has captured four top-15 finishes this year, including first place in the South Carolina Independent School Association State 2A. Gray has committed to play golf at Coastal Carolina.

The South Carolina history books were rewritten when Holden Grigg, 16, of Myrtle Beach, S.C, finished 14-under par to capture the Class 4A boys state golf tournament. His two-day total of 130 was two shots better than the record, which was set last year. With the victory, he jumped nine spots to eighth overall in the junior rankings. The high school sophomore has four first-place finishes and eight top-10 finishes in 2017. 

Alex Goff, a 17-year-old junior from Kings Mountain, N.C. recently was named the SMAC Player of the Year. He also earned a Certificate of Merit award from the Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame and currently ranks eighth in the North Carolina junior rankings.

Carson Ownbey, 17, of Candler, N.C. moved up one spot to ninth in the state standings by tying for fourth in the NCHSAA 3-A tournament. With the 36-hole total of 141, he secured himself a spot on the NCISAA 3-A all-state team. 

 

Scoring will be provided by the CGA throughout the championship, offering 9 and 18-hole updates. Live updates will also be available on the CGA’s official Twitter, @CarolinasJunior. Continue to visit the CGA website throughout this championship and all year long for complete championship coverage including scores, interviews, photos, and recaps.

 

Full Field of Players

Name	City, State	Club Name
Armistead, Connor	Charlotte, NC	Cedarwood Country Club
Azallion, Daniel	Hilton Head, SC	Golf Club at Indigo Run
Balbin, Symon	Pinehurst, NC	Midland Country Club
Bishop, David	Camden, SC	Camden Country Club
Bonfiglio, Austin	Holly Springs, NC	Devil's Ridge Golf Club
Burris, Kevin	Conway, SC	Hackler Course at C.C.U.
Byers, Zack	Shelby, NC	Cleveland Country Club
Chase, Graham	Charlotte, NC	Providence Country Club
Cheek, Carter	Cary, NC	Macgregor Downs Country Club
Chen, Brian	Cary, NC	Carolinas Eclub Raleigh
Coe, Michael	Morrisville, NC	Prestonwood Country Club
Cooper, Garrett	Cowpens, SC	Cherokee National Country Club
Crook, William	Sherrills Ford, NC	Cowan's Ford Country Club
Crow, Benjamin	Pinehurst, NC	Pinehurst Country Club
Duncan, Austin	Bessemer City, NC	Gaston Country Club
Elliott, Wilhelm	Columbia, SC	Ft. Jackson Golf Club
Eubanks, Thomas	Charlotte , NC	Myers Park Country Club
Fant, Bennett	Winston Salem, NC	Maple Chase CC
Flowers, Dixon	Sumter, SC	Sunset Country Club
Franks, Nathan	Roebuck, SC	Musgrove Mill Golf Club
Gilbert, Zach	Davidson, NC	Cowan's Ford Country Club
Goff, Alex	Kings Mountain, NC	Gaston Country Club
Gossert, Luke	Matthews, NC	The Divide Golf Club
Graham, Kellen	Asheville , NC	Etowah Valley Men's Golf Assn
Gray, Tyler	Lugoff, SC	Camden Country Club
Grigg, Holden	Myrtle Beach, SC	Dunes Golf & Beach Club
Hackett, Drew	Charlotte, NC	Ballantyne Country Club
Hancock, Cade	Elizabethtown, NC	Pine Valley Country Club
Hawley, Will	Raleigh, NC	Raleigh Country Club
Heath, Jack	Charlotte, NC	Cedarwood Country Club
Heffner, Alex	Harrisburg , NC	Pine Lake Country Club
Henson, Clifford	Lancaster, SC	Lancaster Golf Club
Hinkle, Brady	Lancaster, SC	Lancaster Golf Club
Jones, Walker	Sumter, SC	Beech Creek Golf Club
Joy, Ike	Denver, NC	Cowan's Ford Country Club
Kelly, Wills	Camden, SC	Camden Country Club
Kustas, Jordan	Charlotte, NC	Raintree Country Club
Leyva, Mariano	Lewisville, NC	Bermuda Run Country Club
Lindsay, Patrick	Camden, SC	Camden Country Club
Loudermilk, Benjamin	Anderson, SC	Club at Brookstone, the
Macri, Ryan	Wake Forest, NC	Hasentree Club
Mangano, Nicholas	Lancaster, SC	Lancaster Golf Club
Massei, Jack	Cary, NC	Prestonwood Country Club
Mayfield, Nicholas	Rock Hill, SC	Rock Hill Country Club
Moody, Levi	Greenville, SC	Furman University Golf Course
Mosher, Austin	Mt Pleasant, SC	Rivertowne Country Club
Muckenfuss, Malin	Charlotte, NC	Cedarwood Country Club
Murray, Austin	Elgin, SC	Members Club at Woodcreek
Myers, Bronson	Columbia, SC	Par Tee Golf Association
Newman, Jake	Sapphire, NC	Burlingame Country Club
Norfleet, Nathan	Chapel Hill, NC	Carolinas Eclub Raleigh
O'Connor, Rence	Columbia, SC	Forest Lake Club
Ownbey, Carson	Candler, NC	Country Club of Asheville
Oxendine, Spencer	Fayetteville, NC	Gates Four Golf & Country Club
Partee, Tyler	Thomasville , NC	High Point Country Club
Patterson, Connor	Lexington, SC	Country Club of Lexington
Reuland, Zach	Rock Hill, SC	Waterford Golf Club
Rogers, Willis	Charleston, SC	Country Club of Charleston
Rutter, Jacob	Winston-Salem, NC	Maple Chase G&CC
Sellers, Grant	McBee, SC	Green River Country Club
Sharpstene, Matthew	Asheville, NC	Broadmoor Golf Links
Shea, Gibby	Charlotte, NC	Carmel Country Club
Shields, Karsten	Monroe, NC	Rolling Hills Country Club
Sloop, Manning	Rock Hill, SC	Rock Hill Country Club
Smith, Grant	Charlotte, NC	Charlotte Country Club
Sowell, Mason	Kershaw, SC	Kershaw Golf Club
Sperrazza, Christopher	Raleigh, NC	Wakefield Plantation
Stewart, Drayton	Charleston, SC	Country Club of Charleston
Stuedli, Nicholas	Charlotte, NC	Providence CC
Sutton, Nicklaus	Matthews , NC	Carmel Country Club
Swanson, Zack	Waxhaw, NC	Club at Longview
Teaster, Matthew	Spartanburg, SC	Country Club of Spartanburg
Thompson, McClure	Little River, SC	Carolinas Eclub Peedee
Trahan, Colin	North Augusta, SC	River Golf Club
Truesdale, Parker	Canton, NC	Mimosa Hills
Tucker, Mason	Lancaster, SC	Lancaster Golf Club
Vardas, Alec	Lexington, SC	Country Club of Lexington
Vaugh, Keegan	Myrtle Beach , SC	The Dunes Club
Velasquez, Johnny	Mt. Pleasant, SC	Bulls Bay Golf Club
Weary, Drew	Bluffton, SC	Oldfield Golf Club
Westermeyer, Micah	Chapin, SC	Camden Country Club
Wholey, Colin	Charlotte, NC	Carmel Country Club
Woodruff, Ben	Huntersville, NC	Northstone Club, Llc
Younghans, Evan	Camden, SC	Camden Country Club

 

 

 

Championship Facts

Event: 5th Creed Junior Boys' Invitational

Playing Dates: May 27-28

Host Site: Camden Country Club, Camden, S.C.
6,326 yards, par 35-35--70, Course Rating 71.1/125

Defending Champion: Cody Proveaux, Lexington, S.C.
Format: 36 holes of stroke play

Eligibility: Entry is open to any male amateur golfer ages 13 to 18 as of May 28, 2017, who has not started college, who has a USGA handicap of 15.0 or lower and is a legal resident of North Carolina or South Carolina.

 

Schedule of rounds

Starting times: Saturday, May 27 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Saturday, May 28 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Awards ceremony 2:00 pm

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events as well as qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed nearly $2,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.    

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

 

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