39th Carolinas Mid-Amateur Preview

 

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (April 2, 2019) -- The Carolinas Golf Association will conduct the 39^th Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship at The Reserve Club in Pawleys Island, S.C. from April 5-7.  The last time this event was held at The Reserve Club, Matthew Crenshaw of Burlington, N.C. won the championship by four shots. Crenshaw is back in the field this year with hopes to reclaim the title.

 

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

 

The Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship format is 54 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties. Any male amateur golfer who has reached his 25th birthday, is a legal resident of North or South Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the CGA and has a current USGA Handicap Index® at a member club that does not exceed 10.4 may compete in this championship.
 

Notable Players to Watch:

• John Pitt of Raleigh, N.C. is our defending champion at this year’s Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship. Last year’s victory was the second CGA title for Pitt. Pitt is also the 2001 Carolinas Amateur Champion.
• Kyle Bearden of Barnwell, S.C. is the reigning South Carolina Mid-Amateur Champion. Bearden also finished T7 in the 2018 SCGA Amateur Championship and qualified for the stroke play portion of the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
• Sherrill Britt of West End, N.C. won the 2015 Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship at North Ridge Country Club (Lakes) in Raleigh, N.C. Britt also placed T2 last year finishing one shot behind Pitt. Britt was part of the winning amateur team for the 2019 Tar Heel Cup Matches at River Landing.   
• Walter Todd, Jr. of Greenville, S.C. is the son of our 2007 Carolinas Mid-Amateur Champion, Walter Todd, Sr. Todd, Jr. is coming off a win at the 27^th SCGA Partners Championship. He also finished T10 at the 2018 South Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship.
• Thomas Owen of Fayetteville, N.C. is the highest-ranked Carolinas Men’s golfer in the field this year. A string of top finishes over the last year, currently puts Owen at 16^th place in the official Carolinas Men’s Rankings. Owen finished T3 at both the 2018 North Carolina Amateur Championship and the 2018 North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship, T4 at the 2018 Carolinian Amateur and T25 at the 2018 Carolinas Amateur Championship. Owen was also part of the winning amateur team for the 2019 Tar Heel Cup Matches at River Landing.  
• Matt Kilgo of Charlotte, N.C. claimed his first CGA Championship title last year in his hometown at the 25^th North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship at Ballantyne Country Club.
• Robert Lutomski of Simpsonville, S.C. is the reigning South Carolina Golf Association Men’s Player of the Year.  Lutomski finished tenth in the 2018 SCGA Amateur Championship, fourth in the 2018 SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship, T2 in the SCGA Players Four-Ball Championship, solo second place in the SCGA Tournament of Champions, won the 2018 SCGA Partners Championship and finished T24 at the 2018 Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship.
• Todd Hendley of Columbus, N.C. is the reigning Carolinas Senior Champion. Other recent top finishes for Hendley include a third-place finish at the Chanticleer National Senior Invitational, T7 at the North South Senior and an eighth-place finish at the 2018 Carolinas Senior Four-Ball Championship.
• Thomas Todd III of Laurens, S.C. currently sits in sixth place in the SCGA Player of the Year standings. Todd’s 2018 was highlighted by making it to the match play portion of the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Charlotte Country Club. Todd III also finished T10 at the 2018 SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship and T17 at the 2018 Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship.  
• Sam Echikson of Charlotte, N.C. most notably claimed medalist at the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship Sectional Qualifier last year at Monroe Country Club. Echikson made it to the round of 32 before being taken out by the stroke play medalist, Stephen Behr of Florence, S.C. Echikson was also part of the winning amateur team for the 2019 Tar Heel Cup Matches at River Landing.

Former champions competing this year include: John Pitt (2018) of Raleigh, N.C.; Sherrill Britt (2015) of West End, N.C.; Mathew Crenshaw (2014) of Burlington, N.C.; and Jarrett Grimes (2009) of Columbia, S.C.

About The Reserve Club

The Reserve is a private golf club located inside a gated community on the coast of South Carolina just 65 miles north of Charleston and 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach. The Reserve Golf Club features the #5 Golf Course on the Grand Strand according to the South Carolina Golf Panel. This Greg Norman design is a fit for golfers of all handicaps. This visually stunning low-country land, with its abundance of wildlife and wetlands, inspired the creation of this natural course. Since The Reserve Golf Club's debut in 1998, players and course evaluators nationwide have raved about the course's unique natural design. Greg Norman's 350 acre tract borders protected conservation areas and embraces 160 acres of natural wetlands with charming wooden bridges linking fairways. 

Championship Facts

Qualifying Medalist(s)	Score	Qualifying Site
Nick Thompson Vass, N.C.	69 (-3)	Bentwinds G&CC Fuquay-Varina, N.C.
Eric Lipson Charlotte, N.C.	66 (-6)	Carolina Lakes GC Indian Land, S.C.
Weston Bell Piedmont, S.C.	69 (-1)	Cobbs Glen CC Anderson, S.C.
Jeremy Ray Pfafftown, N.C. Gary Pugh Asheboro, N.C.	71 (E)	Stoney Creek GC Whitsett, N.C.
Ryan Reynolds Camden, S.C. Brian Hepler Wilmington, N.C. Brent McKenzie Wake Forest, N.C.	71 (E)	Members Club at Grande Dunes Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Thomas Kennaday Aiken, S.C.	67 (-5)	Wyboo CC Manning, S.C.

Event: 39th Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship

Playing Dates: April 5-7, 2019

Host Site: The Reserve Club, Pawleys Island, S.C.
6,790 yards, Par 36-36-72

Defending Champion: John Pitt of Raleigh, N.C.

Format: 54-holes stroke play. After 36 holes, cut to low 60 scores and ties.

Championship Field Size: 141

Schedule of rounds:
Friday, April 5
Round 1 – 18 holes stroke play
Tee times at 8:00am/12:45pm off #1 and #10 tees

Saturday, April 6
Round 2 – 18 holes stroke play
Tee times at 8:00am/12:45pm off #1 and #10 tees
Cut to low 60 scores and ties. Field re-paired according to score.

Sunday, April 7
Round 3 – Tee times begin at 8:00am off #1 and #10 tees.
Awards ceremony immediately following play at scoreboard

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 140 One-Day (net and gross) events and 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 www.carolinasgolf.org.