CGA Announces 2012 Richard S. Tufts Carolinas Players of the Year

Photos: Scott Harvey  Dawn Woodard   Paul Simson  

Pat Brogden   Keenan Huskey  Kelli Murphy

West End , NC - Three previous winners and three first-timers has been named 2012 Richard S. Tufts Players of the Year by the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA).  The award was created in 1997.

The six winners are: Scott Harvey of Greensboro, NC (Men), Dawn Woodard of Greer, SC (Women), Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC (Senior Men), Pat Brogden of Garner, NC (Senior Women), Keenan Huskey of Greenville, SC (Junior Boys) and Kelli Murphy of Elgin, SC (Junior Girls).

The Richard S. Tufts Awards were established in 1997 to honor Carolinas amateur golfers who had exceptional individual tournament performances over the preceding year. Tufts served on the CGA Executive Committee from 1926 to 1964 and served as President from 1931 through 1933. The awards are given to the number one golfer based on the CGA amateur rankings at the end of the calendar year in each of four categories: Men, Women, Senior Men and Senior Women.

The Junior Boys and Junior Girls awards are based on a series of junior tournaments run by nine associations that are the grassroots of junior golf in the Carolinas.  Participating Carolinas associations and tournaments are the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA), Carolinas PGA (CPGA), Trusted Choice Big I Junior Classics, South Carolina Golf Association (SCGA), Women's Carolinas Golf Association (WCGA), Women's South Carolina Golf Association (WSCGA), South Carolina Junior Golf Association (SCJGA), Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and the Joe Cheves Junior Invitational.

Award winners will be honored during Carolinas Golf Night and the CGA Annual Meeting at The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, NC on Saturday, February 9, 2013.

Eight out of last fourteen Carolinas Men's Players of the Year are current PGA Tour members while four former Carolinas Women's Players of the Year have competed on the LPGA tour. Notable past Tufts award winners include: Jonathan Byrd (1999, PGA Tour), Beth Bauer (1999, LPGA), D.J. Trahan (2000-2002, PGA Tour), Marcy Newton Hart (2000, LPGA), Brandi Jackson (2002, LPGA), Bill Haas (2003, PGA Tour), Webb Simpson (2006, PGA Tour), Dustin Johnson (2007, PGA Tour), Cydney Clanton (2009-10, LPGA) and Mark Anderson (2009, PGA Tour).

Visit the CGA website at www.carolinasgolf.org for Tufts Award winner photos.

 

2012 Richard S. Tufts Award Winners

Men

Scott Harvey of Greensboro, NC claimed his second consecutive Carolinas Men's Player of the Year award. The 34-year-old property manager won two championship titles and had four second place finishes in 2012.

His most notable accomplishment of the year was winning the “Mid-Am Slam” with victories at the Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship at Orangeburg Country Club in Orangeburg, SC as well as the North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship at Benvenue Country Club in Rocky Mount, NC.

Scott was the model of consistency finishing second in four other events during the year. He finished second at the Rice Planters Amateur and the Cardinal Amateur; runner up in the North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship, and finished second as defending champion at the Carolinas Amateur Championship at Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, NC. 

Other top finishes for Harvey include third place at the North Carolina Open and a tie for third at the North Carolina Amateur Championship. Harvey also advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, finished in a tie for fifth at the Eagle Point Amateur, tie for thirteenth at the Porter Cup and fifteenth in the Azalea Amateur.

Scott Harvey also represented North Carolina in the USGA State Team Championship, helping earn the team a top-10 finish.

Harvey currently is the number 59th ranked men’s amateur player in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

 

Women

Dawn Woodard of Greer, SC garnered the Carolinas Women's Player of the Year honor for the first time. Woodard is a mother of four and played golf at FurmanUniversity.

Woodard successfully defended her Carolinas Women’s Match Play Championship title at Cowans Ford Country Club in Stanley, NC. She won the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association (WSCGA) Match Play Championship for a remarkable third time in a row.  To cap off a great year in the Carolinas, she also captured the WSCGA Stroke Play Championship crown.

Woodard was also the medalist at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship finishing stroke play as the only player under par. She then advanced to the round of 32 in match play. 

 

Senior Men

Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC became the all-time CGA championship record holder in 2012 as well as earning his seventh consecutive Carolinas Senior Men's Player of the Year award and tenth overall Tufts Award. Simson previously garnered the 1998, 2005 and 2008 Carolinas Men's Player of the Year awards.

Simson won his record 25^th CGA title at the North Carolina Senior Amateur Championship at Oak Valley Golf Club in Advance, NC surpassing Dale Morey’s previous mark of 24 titles.

The 61-year-old insurance executive won the National Senior Amateur Hall of Fame Championship and the Crane Cup Senior Championship in 2012.

To cap off another amazing year from Simson, he won the USGA Senior Amateur Championship for the second time in three years, this time at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, NJ. He will defend in 2013 at Wade Hampton in Cashiers, NC.

Simson also finished in the top-10 at the Carolinas Mid-Amateur and the North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championships. He also made the semifinals of the North and South Senior and finished in a tie for second at the British Seniors Open Amateur Championship.

He also represented North Carolina in the USGA State Team Championship, helping earn the team a top-10 finish.

Simson is currently ranked 6^th in the Golfweek Senior Amateur Rankings.

 

Senior Women

Pat Brogden of Garner, NC takes home her second Carolinas Senior Women's Player of the Year honor. Her 2012 season included two victories and four top-10 finishes.

The 58-year-old retiree won two CGA titles in 2012, the North Carolina Women’s Senior at Greensboro Country Club in Greensboro, NC and the Carolinas Women’s Senior at Rumbling Bald Resort in Lake Lure, NC.

She also earned a fourth place finish at the North & South Women’s Championship, advanced to match play at the USGA Women’s Senior Amateur, and finished second at the Eastern Women’s Senior Amateur Championship.

Brogden is an eight-time CGA champion including three Carolinas Women's Senior titles, three North Carolina Women's Senior titles, Carolinas Women's Match Play (1999) and the Carolinas Women's Four-Ball (1991).

 

Junior Boys

Keenan Huskey of Greenville, SC earned the 2012 Carolinas Junior Boys Player of the Year honor by winning two junior championships last summer.

Huskey’s two victories came at the Carolinas Junior Championship played at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, SC and the Carolinas PGA Junior Championship at the Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina in Conway, SC. 

Huskey, a high school junior, also finished fifth at the SCGA Junior Championship, tie for fifth at the Big I National Championship and tie for ninth at the CPGA Charles Tilghman Junior Championship.

Huskey has committed to play college golf at South Carolina.

 

Junior Girls

Kelli Murphy of Elgin, SC wins her first Carolinas Junior Girls Player of the Year award.

Murphy, a high school junior, had a great 2012 summer with several top finishes including third at WSCGA Junior Girls Championship, a tie for sixth at the Joe Cheves Junior Invitational, a second place finish at the CPGA Charles Tilghman Junior Championship and in a tie for third at the Vicki DiSantis Junior Girls Championship.

Murphy also got to the finals of the Carolinas Junior Girls Championship and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship.

Murphy has committed to play golf at Auburn University in 2014.

 

Richard S. Tufts Award Winners

Men

1997 - Cliff Cunningham, Monroe, NC

1998 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

1999 - Jonathan Byrd, Elgin, SC

2000 - D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC

2001 - D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC

2002 - D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC

2003 - Bill Haas, Greer, SC

2004 - Todd White, Moore, SC

2005 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2006 - Webb Simpson, Raleigh, NC

2007 - Dustin Johnson, Myrtle Beach, SC

2008 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2009 - Mark Anderson, Beaufort, SC

2010 - David Chung, Fayetteville, NC

2011 - Scott Harvey, Greensboro, NC

2012 - Scott Harvey, Greensboro, NC

 

Senior Men

2001 - Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC

2002 - Cliff Cunningham, Monroe, NC

2003 - Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC

2004 - Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC

2005 - David Strawn, Charlotte, NC

2006 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2007 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2008 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2009 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2010 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2011 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2012 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

 

Women

1997 - Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC

1998 - Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC

1999 - Beth Bauer, Cramer Mountain, NC

2000 - Marcy Newton Hart, High Point, NC

2001 - Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC

2002 - Brandi Jackson, Belton, SC

2003 - Amber Marsh Elliott, Jamestown, NC

2004 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2005 - Maggie Simons, Raleigh, NC

2006 - Adrienne Millican, Fuquay-Varina, NC

2007 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2008 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2009 - Cydney Clanton, Concord, NC

2010 - Cydney Clanton, Concord, NC

2011 - Austin Ernst, Seneca, SC

2012 - Dawn Woodard, Greer, SC

 

Senior Women

2001 - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC

2002 - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC

2003 - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC

2004 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2005 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2006 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2007 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2008 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2009 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2010 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2011 - Pat Brogden, Garner, NC

2012 - Pat Brogden, Garner, NC

 

Carolinas Association's Junior Players of the Year Award Winners

Junior Boys

2003 - Vince Hatfield, Greenwood, SC

2004 - Brad Dilen, Cary, NC

2005 - David Chung, Fayetteville, NC

2006 - McCuen Elmore, Cheraw, SC

2007 - Ben Kohles, Cary, NC

2008 - Mark Joye, Columbia, SC

2009 - Andy Knox, Cary, NC

2010 - Cody Proveaux, Leesville, SC

2011 - Carson Young, Pendleton, SC

2012 - Keenan Huskey, Greenville, SC

 

Junior Girls

2003 - Mallory Hetzel, Summerfield, SC

2004 - Emily Street, Forest City, NC

2005 - Amber Littman, Stoney Creek, NC

2006 - Rachel Uremovich, Hilton Head Island, SC

2007 - Haley Stephens, Greer, SC

2008 - Haley Stephens, Greer, SC

2009 - McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, SC

2010 - McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, SC

2011 - McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, SC

2012 - Kelli Murphy, Elgin, SC