Carolinas Golf Association Announces 2013 Richard S. Tufts Players of the Year

West End, NC - Two previous winners and four first-timers has been named 2013 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), Rick Cloninger of Fort Mill, SC (Senior Men), Ashley Rose of North Augusta, SC (Senior Women), Tim Conover of Holly Springs, NC (Junior Boys) and Reona Hirai of Summerville, 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 18 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 South Carolina Golf Association (WSCGA), South Carolina Junior Golf Association (SCJGA), Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA), Carolinas-Georgia Junior Championship and the Joe Cheves Junior Invitational.

Award winners will be honored during Carolinas Golf Night and the CGA Annual Meeting at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, NC on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Eight Carolinas Men's Players of the Year are current or former PGA Tour members while five 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), Mark Anderson (2009, PGA Tour) and Austin Ernst (2011, LPGA).

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

 

2013 Richard S. Tufts Award Winners

Men

Scott Harvey of Greensboro, NC claimed his third consecutive Carolinas Men's Player of the Year award cementing his place among the great players in the Carolinas. The 35-year-old property manager won his second straight Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship title in April at Raleigh Country Club to record his fifth CGA major title.

He finished second at the rain-shortened Azalea Invitational, a tie for second at the North Carolina Mid-Amateur and a tie for fourth at the Carolinas Amateur.

Other top finishes for Harvey include advancing to the round of 32 at both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships along with a tie for 20^th at the Porter Cup in addition to competing in U.S. Open sectional qualifying.

Harvey currently is the number 144th 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 second consecutive year. The 39-year-old Woodard is a two-time CGA champion and a mother of three that played collegiate golf at Furman University.

Woodard’s successful 2013 campaign included winning the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association (WSCGA) Match Play Championship for the fourth time in a row followed by a second place finish at the WSCGA Stroke Play Championship. She tied for ninth place at both the Carolinas Women’s Match Play Championship and Women’s Southern Amateur.

Woodard faired very well in three USGA national championships by placing in a tie for 11^th at U.S. Women’s State Team Championship and advanced to match play at both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur championships. The U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship was held in her home state of South Carolina at the Country Club of Charleston last summer.

 

Senior Men

Rick Cloninger of Fort Mill, SC wins his first Carolinas Men’s Player of the Year award. The 56-year-old equipment consultant in the construction business made a late season run to push past seven-time CGA senior player of the year Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC in the points race.

Cloninger’s year included two victories, four top-10 finishes and a USGA national championship appearance. He successfully defended his Carolinas Senior Amateur title in September at Camden Country Club and won the Chanticleer Senior Invitational held at Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer course.

His other top finishes included a tie for second at the National Senior Hall of Fame, tie for fifth at both the Senior Azalea and North & South Senior Amateur, and a tie for sixth at the South Carolina Senior Amateur. He also advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship that was held at Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, NC.

Cloninger, a three-time CGA champion, is currently ranked 12^th nationally in the Golfweek Senior Amateur Rankings.

 

Senior Women

Ashley Rose of North Augusta, SC takes home her first Carolinas Senior Women's Player of the Year honor. Her 2013 season included two victories, three other top-six finishes and participation in a USGA national championship.

The 60-year-old retiree won two titles in 2013 that were both held in Florida, the Dixie Women’s Senior and the Doherty Senior Women’s Amateur.

She finished in second place at the Carolinas Women’s Senior Amateur losing in a playoff to 16-time CGA champion Patty Moore of Charlotte, NC, finished third at the Eastern Women’s Senior Amateur Championship, a sixth place showing at the Women’s South Carolina Senior Amateur Championship and qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

 

 

Junior Boys

Tim Conover, an 18-year-old high school senior from Holly Springs, NC, earned his first Carolinas Junior Boys Player of the Year honor.

Conover won the Carolinas PGA Junior Championship, finished as the co-medalist at the TYGA Team Challenge, third place at the Bobby Chapman Junior Boys Invitational, tied for third at the TYGA State Championship and tied for 10th at the Carolinas PGA Charles Tilghman Junior. 

Conover has been twice named to North Carolina All-State team in his junior golf career.  Conover, who currently attends Holly Springs High School, will play collegiate golf at East Carolina University.

 

 

Junior Girls

Reona Hirai, a 17-year-old high school senior from Summerville, SC, earned the 2013 Carolinas Junior Girls Player of the Year award with a season that included three victories and six other top-seven finishes.

Hirai’s three victories came at the WSCGA Junior Girls Championship, the SCJGA Blade Junior Girls and the Joe Cheves Junior Girls Invitational.

She also finished second at the CGA Twin States Junior Girls Championship, third at the SCJGA Fall Championship, tied for fifth at the CGA Carolinas Junior Girls Championship, fourth at both the Carolinas-Georgia Junior and the CGA Vicki DiSantis Junior Girls Championship along with finishing tied for seventh place at the SCJGA Players Championship. 

Hirai is a two-time winner of the South Carolina Junior Golf Association Beth Daniels Junior Player of the Year award.   A Pinewood Prep product, Hirai has signed to played collegiate golf at Furman University.

 

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

2013 - 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

2013 – Rick Cloninger, Fort Mill, SC

 

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

2013 - 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

2013 - Ashley Rose, North Augusta, SC

 

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

2013 – Tim Conover, Holly Springs, NC

 

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

2013 – Reona Hirai, Summerville, SC

 

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