2nd Carolinian Amateur Field Set for Friday

A.J. Beechler of Pinehurst, N.C.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (May 15, 2017) -- The Carolinas Golf Association's 2nd Carolinian Amateur Championship will take place May 19-21 at Keith Hills Golf Club in Buies Creek, N.C. This is the second consecutive year the championship has been hosted by the club's Orange and Black nines. The field for the 2017 championship is expected to consist of 139 players. The champion will receive an exemption into the 103rd Carolinas Amateur being hosted by The Golf Club at Briar's Creek in Johns Island, S.C. on July 14-17, 2017.

The Carolinian Amateur Championship format is 54 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties. Entry is open to any male amateur golfer ages 16 or older as of May 19, 2017 who is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has a current USGA Handicap Index® of 7.4 or lower. There is no residency requirement for this tournament.

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field of Players | History | Starting Times | Hole-by-hole scoring

Players to Watch:

• Last year’s runner-up, Zakariya Butt, 19, of Summerville, S.C., will look to avenge his narrow defeat. He carded the lowest round of the tournament last year at 67, and held a four shot lead on the final day.
• A.J. Beechler, 17, of Pinehurst, N.C. is currently ranked the 3^rd best junior golfer in North Carolina. The UNC Greensboro commit has seven straight top-10 finishes dating back to last year, most recently finishing first at the Pinecrest High School Invitational. Last week Beechler claimed the Class 4-A state golf championship individual title.
• Brett McLamb, 20, of Coats, N.C. plays collegiately for the Campbell Camels and was named to the Big South all-freshman team in 2017. He currently ranks 19^th among Big South stroke averages leaders (74.15) over 20 rounds. Also, he was named Big South freshman of the week at the Border Olympics, where he shot a career-low 66 in the second round.
• Walker Cress, 18, of Concord, N.C. shot a career-best 217 (+1) and had a single round low of 69 (-3) as a freshman for James Madison University at the Seminole Intercollegiate on March 10^th-12^th. In high school, he was a four-time All-South Piedmont Conference member.
• Patrick Stephenson, 19, of Four Oaks, N.C. averaged 74.50 strokes per round in 34 rounds played in his first season at East Carolina. He shot a season-low round of 68 (-4) in round two of the Mountaineer Intercollegiate, where he posted a team low score of 216 (0).
• West Virginia University commit Matthew Sharpstene, 18, of Asheville, N.C. currently sits 10^th on the North Carolina junior golfers list. Sharpstene finished runner-up by a stroke to Beechler at the Class 4-A state golf championship.
• Austin Inman, 21, of Wilmington, N.C. is currently a sophomore at UNC Wilmington. He carded a season-low of 220 at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.

 

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, @cgagolf1909. Continue to visit the CGA website throughout this championship and all year long for complete championship coverage including scores, interviews, photos, and recaps.

 

Championship Facts
Event: 2nd Carolinian Amateur Championship
Playing Dates: May 19-21
Host Site: Keith Hills Golf Club, Buies Creek, N.C.
6,717 yards, par 72, 72.2/132
Defending Champion: Sam Wimbrow of Concord, N.C.
Format: 54-holes stroke play. After 36 holes, cut to low 60 scores and ties.

Eligibility: Entry is open to any male amateur golfer ages 16 or older as of May 19, 2017 who is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has a current USGA Handicap Index® of 7.4 or lower. There is no residency requirement for this tournament.

 

Schedule of rounds

Starting times: Friday, May 19 8:00 am – 9:30 am & 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Saturday, May 20 8:00 am – 9:30 am & 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Sunday, May 21 8:00 am – 9:30 am
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 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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