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Three Tied at the Top of Carolinas Senior
Steve Harwell (pictured) is part of the three-way tie for first place after round one of the Carolinas Senior Amateur.
MORGANTON, N.C. (September 30, 2019) – First round results of the 58th Carolinas Senior Amateur Championship at Mimosa Hills Golf & Country Club in Morganton, N.C. on September 30, 2019.
Related: Championship Web Site | Starting Times | Scoring | History
Three golfers have already started to separate themselves from the pack after the first round of the Carolinas Senior Amateur Championship. John Rudolph of Charlotte, N.C., Pat Thompson of Asheville, N.C. and Steve Harwell of Mooresville, N.C. all fired first round scores of 7-under-par, 65 to take a four-shot lead over their nearest competitors.
The three leaders combined for a total of 20 birdies in the first round. Thompson, the 2015 Carolinas Senior Amateur champion, made the lone bogey in the group on the par-4, 11th hole but he was able to bounce-back in style with an eagle on the par-5, 12th hole; the only eagle from the three leaders. Thompson is looking for his second major victory of the year after winning the Kingsway Senior Invitational in January.
It’s no surprise to see Harwell’s name at the top of the leaderboard. He is having a banner golf year headlined by wins at the N.C. Senior Amateur, the National Senior Hall of Fame and the Coleman Senior Invitational. Harwell also made it to the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur at Old Chatham Golf Club in August.
Rudolph is the least decorated of the three leaders but is no stranger to elite amateur golf competition. Rudolph’s top finishes this year include a T24 at the N.C. Senior Amateur, a fifth place finish at the Charlotte Senior Amateur and an 11th place finish at the National Senior Hall of Fame. A win this week would be his first CGA Championship victory.
Last year’s champion, Todd Hendley of Columbus, N.C. is one of the five golfers that sits four shots back of our leaders heading into Tuesday’s second round. Hendley, along with Chris Koon of Simpsonville, S.C., Walter Todd of Laurens, S.C., Jeff Rausch of Waxhaw, NC and Harrison Rutter of Winston-Salem, N.C., shot 3-under-par, 69 in round one.
Two-time Carolinas Senior Amateur champion, Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C. and the 2014 champion, Jim Grainger of Charlotte, N.C. are part of a seven-way tie for ninth place at 2-under par.
The Carolinas Senior Amateur Championship is conducted at 54 holes of stroke play competition. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties for the final round. An on-course play-off is used to break a tie for the championship. The top 30 scores will receive merchandise and are exempt into the 2020 Carolinas Senior Championship.
Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached his 55th birthday by September 30, 2019, maintains a residence in North Carolina or South Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has an active GHIN® USGA Handicap Index® at a CGA member club that does not exceed 10.4.
58th Carolinas Senior Amateur Championship
Mimosa Hills Golf & Country Club | Morganton, N.C.
Round One Results