Preview: 59th Carolinas Senior Amateur

 

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (September 8, 2020) -- The Carolinas Golf Association will conduct the 59th Carolinas Senior Amateur Championship at Ballantyne Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. from September 9 - 11, 2020. The field will compete at 6,629 yards, par 72. 

 

The CGA will be conducting this championship under the new COVID-19 Tournament Protocols. Learn more here. 

 

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

 

Players to Watch:

 

• Steve Harwell of Mooresville, N.C. is the reigning Carolinas Senior Amateur and North Carolina Senior Amateur Champion. This year Harwell was the runner-up at the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic, finished third at the Jones Cup Senior and made it to the U.S. Amateur Championship. Harwell is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Carolinas Senior Men’s Rankings. 

 

• Paul Simson of Raleigh, N.C. is a 40-time CGA Champion including two Carolinas Senior titles in 2007 and 2008. Last week Simson won his third Carolinas Super Senior Championship and last month he won his 7th North & South Senior title. Simson is looking to continue his winning streak this week.
   

• Eddie Hargett of Blythewood, S.C. is ranked the No. 2 golfer in the Carolinas Senior Men’s Rankings. Hargett tied for second at the Carolinas Senior Four-Ball with playing partner Geno Berchiatti of Greenville, S.C. who is also in the field. Berchiatti is ranked No. 5 in the Carolinas Senior Men’s Rankings and tied for fourth in this event last year as well as the 2019 Senior Azalea.
   

• Pat Thompson of Asheville, N.C. is a past Carolinas Senior Champion after his win in 2015. Thompson was a runner-up in this event last year and will be trying to seal his second Carolinas Senior title this week.
   

• Todd Hendley of Columbus, S.C. is the 2018 Carolinas Senior Champion and finished in fourth at the Carolinas Senior Four-Ball with playing partner Walter Todd of Laurens, S.C. in August. Walter Todd is the reigning Senior Azalea Invitational Champion.
   

• Johnny Elam of Charlotte, N.C. won the Carolinas Senior Four-Ball in August and tied for ninth in this event last year.

 

The Rees Jones-designed Ballantyne Country Club, located in the heart of Charlotte’s Ballantyne Neighborhood, features Bermuda Grass Fairways, TifEagle Bermuda Grass Greens and Zeon Zoysia Tees. Ballantyne Country Club has hosted three previous Carolinas Golf Association Championships including the 2008 Carolinas Women’s Senior, the 2018 North Carolina Mid-Amateur and the 2019 Carolinas Women’s Amateur.

 

Past Champions in the Field (6):

Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C., 2007, 2008

John Dennis III, Greenville, S.C., 2011

Pat Thompson, Asheville, N.C., 2015

Preston Edmondson, Morrisville, N.C., 2016, 2017

Todd Hendley, Columbus, N.C., 2018

Steve Harwell, Mooresville, N.C., 2019

 

The championship format is 54 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scorers and ties. A tie for the overall championship is decided by an on-course playoff. 

 

Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached his 55 th birthday by September 9, 2020, 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.

 

Schedule of Rounds:

 

Tuesday, September 8

Tee Times Available for Practice Rounds

 

Wednesday, September 9

First Round - 18 Holes of Stroke Play

Tee times from 7:40 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Lunch Provided by CGA for Players

 

Thursday, September 10

Second Round - 18 Holes of Stroke Play

Tee times from 7:40 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Field Cut to Low 60 Scores and Ties

 

Friday, September 11

Final Round - 18 Holes of Stroke Play

 

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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