Lauture and Martin Crowned Young Am Champions

 

Event: 16th Carolinas Young Amateur Championship

Host Site: Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia), Pinehurst, N.C.

Playing Dates: December 30-31, 2024

Social Media: @CGAgolf1909

 

Related: Championship Website  | Scoring |  History |  Photos

 

LOCATION – Pinehurst, N.C.

It was a beautiful but chilly two days of December golf in Pinehurst for the 16th playing of the Carolinas Young Amateur Championship at Pinewild Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C.

Women’s Division:

After 36 holes, Sophie Lauture of Concord, N.C. captured the Women’s Division of the championship to claim her second CGA title after carding a 1-over-par 145 total. Lauture’s first championship win came at the 4th Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational in 2023.

Lauture, a freshman at the UNC Greensboro (UNCG), started the Final Round four shots behind fellow Spartan, Elle Burnette of Wrightsville Beach, N.C., who fired the low round of the championship in the Women’s Division, a 2-under-par 70 in Round 1. After a birdie on the first hole of the Final Round, Burnette’s lead stretched to five shots but two early bogeys and a double bogey on the ninth hole lead to a front nine 3-over-par 39. 

Lauture’s three birdies and a bogey on the front nine of the final round meant that her 2-under-par 34 gave her a one shot lead heading into the back nine. She was able to hang on to her lead for the remainder of the tournament making only a single bogey on the par-4 14th hole to finish with a one-under-par 71 for the Final Round.

“I felt good. I was just thinking about having fun and enjoying my round,” said Lauture. “I didn’t even realize where I was on the leaderboard until really late in the round, so I was just having fun.”

Burnette finished in second place with a 4-over-par 148 total. Last year’s Carolinas Young Amateur champion and Clemson University Tiger, Sydney Roberts of Chesnee, S.C., finished in third place this year with a 7-over-par 151 total. Roberts’ Clemson teammate, Ivy Schulze of Anderson, S.C., along with NC State’s Jaclyn Kenzel of Southern Pines, N.C. and UNCG’s Kasey McIlvaine of Raleigh, N.C. finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with a 9-over-par 153 total.

Men’s Division

It took 37 holes to determine our Men’s Division champion after App State’s Alex Martin of Thomasville, N.C., and UNCG’s B.J. Boyce of Spring Lake, N.C., ended regulation play in a tie at 1-over-par, 145 total. Martin made a birdie on the first playoff hole to claim his first CGA title.

Martin began the Final Round three shots behind our Round 1 leader and Longwood University’s Cameron Hardison of Greenville, N.C. Hardison shot the low round of the Men’s Division in Round 1 with a 3-under-par 69 highlighted by two eagles on the par-5 13th and 18th holes.  

“This is my first CGA win, so it means a lot,” said Martin. “First bigger win in a good field. I’ve finished second quite a few times in big events so it’s nice to finally kick the door down.”

Martin, who began his collegiate golf career at nearby Sandhills Community College (SCC) before transferring to App State, was very familiar with Pinewild Country Club. His coach at the time, Gus Ulrich serves as both the Director of Instruction at Pinewild Country club and the Head Men’s Golf Coach at SCC.

“I hit it really well off the tee and putted great, which is unusual for me. It was all good,” said Martin. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming in with the holidays and everything but I guess you never know. It’s golf.” 

Peter Bowie of Asheville, N.C. and John Logan of Wilmington, N.C. finished tied for third place after finishing at 2-over-par 146 total.

 

The Carolinas Golf Association would like to thank General Manager Chris Little, Head Pro Kyle Kirk, Director of Agronomy Shawn Giordano, and the rest of the staff at Pinewild Country Club for hosting this event.  

 

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1909 to promote and protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support, and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is one of the largest golf associations in the country, with over 700 member clubs represented by over 200,000 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 and 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 over $3,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives, including junior, women and adaptive programs.

For more information about the Carolinas Golf Association, follow @cgagolf1909 on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, or visit our website www.carolinasgolf.org/

 

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