Preview: 11th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship

 

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (July 28, 2020) -- The Carolinas Golf Association will conduct the 11th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship at The Club at 12 Oaks in Holly Springs, N.C. from July 29 - August 2, 2020. (7,093 yards, par 36-36--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:

• Peter Fountain of Raleigh, N.C. is the No. 2 ranked golfer in the Carolinas Men’s Amateur Rankings. Fountain is a freshman on the University of North Carolina men’s golf team, and his biggest win to date is the 60th North Carolina Amateur Championship earlier this summer. A week later, he proceeded to make the match play portion of the prestigious North & South Men’s Championship. Last year, Fountain finished third at the Carolinas Amateur Championship and won the North Carolina Junior Boys’ Championship.

• Patrick Stephenson of Four Oaks, N.C. is ranked No. 3 in the Carolinas. He placed second at the Carolinian, and tied for third at the North Carolina Amateur. He also tied for sixth at the Carolinas Young Amateur in December. Stephenson recently graduated from East Carolina University. 

• Ben Woodruff of Huntersville, N.C. is the No. 4 ranked player in the Carolinas Men’s Amateur Rankings. He is the reigning champion of the 10th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship and finished in the top ten at both the 2019 Carolinas Amateur and the 2020 North Carolina Amateur. He most recently won the Carolinas Four-Ball Championship with partner Carson Ownbey. Woodruff is a rising junior on the men’s golf team at UNC Charlotte. 

• Tim Bunten of Concord, N.C. is the No. 6 player in the Carolinas Men’s Amateur Rankings. Bunten, a rising senior on the East Carolina University men’s golf team, finished at 9-under-par at the Carolinian Amateur Championship to take home the title this year. He also was in contention to take the title at the North Carolina Amateur Championship, finishing tied for third.

• Clayson Good of Durham, N.C. is the No. 9 ranked golfer in the Carolinas Junior Boys’ Rankings. He is the reigning champion of the NC Junior Boys’, and placed second in Pinehurst’s North and South Junior this month. He will be a Freshman at Queens University this fall. 

• Nick Lyerly of Salisbury, N.C. is ranked fifteenth in the Carolinas Men’s Amateur Rankings. Lyerly tied for third at the North Carolina Amateur, and most recently fired off an 11-under-par, 59 on his own ball in the second round of the Carolinas Four-Ball Championship stroke-play qualifying. He is the 2016 North Carolina Amateur champion. 

• Garrett Risner of Holly Springs, N.C. is the No. 18 ranked golfer in the Carolinas Junior Boys’ Rankings. Risner is coming off a championship win at the Dogwood State Junior Boys’ Championship in which he shot 66, 65 and 75 to win by five shots. He will be a Freshman at Elon University beginning this fall.
   

Past Champions in the Field (1):        

Ben Woodruff, Raleigh, N.C., 2019

 

This championship is conducted at 36 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the low 32 scorers advance to match play. Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who is a legal resident of North Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association and has an active GHIN® USGA Handicap Index® that does not exceed 10.4. Non-exempt players may attempt to qualify at any location.

 

Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached his 13th birthday by July 29, 2020, is a legal resident of North 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, July 28

Tee Times Available for Practice Rounds

 

Wednesday, July 29

First Round of stroke play qualifying

 

Thursday, July 30

Second Round of stroke play qualifying. Cut to 32 players for match play, playoff if necessary. 

 

Friday, July 31

First and second round of match play. 18 holes each round. 

 

Saturday, August 1

Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of match play. 18 holes each round. 

 

Sunday, August 2

Championship match. 18 holes. 

 

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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