Event: 45th Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship

Host Site: Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, Waynesville, N.C.

Playing Dates: April 11-13, 2025

Social Media: @CGAgolf1909

Related: Championship Website | Results | Course Analytics | Player Analytics | Photos

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (April 14, 2025) – Brett McLamb of Lillington, N.C. delivered a gritty final-round performance and a clutch birdie in a sudden-death playoff to win the 45th Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship, held April 11–13, 2025 at Waynesville Inn & Golf Club in Waynesville, N.C. McLamb carded rounds of 70-69-70 to finish at 4-under-par 209 and edge out 36-hole leader Zachary Herold of Lexington, S.C. in a dramatic finish.

The win marks McLamb’s first CGA championship title and capped a week that tested every part of his game and his patience.

“It didn’t start how I wanted,” said McLamb, who opened the Championship with a double bogey on his first hole. “I started out with a 350-yard drive down the middle and I made double on No. 10. That wasn’t the start I wanted, obviously. But after that, I just told myself to take a step back and be patient. That’s what today was—a big patient day.”

Patience paid off.

McLamb, who began the day four shots back, steadily climbed the leaderboard while Herold held his ground through much of the final round. But trouble found Herold on the par-4 15th, where a double bogey allowed McLamb to pull into a tie for the lead. A bogey on the tricky par-3 17th gave McLamb the outright lead for the first time all week.

With a one-shot advantage on the par-5 18th, McLamb went for the green in two but saw his adrenaline-fueled 6-iron fly the putting surface. He failed to get up and down for birdie and Herold capitalized by chipping close and making birdie to force a playoff.

“I hit the best 6-iron I hit all week with 210 (yards) to the pin and I flew the green,” said McLamb. “So on the playoff hole, I knew where to be. I knew it was playing short and I knew the adrenaline was flowing, so I just left it short and gave myself an easier chip.”

On the first playoff hole, McLamb played it perfectly. After laying up just short of the green, he hit his chip within a few feet and rolled in the birdie putt. Herold made par, sealing McLamb’s comeback victory.

“You hate to see it go down that way,” McLamb said of Herold’s late struggles. “I’ve been in his shoes. I’ve done the same thing in the Carolinian where I was up four or five shots and just let it go. But in that moment, you’ve still got to do your own thing. You try to get close and give yourself looks at birdie.”

McLamb credited his short game for carrying him to the finish line.

“I think I only hit seven or eight greens today. So it was a grind, especially with those pin locations,” he said. “But I chipped well and putted better. I was due a good putting round and it helped me finish on top today.”

The newly restored Donald Ross layout at Waynesville Inn & Golf Club drew praise from players all week for its charm and challenge. While many came in thinking the course would yield low numbers, firm conditions and tucked pins kept scores in check.

“It’s probably one of the purest courses I’ve played tee to green in a CGA event,” said McLamb. “The greens were the defense. You couldn’t get carried away. It looked gettable, but the pins made it honest. This place is a bucket list spot and I’d love to bring the guys back for a weekend.”

The championship was the latest showcase for the revitalized Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, which reopened three years ago following a full renovation led by Bobby Weed. The project restored the original Donald Ross-designed nine holes and added Weed’s modern touch to the back nine. The results impressed players throughout the week.

“We have a great product here,” said Billy Ross, Director of Golf and Property Director. “Raines Hospitality came in and did a full-scale renovation of the hotel and golf course. We’ve got a great membership, and it’s a place where people want to be. Once they come here, they get it.”

The course, and the community that supports it, were tested last fall when Hurricane Helene brought devastating flooding to the region.

“We had extensive damage to a few fairways,” Ross said. “There’s a creek on the left side of our third hole and when the road washed out on the mountainside, it blew out right onto our golf course. Members, staff, even folks from the town came out to dig out the creek and help us recover. It took weeks of cleaning up rock, debris, and mud. It was a full team effort.”

Now restored, Waynesville offers more than just great golf. With over 400 members, 70+ inn rooms, and new golf cottages onsite, it’s become a go-to destination for buddy trips and competitive events alike.

“It’s golf trip heaven,” Ross said. “People pull in and don’t have to leave. The card says 6,500 yards, but it plays true to Ross. You can grow the rough and make it tough. It’s fun for everyone, and it changes every day depending on the pins. That’s what makes it special.”

The victory was especially meaningful for McLamb, who returned to competition after breaking his thumb last August and is now balancing fatherhood with competitive golf.

“It’s up there,” he said when asked where this win ranks in his career. “I’ve always been close to winning things, and never really won anything this big. So it’s nice to finally win something like this, especially with my wife and new baby here to see it. They’re special. They keep me going and give me the time to practice. It’s different now—we’re working men—but I still think I’ve got it every now and then.”

McLamb plays out of Keith Hills Golf Club and is set to compete next in the Carolinian Amateur, which returns to Keith Hills in May.

The Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship annually features the top male golfers ages 25 and older from across North and South Carolina. This year’s championship welcomed a strong field to one of the most scenic venues in the region, with the Great Smoky Mountains providing a fitting backdrop for one of the CGA’s premier titles.

The Carolinas Golf Association extends its thanks to the staff and membership at Waynesville Inn & Golf Club for their hospitality and support throughout the week, including owners Grey Raines and David Tart, Property Director & Director of Golf Billy Ross and the golf staff and Director of Golf Course Maintenance Ross Burgess, Assistant Chase McGinnis and their team.