As if battling the course wasn’t enough, the 108 golfers that competed in the Upstate Amateur Players Tour Tournament at Deerbrook Golf Club also had to compete with Mother Nature. A capacity field turned out for the event in Shelby, NC at one of the premier courses in the area for an afternoon of golf while competing for nearly $7,000 in cash and VISA card prizes during Sunday afternoon’s round.

Nestled in Cleveland County, Deerbrook Golf Club opened in 1999 and has since provided golfers with a championship 18-hole layout featuring lush 419 fairways and bent greens. The course has several sets of tees, reaching all the way back to 7,000 yards from the tips. Many often refer to Deerbrook as the “crown jewel of Shelby.”

On Sunday, players enjoyed beautiful early summer weather before clouds and rain moved into the area. The inclement weather placed the players round on pause for more than an hour. After returning, the competitors battled through rainy weather to the finish.

“The players were the troopers throughout the day,” said Larry Lee, Owner and Operator of the Upstate Amateur Players Tour. “They went back out after the storms cleared but they endured another hour of rain. Conner Chitty and his staff were fantastic to work with and they stayed late to allow us to finish up the scoring.”

Due to the weather delay, several players were unable to complete their rounds due to darkness. Divisions 4 and Divisions 5 were only able to complete 15 holes before the sun went down.

Here’s a recap of each division:

Division 1 – Extra golf was needed in the top division on Sunday, as a two-man battle emerged down the stretch with Tre Lamb and Jody Clary. Both players posted rounds of 70. Lamb emerged victorious in a four-hole playoff when he made par on the challenging fourth hole to secure the win.

Clary used two back nine birdies to reach the playoff and finish second. The Shelby, NC native got off to a hot start with three birdies on the front nine to shoot two under par, 34.

Timothy Barto finished third after firing one over par 73. He birdied two out of his last four holes to shoot even par 36 on the inward nine. Jacob Sigmon finished fourth, carding a round of 76. Wesley Jones rounded out the top five with a round of 78.

Senior Division 1 – Jacob Sigmon used three birdies on the day to win Senior Division 1 with a round of 76. Casey Alexander finished second in the division with a round of 85.

Division 2 – Three shots separated each of the top three finishers in Division 2 as Mark Blankenship finished his round off strong to shoot 73. Blankenship played his final 12 holes in even par, including 10 pars as his steady play earned him the top spot.

Eric Stanwick finished second with a round of 76 that included an impressive eagle at the short par-four 15^th hole. Stanwick sat at one under par on his round before a double on the ninth hole.

David Moses finished third after shooting 79. Moses finished his round off in style with a birdie on the challenging 18^th hole. Joe Hamacher and Ed Seay finished tied for fourth with rounds of 80.

Senior Division 2 – Mark Blankenship’s round of 73 was enough to secure him the top spot in Senior Division 2, as well. David Moses finished second, six shots behind with a 79. Joe Hamacher and Ed Seay finished in a tie for third with rounds of 80.

Michael Mullins and Carlos Mojica both shot 81 to finish tied for fifth. Mullins’ round featured a birdie on the 9^th hole as Mojica managed to birdie his second hole of the day.

Division 3 – Tied going to the 17^th tee, Josh Calhoun and Freddie Coffey were locked in an intense battle down the stretch. Calhoun played his last two holes in one over par to edge Coffey by one shot with a round of 75 as he won first place in Division 3 on Sunday.

Coffey birdied the downhill par-four 16^th hole to tie the lead before a double bogey at the par-five 17^th hole. Mary Graham Forrest had a solid outing with a round of 79 to finish third.

Doug Dietz shot 80 to finish fourth as Ronnie Strange rounded out the top five with a round of 81.

Senior Division 3 – While Freddie Coffey’s round of 76 was one shot short in Division 3, he managed to secure first place in Senior Division 3 on Sunday. The Statesville, NC native played his final nine holes in even par, using birdies on the 11^th and 16^th holes.

Doug Dietz finished second in the senior division with his round of 80. His round was highlighted by a birdie on the 15^th hole. Ronnie Strange finished third, followed by Nestor Santana and Kirk Tatge, who shot 81, 84, and 85, respectively.

Division 4 – While play was suspended in Divisions 4 and 5 due to darkness, Kevin Vaughn held the lead after 16 holes, sitting at seven over par. Vaughn got off to a solid start with four pars and a birdie to begin his round.

Justin Sartain sat in second when the horn sounded at 10 over par. Fred Carvalho was third at 13 over par when the round ended prematurely. Darrell Arledge was fourth at 14 over, followed by Charles Dixon at 15 over par.

Senior Division 4 – Shaping up for a great battle to the finish, the top six golfers in Senior Division 4 were separated by one shot each when play was suspended. Fred Carvalho sat in first place at 13 over par, followed closely by Darrell Arledge at 14 over, Charles Dixon at 15 over, and Jimmie Chapman at 16 over.

John Pearson and Lee Touchton were both 17 over and tied for fifth place when the round was called.

Division 5 – Josh Taylor and Tim Kunkel were tied through fifteen holes when play was brought to a halt, both sitting at 13 over par. Taylor had begun to find his groove as well, parring three of his final four holes before the horn sounded.

Kunkel used several pars on the front nine to solidify his position atop the leaderboard. Rodney Ferrell sat just two shots behind in third place at 15 over par. CJ Stevens was in fourth at 16 over par, followed by Caleb Dodd at 18 over.

Senior Division 5 – Tim Kunkel held a comfortable lead when play ended on Sunday night, sitting at 13 over par and seven shots ahead of Jan Kendrick and Steven Daniels at 21 over par.

Billy Odom was fourth at 23 over par through 15 holes as Danny Sullivan was fifth, four shots behind at 27 over par.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS