The 2023 North American Championship would be a fitting end to the 2023 season for the Amateur Players Tour. 556 Players would converge into the golf capital of the world – Myrtle Beach, SC for the season-ending championship.

The festivities would get kicked off on Wednesday night at the most unique event on tour, the first annual 3-club par 3 challenge under the lights at the Aero Club. The par 3 challenge was a great opportunity for our players to hang out, relax and get ready for the grind of the championship. With no hole longer than 100 yards, birdies would be at a premium in this fun format. In Division 1, Scott Roberts flirted with the course record before finishing with a total of 7-under par. In Division 2, Augusta’s Jeremy Key fired a 3-under par round to take the top honors. Division 3 went to James Fenton with an even-par round. Division 4 would be won by Paul Orovets at +2, while James Enriquez took home the Division 5 crown at +5.

Thursday’s pre-event at Wild Wing Golf Course would be rained out due to Tropical Storm Ophelia’s early effects, but there was a lot going on with registration kicking into full swing. Players registering were met with some amazing welcome gifts from our incredible partners Turtleson and 2UNDR. Each player received a $25 credit to the APT Pro Shop, which was fully stocked with items from Branded Bills, PRG Accessories, Blue Tees, Projekt and more. Each player also received a divot repair tool/ball marker from our friends at PAC Golf and the first 400 registered received a commemorative headcover for the 2023 North American Championship from PRG.

However, Folds of Honor would steal the show at Registration Night. Folds of Honor Partner members were invited to hang out in the Folds of Honor VIP Lounge presented by Patriot Coatings, where members enjoyed free food and drink, got to meet the Folds of Honor staff and scholarship recipient Jurley Torian, who spoke to the players. Missed her presentation? You can watch her story here. We were then able to present Folds of Honor with a check for the work of our members throughout the entire 2023 season, for a total of… $100,000! Thank you for all your generosity to make a significant impact on the lives of the families of our military heroes!

The Player Forum was a success again in 2023, with members from all over the country sticking around to meet and share ideas with APT Leadership. We are still in the process of going through some of the feedback shared at this important event and look forward to sharing some changes for 2024 that we believe will only make the tour better!

The tournament started on Friday with an uncertain forecast. As Ophelia started to shift north, it looked as if we would mostly miss the previously forecasted rain on Friday. Players faced challenging wind conditions, as winds would swirl and ultimately come from the opposite direction, making all courses play long and difficult. Rain and high winds came through overnight, and players started the 2nd round in the wind and rain, with conditions steadily improving on Saturday. TPC Qualifying spots were determined in sudden-death playoffs at King’s North on Saturday evening. For the final round, the weather turned beautiful and back to what you would normally expect for a September day in Myrtle Beach, with light winds, sun and temperatures in the low 80’s. TPC would prove a tough test for the top-120 players who qualified for the championship round.

In Division 1, 2022 Senior North American Champion and Kentucky’s Tony Wise would sleep on the overnight lead heading into the final round of TPC at even par. Dan Ayars (New Jersey/Philadelphia) and 2022 Runner-Up Derek Nicholson (Atlanta) were lurking just one shot behind. The leaderboard would prove to be volatile on Sunday, with birdies being the reward for great shots while players being punished for misses at the challenging TPC Layout. Utah’s Andrew Echard made the biggest move, jumping 12 spots to finish in a tie for 3rd with Tim Barto (Charlotte). After a stellar back nine by Dan Ayars, Derek Nicholson found himself needing to make birdie on the reachable par-5 18th at TPC Myrtle Beach, as he was trailing by one. His second shot missed the green to the right, leaving him a nearly impossible up and down. After a great shot, he was left with an 8-footer to force a playoff. The putt slipped by the edge, and Nicholson finished runner-up for the 2nd straight year. Dan Ayars back-9 comeback was complete, with a bogey-free 34 that featured a dramatic birdie on the pivotal 17th hole to be crowned North American Champion! On the senior side, Tony Wise played a solid 3-days to go back-to-back as the Senior North American Champion. Tim Barto capped off a great season with a great showing in Myrtle Beach to become the Division 1 Global Golf National Player of the Year. Tony Wise capped off his fantastic season by becoming the Senior Division 1 Global Golf National Player of the Year, defending his title from the 2022 season.

In Division 2, pars would be at a premium in difficult conditions. Several players entered Sunday’s final round at TPC Myrtle Beach within two shots of the leader Darin Mongler (Mid Missouri). On the difficult TPC Myrtle Beach layout, hitting fairways and greens are a great plan for success. When Mongler stepped off the 18th green with a solid +4 76, much to his surprise he had built a commanding lead to earn a 7-shot victory. “I just tried to keep the ball in play and hit the center of the greens” said Mongler, who’s rounds of 78-75-76 earned him the title of North American Champion. Second place would go to Marco Zarate (Virginia Capital), who finished with an 81 for solo 2nd place. Chris Harris (Kentucky) shot 21 over par over the 54-hole championship to finish in solo 3rd position, while Christopher Denz (Virginia Capital) and Keith Tilghman (Tulsa) rounded out the top 5 at 22 over par for the weekend. On the senior side, Chris Harris finished 2nd behind champion Darin Mongler, while Denz and Tilghman finished T3. Rounding out the top 5 was Dave Baca (Maryland), Billy Davis (St. Louis), Trent Whitfield (Charleston) and Kevin Lyles (Charleston). With his T3 finish, Christopher Denz (Virginia Capital) would cap off a fantastic 2023 season earning enough points to be named the Global Golf Division 2 National Player of the Year. Mike Lingenfelter (St. Louis) started off the season with a win at the Disney Season Kickoff, following it up with other major victories at The Southern Brawl at Bears Best, The APT Winter Fourball, The APT University Series at Purdue and The APT Open Championship. His stellar play earned him the title of Global Golf Senior Division 2 Player of the Year.

In Division 3, players would make some big moves on the leaderboard throughout the weekend. After a tough first round Jack Curry (Myrtle Beach) moved up 82 spots to qualify for the final round, and then jumped another 15 spots on Sunday to finish T7. The weekend would belong to Myrtle Beach’s Rich Kelly, whose steady play earned him the victory, as he was able to put 3 rounds together. Runner up honors went to Joseph Jones (Charlotte), whos steady rounds of 80-80 on the weekend allowed him to jump all the way to second place. Ryan Mraz (Chicago) used an opening round 78 to cruise to a solo 3rd place finish. The top 5 was rounded out by Charlie Hertel (Maryland) and Caleb Price (Augusta), who finished the 54-hole championship at 31-over par. Last year’s defending champion in Division 4 Michael Cioffi (Augusta) finished in solo 6th. Congrats Michael on your continuous improvement. On the senior side, the top five were Rich Kelly, Charlie Hertel, Michael Cioffi, Jack Curry (Myrtle Beach), and Pat Ryan (Houston). Charlie Hertel’s T4 finish would be good enough to hold on to the National Player of the Year lead that he started the week with, earning him the title of Global Golf Division 3 National Player of the Year. St. Louis’ Simay Souvannarath capped off a successful 2023 campaign that earned her the title of Global Golf Division 3 Senior National Player of the Year.

In Division 4, Gary Nivens (Charlotte) and Jaime Costanzo (Myrtle Beach) came out firing with 84’s and 85’s respectably to set the early pace. Costanzo fired a second round 82 to take the lead heading into championship Sunday, which was the best of the day other than Mike Burnett (Nashville), who fired a second-round 81 to move into contention. With Division 4 Player of the Year points leader Will Houston (Nashville) lurking within a few strokes, Sunday would certainly be an interesting day. The leaderboard would be close all day coming into the pivotal 17th hole with the pin cut perilously close on the right edge of the green close to the pond. Will Houston stepped up to the tee and made a clutch par when it mattered to pull ahead and put the 2023 North American Championship on ice. His back-nine performance of 41 was good enough to give him a 2-shot victory over Jaime Costanzo and Mike Burnett. Fourth place honors went to Sitty Mendez (Augusta), who finished the event at +48. The top 5 was rounded out by John Sans (Metro New York) and Roy Thavaraj (Kansas City), who finished with a 3-day total of +50. On the senior side, Jaime Costanzo (Myrtle Beach) capped off a dream week, playing 3 solid rounds to earn the title of Senior North American Champion. 2nd place honors would go to Roy Thavaraj (Kansas City), 3rd to Daniel Kennelly (New Jersey/Philadelphia), 4th to Bryan Iacavone (Myrtle Beach), and rounding out the top 5 was Charles Ackerman (Houston). Will Houston (Nashville) finished off a dream year, leading the Global Golf National Player of the Year Race and backing it up with a win at the North American Championship to become the Global Golf Division 4 National Player of the Year. Dave Funkhouser (Myrtle Beach) capped off a great season by earning enough points to become the 2023 Global Golf Division 4 Senior National Player of the Year.

In Division 5, Don Hubbard (Cincinnati/Dayton) jumped out to an early lead with a great round of 87 to set the pace for the event. Moving day would see some big changes, as Global Golf Player of the Year points leader Jason Lawson (Virginia Capital) shot a career best round to move into the lead heading into the final day. However, steady rounds would prove to be the way to win as Monte Berry (Atlanta) would improve a little bit each day, shooting rounds of 94-92-90 to earn the victory. Second place honors would go to Carolina Ackerman (Houston), who finished 6 shots back in the 54-hole championship. Third place honors went to Jason Lawson (Virginia Capital) who capped off a fantastic 2023 campaign. Nick Stanley (Charleston) earned 4th place honors, while the top-5 was rounded out by Jayme Duinink (Iowa) and Don Hubbard (Cincinnati/Dayton). On the senior side, the top honors would go to Monte Berry (Champion), Carolina Ackerman (2nd), and Jayme Duinink (3rd). The top-5 would be rounded out by Harold Heath (Charleston-4th) Rivia Brown (Carolina Triad – T5) and James Enriquez (Kentucky – T5). Jason Lawson (Virginia Capital) used his 3rd place finish to protect his points lead and earn the title of 2023 Global Golf Division 5 Player of the Year. Chris Brockmeyer (St. Louis) capped off a great season on the senior side to earn the title of 2023 Global Golf Division 5 Senior Player of the Year.

The last Player of the Year award recognizes the top player in Senior Net for the 2023 season. After a widely successful season that saw a promotion from Division 3 to Division 2, Nashville’s Matt Love capped off an exceptional season that saw a significant improvement to be named the Global Golf Senior Net National Player of the Year.

The 2UNDR Challenge was a divisional contest on both the par 3’s and the par 5’s over the first 2 rounds. Prizes were paid to the top 20% of the field, with top finishers earning some great gear from our Tour Partners 2UNDR and Projekt. All prizes will ship directly to the winner’s home addresses in the next week or so, so winners be on the lookout!

Our team at the Amateur Players Tour thanks our members for a record-setting 2023 season. We look forward to the start of the 2024 season and we look forward to seeing you on tour soon! Thank you!