Tournament Champions
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Did you bring your sunscreen with you on Monday? If not… there’s a solid chance you’re currently nursing some pretty tender skin while reading this recap. 105 players, many of whom were playing for the 3rd consecutive day, collectively baked in the sun while taking on a treat of a course. As hot as the sun was… the golf was equally hot as some impressive numbers were posted throughout the day at Gaston Country Club. While the scores were impressive, the PACE of PLAY was equally impressive. Double teeing on 5 holes on each side saw the average pace of play at just over 4 hours and 40 minutes. First Group was 4:30 and the longest group was 4:48 and that doesn’t take into account the drive back to the clubhouse. Way to Go Players….. It takes a group effort to have this effect on the Pace.
In Division 1, it was all about Daniel Jackson (Charlotte / -4) who lit it up with 6 birdies and only 2 bogeys on the day. His closest competitor played in the same group. Dennis Reames (Charlotte / -2) actually held the lead by 1 stroke with 3 holes remaining but finished bogey – double – birdie while Jackson played those same holes in par – birdie – par to climb to the top of the leaderboard and grab the victory. The win was the 3rd consecutive for Jackson who is now in 2nd place in the Charlotte Player of the Year standings for Division 1 and trails leader, Matteo Blanchfield, by less than 25 points. The final money spots in Division 1 were collected by Scott Roberts (Charlotte / -1), Seth Hawkins (Carolina Triad / E), Timothy Barto (Charlotte / +1) and Todd Mavis (Charlotte / +1).
Division 2 hosted an impressive 32 players on the day. Anthony Mullis (Charlotte / +3) narrowly pulled off the victory over Travis Warluft (Charlotte / +4) and Michael Lingenfelter (St. Louis / +4). Mullis came out of the gates hot with a birdie on his first hole and stayed that way nearly the entire day. A bogey – bogey finish surely made the already hot collar around his neck even hotter, but his spectacular play throughout the day was rewarded as he was able to hold on. Both Warluft and Lingenfelter had their opportunities, but a bogey on his 18th hole by Lingenfelter when a birdie would have forced a playoff is going to sting for a bit, just like the sunburned skin many of us felt by that evening. Ronneil Herron (Charlotte / +5) made quite a charge at the end of his round, finishing with 3 birdies and a par in his final 4 holes to take 4th place. Chase Brown (Charlotte / +6) grabbed 5th place, fueled by a hole-out for eagle on the 10th hole and then there was a four-way tie for 6th place between Scott Weber (Upstate SC / +7), Juan Sedano (Carolina Triad / +7), Michael Mullins (Charlotte / +7) and Josh Johnston (Charlotte / +7). The win was the first for Mullis on the APT after having 4 previous Top 5 finishes on the year coming in to this event.
Christian Casper (Charlotte / +8) was steady all day, posting 10 pars and a birdie on the day and was able to hold off playing competitor, John Andersen (Charlotte / +9) and Timothy Wyatt (Charlotte / +9) for a one stroke victory. Just 1 stroke behind Casper with just 2 holes to go, Andersen’s untimely bogey on his 17th hole was quickly offset by a birdie on his final hole… but as he had been doing all day, Casper made a par (his 4th straight to end his round) and was able to pick up the hardware at the end of the day. The 11A grouping had quite the day as Dallas Penrod (Charlotte / +10), Brad Hillman (Upstate SC / +11) and Alex Bechta (Charlotte / +11) rounded out the final money spots… and their final playing competitor, Chase Smith (Upstate SC / +12) finished just a stroke out of the money. For Hillman, closing with 3 consecutive bogeys will be on his mind for a bit, as a trio of pars could have sent him to a playoff. For Casper, it was also HIS first win on the APT.
Neil De La Cruz (Charlotte / +7) has been on a tear in June, posting back-to-back victories now. Posting his best score on tour to date, De La Cruz ran away from the Division 4 field while picking up a trio of birdies. The 79 he posted included a bogey – double finish. Impressive play, for sure! Lee Touchton (Charlotte / +12) nabbed second place fueled by a hole-out eagle on hole number 3 and Clarence Santonil (Charlotte / +13) picked up the final spot in the money. De La Cruz moves in to 5th place in the Charlotte Player of the Year standings for Division 4 after only his 3rd event of the season.
Division 5 had a short field of only 5 players, but they were tightly packed throughout the day. In the end, it was Derrick Ray (Charlotte / +18) picking up his 2nd victory of the year and giving him a 53 point lead over Bill Gillette (Charlotte / DNP) in the Charlotte Player of the Year standings for Division 5. Ray had a significant lead heading to his final hole, so even with a triple to close… he was able to hang on to the win over Lance Blackshear (Charlotte / +20).
Senior Division winners on the day were Scott Roberts (Charlotte / -1) in Division 1, Anthony Mullis (Charlotte / +3) in Division 2 completing the double dip, Timothy Wyatt (Charlotte / +9) in Division 3, Neil De La Cruz (Charlotte / +7) in Division 4 with another double dip win and Derrick Ray (Charlotte / +18) in Division 5 giving us 3 double dip winners on the day!
The 105 players in attendance at Statesville Country Club competed for over $7100 in prize money and skins throughout the day. This coming Sunday, the next event on the Charlotte schedule will be played at Rocky River Golf Club in Concord, NC. There may still be spots available, so reach out to Phil today to secure your spot and give it your best shot at taking home a title!
