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With so much going on this week, it could almost be forgivable to temporarily overlook the 6th event of the 2024 season for members of the Charlotte Chapter of the Amateur Players Tour. First… it’s the time of year nearly every golfer looks forward to most. It’s Masters week! Second… on the same day as the event, a solar eclipse threatened to potentially halt play temporarily. That didn’t happen, but 89 players were treated to some slippery greens and primarily fantastic conditions at Statesville Country Club.
Daniel Jackson (Charlotte / -3) went out in 1 over before coming back to the clubhouse, finishing with 5 birdies in his final 7 holes. The birdie – birdie finish was enough to best both George Harris (Charlotte / -1) and Kyle Moffett (Carolina Triad / -1). Playing in the same group, Jackson and Harris stood on the 18th tee tied at 2 under. Jackson’s birdie bested Harris’ bogey and earned him his second consecutive win. Rounding out the money finishes in Division 1 were Scott Patnode (Charlotte / +2) and Will Morgan (Carolina Triad / +2).
For the second consecutive Charlotte event, Division 2 was decided by a playoff. Both Josh Johnston (Charlotte / +4) and Chip Goode (Charlotte / +4) put up fantastic scores to outlast Anthony Mullis (Charlotte / +5), Chad Faulkenberry (Charlotte / +7), J Combs (Carolina Triad / +7) and newcomer, Ronneil Herron (Charlotte /+7). Johnston reeled off 7 straight pars to close out his round while Goode birdied both number 7 and number 8 (his 17th and 18th holes of the day) to find themselves in the playoff. Unfortunately, it was short lived as Goode lost his tee ball on the playoff hole out of bounds while Johnston was able to keep his in play and secure the victory. For Johnston, it was the 1st victory since February of 2023 at Edgewater but rounds off some solid play over his last 3 events. Mullis narrowly missed out on the victory by doubling his final hole of the day, but it was still enough to secure the Division 2 Senior title.
Division 3 was tight early before becoming a runaway by Charles Devenney (Charlotte / +3) who has been on an absolute tear recently, winning back-to-back events and 3 of his last 4 tournaments. Early on, it was a all Kirk Tatge (Charlotte / +5) who stood at 2 under through 7 holes. An untimely triple on number 2 (his 8th hole of the day) swung the momentum towards Devenney who never relented after opening with a triple on his 1st hole of the day. Pairing 5 birdies with 3 bogeys, a double and a triple has propelled him up to Division 2, but what a run it’s been! AJ Allmendinger (Charlotte / +7) rounded out the final money spot.
Wes Phillips (Charlotte / +8) is another player who has been riding a hot hand recently and he closed out his first ever victory on the APT with a sizzling round that included 3 birdies AND a triple bogey. It was never really out of control for Phillips as he stood on his 11th tee (number 9) at just 1 over par. A triple on that hole may have temporarily made him think, but otherwise… he never posted anything more than a bogey and won Division 4 by 5 shots over Gary Nivens (Charlotte / +13) and 7 shots over Spencer Bensch (Charlotte / +15).
In Division 5, another player who has been having an incredible run recently, Lance Blackshear (Charlotte / +14) also made it look easier than it was with a 5 shot victory over Douglas Willie (Charlotte / +19). Consistent play from the start by Blackshear saw him jump out to a nice 6 shot lead after his first 9 holes. From there, it was a matter of holding on. Despite his best efforts and a hole out for eagle on the 14th hole by Willie, it just wasn’t enough to catch Blackshear who was another player to pick up back-to-back wins with a victory at Statesville Country Club.
On the skins side of things, Todd Mavis had a profitable day by making the lone birdie on the 9th hole all day long. That won him the only super skin of the day in addition to a Division 1 skin. If Douglas Willie had entered the super skins competition, his hole out would have earned him a cool $355. Alas, Todd may want to consider a nice, cool beverage for Douglas the next time they see one another!
Senior Division winners on the day were George Harris (Charlotte / -1) in Division 1, Anthony Mullis (Charlotte / +5) in Division 2, Charles Devenney (Charlotte / +3) in Division 3, Gary Nivens (Charlotte / +13) in Division 4 and Lance Blackshear (Charlotte / +14) in Division 5. Both Devenney and Blackshear completed double dip wins!
The 89 players in attendance at Statesville Country Club competed for over $5975 in prize money and skins throughout the day. This coming weekend, members from 11 different chapters will take on the Sold-Out Bright’s Creek in Mill Springs, NC. In Less than 2 weeks, the first 2-day event on the CLT schedule will take place at Forest Oaks CC in Greensboro, NC. This former home of the Greater Greensboro Open is in fabulous shape with green speeds running over 10 on the Stimp Meter. The deadline for registering for this event is just a few days away, so do not miss it.
Thanks for all your support.
Charlotte APT.
