2025 UPS Cleghorn Golf and Sports Club Tournament Results

After a few late-week showers in the area, the Upstate Amateur Players Tour enjoyed the beautiful, plush conditions of Cleghorn Golf Club Saturday as a part of one of the tour’s elevated events.  

Located in Rutherfordton, NC, Cleghorn is considered one of the premier courses in the area, making it a perfect setting for the tour’s elevated event. The Upstate Amateur Players Tour travels the Upstate of South Carolina and portions of North Carolina giving golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete in ten different divisions.  

Throughout the day, competitors are also vying for cash and VISA prizes, along with an optional cash skins game. Saturday, more than $6,000 was up for grabs during the day of competition.   

The land that is now home to Cleghorn Golf Club once was rolling farmland, growing corn, cotton, and wheat. The land was passed down through the Cleghorn family before it was transformed into a golf course in 1972. The course was designed by George Cobb, a renowned golf course designer. Cobb is most well-known for his work at Quail Hallow in Charlotte, NC and the Par Three course at Augusta National.  

The course has been listed in Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play” and was voted the best golf course in Rutherford County. The course incorporates the beauty of Western North Carolina while also offering a challenging round of golf.  

Here’s a breakdown from Saturday’s tournament by each division: 

Division 1 – Dylan Lancaster proved to be the class of the field in Division 1, firing an impressive round of 67, four under par. The Spindale, NC native kept his scorecard clean, recording two birdies on the front nine before adding two more on the closing stretch. Chase Sturkie finished runner-up with an even-par round of 71. Sturkie birdied the first hole of the day en route to an even-par 35 on the front nine. He bounced back from two bogeys on the back nine with back-to-back birdies on the 14^th and 15^th holes. Christopher White’s steady day of golf led to a third-place finish after posting a 73. His round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-five fourth hole. TJ Hines made 15 pars and shot 74 to finish fourth. His front nine included eight pars and just one bogey, leading to a top five finish. Frank Mattson finished fifth with a round of 75.  

Senior Division 1 – Frank Mattson plotted his way around Cleghorn, making 14 pars and carding a round of 75 to secure the top spot in Senior Division 1. The Charlotte, NC native made two bogeys on both the front and back nines, securing the victory by two strokes. Darryl Phelps shot 77 to finish second. Phelps made three birdies on the day, including two on the front nine. He added a third birdie on the par-five 14^th hole to shoot two over par on the closing stretch. Randy Hodges rounded out the division in third place with a round of 78.  

Division 2 – Logan Pendergrass used a crucial three-hole stretch on the front nine, in which he played four under par, to position himself atop the leaderboard and win Division 2 on Saturday with an even-par round of 71. Pendergrass made an impressive eagle on the par-five fourth hole before following it up with a pair of birdies on the next two holes. The Pendleton, SC native posted a two-under par round of 33 on the front nine. Chris Kemp was close behind, posting a round of 73. Kemp’s highlight of the round came on the par-four fifth hole where he made birdie. He also made eight pars and just one bogey on the back nine. Zack Boyd finished third with a round of 75. Boyd’s lone birdie of the day came on the par-four 11^th hole to shoot two-over par, 38, on the back nine. Dalton Lawing finished fourth with a round of 76, followed by Bobby Lutz and JB Anderson in a tie for fifth place after posting rounds of 79. 

Senior Division 2 – Eighteen holes of golf proved not to be enough, as a playoff was needed to determine the winner in Senior Division 2. JB Anderson prevailed in the playoff after he and Bobby Lutz tied with rounds of 79. Anderson played his best golf on the back nine, making seven consecutive pars to maintain his position atop the leaderboard. Lutz got off to a hot start to his round, making birdie on the par-three third hole to paly the first six holes in one under par. Carlos Mojica and Dean Crouch finished tied for third place with rounds of 80. Mojica led the way with birdies in the division, making one on the front and another on the back nine. Dean Eastep rounded out the top five in the division with a round of 82.  

Division 3 – Three golfers found themselves in an intense battle down the stretch, as when the dust settled, it was Dylan Wofford who secured the top spot with a round of 76. Wofford settled into his round quickly, offsetting an early bogey with a birdie on the par-three seventh hole to shoot even par on the front nine. Tommy Boyter and Daniel Shelbo finished close behind in a tie for second place as both players posted rounds of 77. Boyter made two birdies on the day, including one on the par-four 10^th hole. Shake Smith finished in fourth place with a round of 79, followed by Mark Lytle and Jeff Pauley in a tie for fifth place after both players carded rounds of 80. 

Senior Division 3 – While Daniel Shelbo and Tommy Boyter came up just short of the top spot in Division 3, the two golfers found themselves tied for first place in Senior Division 3 with rounds of 77. In the end, it was Shelbo who prevailed in a playoff. Shelbo bounced back immediately from a double bogey on the second hole, making birdie on the par-three third hole. He added another birdie on the par-five 14^th hole to shoot two-over par on the back nine. Boyter closed his front nine in style with a birdie on No. 9 to shoot two-over par, 37. He made another birdie on the par-four 10^th hole to climb the leaderboard. Mark Lytle and Jeff Pauley tied for third place with rounds of 80, followed by Tim Carswell and Sonny Smith, who both fired rounds of 82 to tie for fifth place.  

Division 4 – Calvin Carter positioned himself nicely with an impressive round of 36 on the front nine en route to carding a 79 and winning Division 4. The Hendersonville, NC native made two earlier birdies, taking advantage of the third and fourth holes. David Croston and Dave Funkhouser tied for second place with rounds of 84, followed by Shane Baldwin in fourth place with a score of 85. Baldwin’s highlight of the round came on the par-five 14^th hole as he made birdie. Peter Fahey and Billy Trull rounded out the top five in the division with rounds of 86.  

Senior Division 4 – Calvin Carter made it a clean sweep of the weekend as his round of 79 was also enough to win Senior Division 4. Carter made two birdies and three bogeys to shoot one-over par on the front nine. He made five pars on the back en route to his victory. David Croston and Dave Funkhouser finished second with scores of 84. Croston made birdie on the par-four fifth hole en route to a three-over par round of 38 on the front nine. Funkhouser’s lone birdie of the day came on the par-three seventh hole. Peter Fahey and Billy Trull tied for fourth place with rounds of 86 to round out the top five.  

Division 5 – Danny Sullivan had just enough to overcome a crowded group of challengers, firing a round of 86 to win Division 5. Sullivan’s round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-three 12^th hole. Bill Turner finished second with a round of 89 that included a birdie on the par-three third hole to settle into his round. Dick Jenkins shot 91 to finish third, followed by Jan Kendrick in fourth place with a score of 92. Billy Jones rounded out the top five in the division with a score of 95.  

Senior Division 5 – Danny Sullivan’s round of 86 was also enough to take home the top prize in Senior Division 5. Sullivan shot 43 on both the front and back nine during his round. He also played a five-hole stretch from No. 8 to No. 12 in just one over par. Bill Turner finished runner-up, just three shots back with a round of 89. Dick Jenkins posted a round of 91 to come home third as Jan Kendrick shot 92 and finished fourth. Billy Jones made four pars on the back nine to shoot 95 and finish fifth.