2026 APT Cloudland Challenge Results

The Amateur Players Tour went up into the mountains to the beautiful McLemore Resort in Rising Fawn, GA for the APT Cloudland Challenge. We kicked off the event at McLemore’s new golf course, The Keep. Standing atop Lookout Mountain you can look down thousands of feet into the valley below.  The wide-open fairways allow for players to confidently get off the tee and land in the fairway. The teeth of The Keep is in the green complexes. With some of the fastest greens we will see all year, it will make some of the best short game player’s knees shake. The Highlands course is a tried and true championship course. The course winds you around the mountain through the tree lined holes. Unlike The Keep, shot placement and course management tested the skill of the entire field.

In Division 1, Andew Buse (Kentucky) got off to a cool and collective start to jump to the top of the leaderboard shooting a 76 to get ahead of Erik Benson (Atlanta) by just 3 shots. Blake Claycomb (Indianapolis) kept his name in the mix trailing just 1 shot behind Benson. Heading into round 2 it was anyone’s to win. Jeff Helms (Chapter Owners) shot his way up the leaderboard shooting an impressive 2 over-par to finish strong. However, Benson was able to card the low score of the day shooting even par and chasing down Buse to earn his first National Major victory.

In Division 2, Craig Thigpen (Augusta) hit the ground running. Even with the lightning-fast greens and challenging wind conditions, he was able to card a 79 for the round. National Player of The Year Mike Lingenfelter (St. Louis) trailed just three shots behind Thigpen to find himself in second place after the first day of play. 2024 National Senior Player of The Year Travis Wartluft kept his name atop the leaderboard in 3^rd place behind Lingenfelter. The low score during round 2 went to John Wayne Parrish (Carolina Triad) carding a 79 to tie for 2^nd for the tournament with 2023 National Senior Player of The Year Simay Souvannarath (St. Louis), Wartluft, and Thigpen. With his consistent play, Lingenfelter was able to earn his first National Major victory of the 2026 season.

In Division 3, 2024 National Senior Player of The Year Pat Ryan (Myrtle Beach) once again shot his way to the top of the leaderboard shooting an impressive 82 at the challenging The Keep golf course. Following only two shots behind Ryan was 2024 Senior North American Champion Rick Knepp. 2025 National Senior Player of The Year Andre Banks (Charlotte) held steady in 3^rd after the first round. Everyone was wondering if Ryan would be able to hold on to the lead to ink up his 3^rd National Major victory in the 2026 season. The round 2 low score of the day belonged to Michael Shirley (Upstate, SC) shooting a great 79 to shoot up the leaderboard to find himself in the money. Shirley and Knepp managed to tie for 2^nd, but it wasn’t enough to take down Ryan. Ryan was able to hold on to his Rd. 1 lead to beat Knepp and Shirley by only 1 stroke.

In Division 4, Chris Huge (Charleston) and John Sherman (Kentucky) found themselves tied for 1^st at the conclusion of play after the first round. Allen Starnes (St. Louis) found himself only two shots behind the leaders and put himself in striking distance of becoming a National Major Champion. The low round of the final round went to Ray Medina (Houston) and Huge. Medina found himself tied for 3^rd with Jeff Best (Western North Carolina) for the tournament. The race came down to Huge and Starnes. Heading into the last hole of play, Starnes down two shots knew he had to make a move and Huge would have to make a mistake. Huge kept his head in the game and carded bogey while Starnes took a chance but ended up carding a triple bogey. Huge emerged victorious while Starnes took second place.

In Division 5, Tyler Philo (Cincinnati/Dayton) started off with everything working. Philo shot the low score of round 1 with a solid 90. Six shots back from Philo sat Richard Kemp (Atlanta) at 96 followed by Scott Lutton (Central Pennsylvania) 97 and Abigail Brooks (Kentucky) 99. Sitting with a six-shot lead, would Philo be able to handle the pressure in Division 5?  Lutton came gunning for Philo during round 2. Lutton shot the low round of the day carding a 97 to earn himself a 2^nd place finish. Brooks was able to earn 3^rd place moving up the leaderboard during the day. Philo was able to hold on to the victory, but just two shots better than Lutton.

In the Mid-Am Net Division, Tyler Philo (Cincinnati/Dayton) was able to capitalize on his exceptional Rd. 1 play on the challenging Keep course to become Mid-Am Net Champion. Michael Shirley (Upstate, SC) was able to move his way into the money after his tremendous round two finish at the Highlands Course. Sean Pierce (Atlanta) that was just edged out of the money in Division 1 was able to finish strongly in 3^rd for the mid-am net division.

In the Senior Net Division, Mike Lingenfelter (St. Louis) and Rick Johnson (St. Louis) found themselves tied for 1^st. Johnson was able to shoot net 1 under-par on the highlands course to catch Lingenfelter. Rick Knepp (Central Pennsylvania) earned an out right 3^rd place finish after a consistent two days. Lance Oliver (Birmingham) and Division 3 Champion Pat Ryan (Myrtle Beach) tied for 4^th for the tournament.