2026 UPS Cherokee National

With summer in full swing, the Upstate Amatuer Players Tour made its return to Cherokee National Golf and Recreation Club in Gaffney, a private 18-hole club that features some of the best putting surfaces in the Upstate. 

A capacity field weathered the warm temperatures while competing for cash and VISA gift card prizes during the tournament. The Upstate Amatuer Players Tour travels the Upstate of South Carolina, along with portions of North Carolina, offering golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete in one of five different divisions. The tour also has net divisions, and an optional cash skins game each week.  

The 18-hole course stretches over 7,000 yards from the back tees and features more than 4,000 square feet of mini-Verde Bermuda grass greens. The front nine offers golfers plenty of chances to make birdies while the back nine tightens considerably and poses a unique challenge.  

Over the past decade, the course has undergone several changes with the removal of trees and improvements to fairways and tee boxes, making Cherokee National a premier club in the Upstate.  

Here’s a breakdown of the results from Saturday’s tournament by division: 

Division 1 – Eighteen holes of golf were not enough to decide a winner in Division 1 as John Masotti and Hunter Isreal both carded rounds of two-under par, 70. In the end, it was Masotti who emerged victorious in the playoff.  

Masotti kept his scorecard clean on the front nine, birding the first and fourth holes to shoot two-under par on the opening stretch. He added two more birdies on the back nine, coming on the par-five 15^th and the 16^th hole. 

Isreal got off to a red-hot start, playing the front nine in five-under par to lead at the turn. Isreal birdied the first and third holes before making an eagle on the par-four fourth hole. He also took advantage of the par-four eighth hole, making birdie.  

Anthony Clark and Christopher White both carded rounds of even par to finish inside the top five. Caleb Vancil finished fifth with a round of 73. 

Division 2 – Jack Fitzhugh used five birdies and a round of 72 to outlast a crowded field of 19 challengers and win Division 2. Fitzhugh made three front-nine birdies to shoot one-under par on the opening stretch. Fitzhugh made an impressive birdie on the long par-three 14^th hole and followed it with a birdie on the par-five 15^th hole.  

Johnny Moffett and John Wayne Parrish tied for second place with rounds of 74. Moffett played his best golf on the back nine, birding the par-four 11^th hole and the 15^th hole to shoot even-par on the closing side. Parrish made three birdies on the round, ending his day with a birdie on the par-five 18^th hole.  

AJ Lee, David Campbell, and Mike Crandall finished tied for fourth place with rounds of 77. Lee and Campbell made two birdies on the day as Crandall carded three. 

Division 3 – Eric Sage was the class of the field in Division 3, posting a round of 80 to clear the field by two shots. Sage birdied the fourth hole and made four pars on the front to shoot 40. He added another birdie on the downhill par-four 10^th hole en route to a round of 40 on the back nine.  

Myron Samuels and Thomas Gibson tied for second place with rounds of 82. Samuels played the back nine in four-over par, including a birdie on the difficult par-three 17^th hole. Gibson made five pars in his first seven holes to settle into his round.  

Mark Lytle and Allen Hagen rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth places with rounds of 83 and 85, respectively.  

Division 4 – Four golfers finished atop the leaderboard in Division 4, as when the dust settled, Calvin Carter walked away with the top spot in a playoff. Carter along with Kenny Brown, Fred Carvalho, and Jeff Best all carded rounds of 82 to tie for first place, leading to the playoff. 

Carter played his first six holes in even par, birding the fourth hole to shoot three-over par on the front nine. He added four more pars on the back, including two in his final four holes. Brown also shot 39 on the front nine, making six pars. Brown played his final three holes in one-over par to reach the playoff.  

Carvalho overcame a difficult start, making five pars and a birdie in a six-hole stretch on the front nine. Best played his first five holes in one-under par with an impressive birdie on the par-three second hole.  

Zach Hutchinson finished fifth with a round of 83, highlighted by a birdie on the par-four sixth hole as he played his final four holes of the front nine in one-under par.  

Division 5 – Eleven golfers finished within four shots of the eventual winner in Division 5 as Keegan Jerabek claimed the top spot in a playoff over Tim Kunkel after both players carded rounds of 88. Jerabek made four pars in his first six holes as he shot 43 on the opening nine. Jerabek’s birdie on the par-three 17^th hole proved to be crucial in reaching the playoff. 

Kunkel got off to a fast start, making six straight pars to begin his round. Kunkel’s round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-four 10^th hole.  

Joe Hill, Brian McMahan, Michael Addison, and Rodney Ferrell all carded rounds of 91 to round out the top five in the division.  

Mid-Am (Net) – Christopher White and Kenny Brown shared the top spot in the Mid-Am net division as both golfers fired net rounds of three-under par, 69. White made three birdies and an eagle on the front nine before adding three more birdies in his first six holes of the back nine.  

Brown shot three-under par with four birdies on the front nine and made four more on the back nine to shoot even par on the closing stretch and share the honors with White. 

Zach Hutchinson finished third with a net round of 71. Hutchinson made five birdies and an eagle on the round. He played his final four holes of the front nine in five-under par. A.J. Lee, Brayden Anderson, and Keegan Jerabek tied for fourth place with rounds of even-par, 72. 

Senior (Net) – Lyle Gumer fired a net round of five-under par 67 to clear the field by one stroke and win the Senior net division. Gumer made four birdies on the front nine, including three in a row on the seventh, eighth, and ninth holes. He also took advantage of the par-four 11^th hole and birdied three of his final five holes to secure the victory.  

Johnny Moffett and Fred Carvalho were close behind in second place with rounds of 68. Moffett made two eagles on the back nine to close with a round of 33 on the closing stretch. Carvalho made eight birdies on his round, five of which came in a six-hole stretch on the front nine.  

John Wayne Parrish, Eric Sage, Calvin Carter, and Tim Kunkel rounded out the top five in a tie for fourth place with rounds of 70.