Tournament Champions
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The Upstate Amateur Players Tour traveled above the state line for the first time this season over the weekend, hosting a tournament at the scenic Etowah Valley Golf Club. The tournament was the third of the new 2026 season for the tour, with a full schedule set for the rest of the calendar year and next year.
The Upstate Amateur Players 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. Designed by the players for the players, the tour strives to create a memorable experience for its members, while offering cash and VISA gift card prizes to the division winners, along with an option cash skins game as well.
Rated one of the best golf resorts in North Carolina, Etowah Valley offers classic mountain golf at its finest. Located near Asheville and Hendersonville, North Carolina in the quaint Western North Carolina mountain town of Etowah, the resort boasts an 18-hole mountain golf course, restaurants, tennis, heated swimming pool and more.
Here’s a breakdown of the results from Saturday’s tournament by division:
Division 1 – Six golfers finished within three shots of the eventual winner in Division 1, as Carlos Santana had what it took down the stretch, firing a round of 77 to win the top division. Santana played his first six holes in even par after making birdie on the par-five sixth hole. He made six pars on the back nine, including four in his final five holes.
Jacob Sigmon and Brad Johnson were close behind, tying for second place with rounds of 78. Sigmon made a back nine charge, making three consecutive birdies on holes 13-15 to play the back nine in two-under par. Johnson made two birdies in his final four holes to play the closing stretch in even par.
Shayne Burger and Jody Clary tied for fourth place with rounds of 79.
Division 2 – Trailing by three strokes going to the back nine, Dalton Lawing buckled down and shot just one-over par on the closing stretch to card a round of 76 and win Division 2. Lawing made two back nine birdies, proving to be the difference, as he capped the round with a birdie on the par-five closing hole.
Dean Crouch, who held the lead after a round of even par on the front nine, finished runner-up with a round of 78. Crouch made three front-nine birdies, including two in the first three holes.
Jamie Perez finished third with a round of 82, highlighted by a pair of birdies to begin the day. Perez birdied the first and second holes to start the round in style. Weston Brown finished fourth with a round of 83, followed by Dan Eastep in fifth place with a score of 84.
