Tournament Champions
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A picturesque Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop greeted golfers Monday as the Upstate Amatuer Players Tour returned to Kenmure Country Club.
Monday, golfers took on the Joe Lee-designed course at Kenmure in Flat Rock, North Carolina. Opened in 1982, the private 18-hole layout winds through the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills, offering a mix of elevation changes, tree-lined fairways and scenic mountain views.
Known for a design that gives each hole its own character, the course challenges players with strategic shot placement and a layout shaped by the surrounding terrain. The combination of demanding play, manicured conditions and panoramic views has helped establish Kenmure as one of Western North Carolina’s notable golf destinations.
The Upstate Amatuer Players Tour travels the Upstate of South Carolina, along with portions of North Carolina and Georgia, offering golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete in one of five different divisions. The tour also features Mid-Am and Senior net divisions, along with an optional cash skins game each week. Division winners are also awarded cash and VISA gift card prizes each tournament.
Here’s a breakdown of the results from Monday’s tournament by division:
Division 1 – Rodric Overholt got off to a fast start on the front nine, paving the way for his victory in Division 1 with a round of two-under par, 70. Overholt made four birdies on the front nine, including two in a row on holes eight and nine, to shoot three-under par on the opening stretch.
Ashton Shope finished as the runner-up with a round of 73, three strokes off Overholt’s pace. Shope made eight pars and a birdie on the front nine and had his round to two-under par through 14 holes before a few bogeys down the stretch.
Daniel Jackson finished third with a round of 74, recording four birdies on the front nine. Jimmy Popp finished fourth with a round of 79, followed by Jody Clary and Christopher White in a tie for fifth place with scores of 82.
Division 2 – John Schiemer claimed the top spot in Division 2, posting a round of even-par 72 to win by two strokes. Schiemer made two birdies on the front nine and added two more on the back nine as he shot one-under par on the closing stretch.
Zack Boyd and Grady Overholt finished tied for second place. Boyd recorded two eagles on the round, the first of which came on the par-four sixth hole. He also took advantage of the par-five 10th hole and added four birdies on the card as well. Overholt carded a round of even-par of the front and recorded three birdies on the day.
Kris Laird and Logan Pendergrass finished tied for fourth place to round out the top five. Laird finished with four birdies on the round, two of which came on the front nine as he shot even-par on the opening stretch. Pendergrass made two birdies on the back nine, his final of which came on the par-four 17th hole.
Division 3 – Sonny Smith made three straight pars to close his round, proving to be crucial in his victory in Division 3 with a round of 83. Smith carded a round of four-over par 40 on the front nine, which included a birdie on the par-three ninth hole. He made five pars on the back nine as he was locked in a close battle down the stretch.
Myron Samuels finished in second place with a round of 84. Samuels started his round with a birdie on the first hole and shot 41 on the opening nine. He pared three of his first five holes on the back nine as he attempted to climb the leaderboard.
Chad Aiken came home in third place with a round of 86. Aiken led the division with three birdies on the day, two of which came on the back nine as he shot 42.
David Krumenacker and Spud Casper rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth places with rounds of 87 and 88, respectively.
Division 4 – Neal De La Cruz was the class of the field in Division 4, carding a round of 83 to clear the field by seven strokes. Despite a double-bogey on his first hole of the day, De La Cruz played the rest of the front nine in three-over par, birding the par-four sixth hole. He made three pars on the back nine but managed to avoid a score higher than bogey.
Jeff Best finished second with a round of 90. Best birdied the par-three fifth hole to move to two-over par on the round. His back nine included three pars in the first six holes.
Jason Upright finished third after posting a round of 91. Upright played his best golf on the front nine, birding the par-five eighth hole to shoot 41 on the opening stretch. Zach Hutchinson and Billy Gilliland tied for fourth place with rounds of 92.
Division 5 – James Wenz rose to the top of the leaderboard in Division 5, carding a round of 95 to clear the field by two strokes. Wenz made three pars on the front nine to shoot 44 and added a final par on the par-four closing hole.
Desmond Smith finished second with a round of 97. Smith got off to a solid start, playing his first six holes in just two-over par with four pars. Anna Cyphers-Smith and Bruce Reeves finished tied for third place with rounds of 98. Reeves recorded the only birdie in the division, coming on the par-four 12th hole. Rodney Ferrell rounded out the top five in the division with a score of 100.
Mid-Am (Net) – Neal De La Cruz made it a clean sweep of the weekend as his net round of one-under par 71 secured the Mid-Am net division. De La Cruz made two net birdies on the front nine to shoot even-par. He made two more birdies and an eagle on the back nine to shoot one-under par on the closing stretch.
Zack Boyd and Billy Gilliland were in hot pursuit, finishing tied for second place with rounds of even-par 72. Boyd made four eagles and two birdies on the round as Gilliland recorded seven birdies on the round.
Kris Laird finished fourth with a net round of 73, followed by Daniel Jackson in fifth place with a score of 74.
Senior (Net) – Eight birdies later, Sonny Smith walked away with the Senior net division title, carding a round of even-par 72. Smith made three birdies on the front nine to post two-under par on the opening side. He made five birdies on the back, including three in a row to close the round to clear the field by three strokes.
Jimmy Popp, Dean Crouch, and Desmond Smith tied for second place with net rounds of 75. Popp finished with three birdies and an eagle as Crouch’s steady round included two birdies. Smith made five birdies on the front nine to shoot five-under par, taking the lead after the front nine.
John Wayne Parrish, JB Anderson, and Myron Samuels rounded out the top five in a tie for fifth place with rounds of four-over par, 76.
