A gorgeous weekend greeted the players as we ventured east to Mt Gilead, NC to play our Local final at Tillery Tradition CC. This is a new venue for the APT players that came out and participated and the course and conditions delivered what was expected. The course was in great shape and conditions allowed for players to be aggressive and go out and shoot some good scores if their games were on point.
In Division 1 we had Will Morgan (Carolina Triad) shoot an opening round 69 to take a 3 shot lead into round 2. He never let up and shot at 2 under par round of 70 to claim a 10-shot victory. We had Tim Barto (Charlotte) and Scott Roberts (Charlotte) tie for Second shooting 2-day totals of 149. With this win, Will now is in striking distance for the National Player of the Year trailing Eric King by a little over 600 points. With the number of points available in Nashville, no lead is safe.
Congrats Will!!
In Division 2, we had our largest division battle with 16 players. As it has been the last few events, the Triad boys came out strong again and took it to our Charlotte members this weekend. Shooting Even par on Day 1, Seth Hawkins never looked back, He backed that score up with a 77 on Sunday to shoot +5 (149) for the two days and win by 4 shots. Pedro Montoya shot consistent rounds of 77-76 (153) to finish second. Victor Rivera and Dwayne Pope Sr tied for third with two-day totals of 155.
Congrats Seth!!
In Division 3 this came down to a battle for our Local Player of the Year. Coming into the event, we knew that the player that finished higher in the standings between Tony Koechli and Tyler Phillips would have an in surmountable lead and could not be caught. Day 1 saw Joe Cannatti (Charlotte) and Christian Chapman (Charlotte – now residing in Hilton Head). Jump out to a lead with both players shooting 80. Andy Captain was only 3 shots back entering day 2 and being a member of the host club had a great opportunity to pull the upset. As it turned out, in the group in front of our leaders, Tyler Phillips got off to a hot start and kept the peddle down all day long. Starting 7 shots back, he rallied and shot a very impressing round of 74 to leapfrog the day 1 leaders and not only claim the tournament title but also the Local Division 3 Player of the Year.
Congrats Tyler!!!
In Division 4, it was again a battle between 2 players starting day 2. Jerry York (Charlotte) carried a 1 shot lead coming into day 2 and Jimmy Sullivan (Upstate) was ready to pounce. Jimmy shot two very consistent rounds of 86 on day 1 and 85 on day 2 for a two-day total of 171 to claim the title. Jerry unfortunately struggled and finished second. As Jerry was leaving the Cabana attendant out a smile on Jerry’s face by presenting him with a Chicken Salad sandwich that Jerry raved about to all that would listen on Saturday.
Congrats Jimmy!!!
In Division 5, David Rosier (Charlotte) started the day with a 3 shot lead over Steven Daniels (Charlotte). Steve got off toa great start then struggled with back-to-back triple bogies. As it is with Division 5, no lead is ever safe and at the end of the day, Steve caps off a fantastic season by winning the local final as well as our division 5 Player of the year.
Congrats Steve!!!
In the Senior Net Portion of the competition, it was Dwayne Pope Sr (Carolina Triad) that wins this 2-day competition with a score of +1. Second Place goes to Tom Chambers (YES, THAT TOM CHAMBERS) who came out of retirement to play in the local final. It was great having all the players that knew Tom from the APT last year get caught up on everything that has been going on over the year. Third place was a tie between 3 players shooting +4 for the 2 days. Christian Chapman, Ronnie Frames and Steve Daniels all shared 3rd place honors and prizes.
Thanks to all the players that continue to support the APT. Some said we would fail, some said that we will not last. Completing our second season nationwide and the numbers don’t lie. Increased membership nationally with a true commitment to the players. National Events that bring together players from all over the country to play golf at some of the most iconic places to play in the US. I thank all local and visiting players that come out to the Charlotte Events. The Fall Schedule will be release in a few weeks as contracts are finalized. In 2023 we will continue to grow and most importantly, continue to improve based on the feedback that we get from the players. Membership is open for 2023. Get signed up and register for some of our exciting majors coming up in 2023. They will sell out and when they do, you will kick yourself later.
Phil VanGeersdaelen
Chapter Owner, Charlotte APT.