Tournament Champions
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On a day that seemingly saw all 4 seasons within a short period of time, 108 players made their way out to Lancaster Golf Club for the 4th event of the 2024 season for the Charlotte Chapter to battle the elements and each other.
In Division 1, it was Matteo Blanchfield (Charlotte / -1) who rose to the top of the leaderboard by the end of the day. Committed to Barton College and set to play for the golf team in the fall, Matteo began his day in the second group off. An early birdie on number 2 and another on the difficult number 8 helped to offset what Matteo described as the toughest stretch of his day when he bogeyed 3 in a row at numbers 5, 6 and 7. Following that birdie, Matteo said his clutch two-putt on number 9 was a key moment of his round. Sitting on the top shelf at the back of the green, his putt died on the ridge perfectly before trickling down to allow him to secure par from a difficult position. Making the turn at +1, Matteo then rode some steady play through the back nine, reeling off 7 pars and picking up birdies on 11 and 17 to hold off Phillip Knezevich (Charleston / +1), Scott Roberts (Charlotte / +3) and John Masotti (Carolina Triad / +3) for his first victory on the Amateur Players Tour in only his fourth event. His score was the only sub-par round of the day for the field.
In Division 2, Joseph Jones (Charlotte / +4) rode a very hot start with birdies at numbers 1 and 3 through a bumpy stretch where he played numbers 6 through 10 in +5 before reeling off 7 straight pars. Standing on the final tee at +3, Joseph added a bogey at the 18th to finish with a stellar round of 76. That began the wait to see if his score would hold on or if a potential playoff was in the cards. Both Chase Brown (Charlotte / +5) and John Perron (Atlanta / +6) were still on the course and within range with 2 holes to play when Jones had finished his round. Brown’s bogey-bogey finish coupled with an untimely double by Perron on the final hole secured the victory for Joseph. Perron finished in a tie for third with Eric Stamper (Charlotte / +6) while Josh Johnston (Charlotte / +7) picked up the final spot in the money. This is the second victory in 6 events of the 2024 season for Joseph who now sits in 2nd place in the Charlotte Chapter Player of the Year race for Division 2.
Division 3 was hotly contested and ultimately came down to a 3 hole, 3 person playoff. When Myron Samuels (Upstate / +11) came in, he was sitting 1 stroke behind Dan Ahlers (Charlotte / +11) who was a group behind. Dan’s bogey on 18 meant that he and Myron were now tied. The duo had to endure quite a wait and some scoreboard watching. As their phones flickered with updates, potential contenders began to drop down the leaderboard. When Josh Ray (Charlotte / +11) threw up a birdie on number 17, the real drama began. From inside the warm confines of the clubhouse, onlookers gathered and watched as Ray hit his approach on 18 to the back-right corner of the green. A tricky putt from up there awaited, but Ray handled it expertly, leaving a 3 footer up the hill. When the par attempt slid by the edge of the hole, a playoff was on the horizon. A caravan of carts headed back to the 1st tee as Ahlers, Ray and Samuels headed back out to determine the winner. Shortly after they teed off on number 1, the warmth of the sun was interrupted by a quick burst of winter. A very quick, very intense period of wind, rain and cold added drama to an already dramatic moment. All 3 players made par on the first playoff hole, bringing them all to the par 5 number 2. Both Ahlers and Samuels managed par there as well while Ray’s bogey eliminated him. On the third playoff hole, Ahlers found the green in regulation before Samuels had some unfortunate luck in a bunker. Dan’s third consecutive par in the playoff was enough to secure the victory for him. A trio of players tied for fourth place as Derek Wagner (Charlotte / +16), Shannon Osborne (Charlotte / +16) and Kimberly Perry (Charlotte / +16) split the final spots in the money. The third victory of Dan’s APT career has him sitting in second place in the Charlotte Chapter Player of the Year race for Division 3 and continues his recent run of success as he’s placed in the top 3 in each of his first 3 events of the 2024 season.
Division 4 also saw a tightly packed group come down the stretch run before a winner was produced. Roy Santonil (Charlotte / +12) had to feel like his bogey – double bogey finish was going to come back to haunt him, but he didn’t have long to wait to find out. Wes Phillips (Charlotte / +13) had a shot to catch Santonil from the group immediately behind him, but his bogey on 18 kept his charge from doing any damage. Dan Rossi (Charlotte / +14), in the same group as Phillips, would have needed a hole out for eagle on number 18 to catch Santonil. A bogey by Rossi would clear the way for Santonil to pick up the victory. Ronnie Thornton (Charlotte / +17) rounded out the money spots. Roy’s round was steady from start to finish en route to victory as he had no birdies, but no real big numbers on his card. The victory is the fifth of Santonil’s APT career and comes in his first event of the 2024 season.
Division 5 was not without its own drama. As the players battled the elements, they were also battling darkness coming down the stretch. Austin Hubert (Augusta / +21) and Sean Hammonds (Charlotte / +21), playing 1 group apart, posted identical front nine scores of 45. As it came down to the final few holes, it appeared that Hubert’s trio of triples on the back was going to keep him from securing the hardware. Hammonds stood on the 18th tee needing just a double bogey to bag the title, but in near darkness, he posted a triple bogey to tie Hubert. As some suggestions of lighting the 18th fairway and green with vehicle headlights in the style of ‘Legend of Bagger Vance’ were cast to complete the playoff, the decision was made that the players tie would stand and they would be declared co-champions of the event. The victory, ironically, was the first for BOTH players in the APT careers.
In the Senior Division… it was Scott Roberts (Charlotte / +3) in Division 1, John Perron (Atlanta / +6) in Division 2, Myron Samuels (Upstate / +11) in Division 3, Ronnie Thornton (Charlotte / +17) in Division 4 and Sean Hammonds (Charlotte / +21) in Division 5 as our only double dip winner of the day.
All total, the 108 players that attended the event competed for over $7000 in prize money and skins throughout the day. 17 players took on the Target Score challenge where they competed against themselves in an attempt to turn just $10 in to additional prize money.
Our next event for the Charlotte Chapter is less than 2 weeks away at Cheraw State Park. As of the time of the writing of this recap, just over 30 spots remain. Do not delay in signing up or you risk missing out on what is sure to be another fantastic event at a great course!
