2024 Cherokee National Golf Tournament Results

A packed field of 84 golfers fought through the warm conditions on Saturday, while negotiation the firm and fast conditions of Cherokee National Golf Club, as the Upstate Amateur Players Tour made its yearly trip to the top corner of the Palmetto State.

Nestled in the northwest portion of Cherokee County, Cherokee National Golf Club is a semi-private club in Gaffney, SC that features an 18-hole championship layout. The highlight of the course is the large, Mini Verde putting surfaces that provide some of the truest rolls in the Upstate.

While the front nine can seem wide open off the tee, golfers encounter a drastic change on the back nine, with a challenging stretch of holes that requires golfers full attention. 

Saturday’s conditions saw the temperatures reach above 95 degrees, without a cloud in the sky. During the day of competition, golfers competed for more than $5,100 in cash and VISA gift card prizes.

The Upstate Amateur Players Tour travels the Upstate of South Carolina, and portions of North Carolina, offering golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete in one of ten different divisions. The tour is designed by the players, for the players, and is meant to create a fun-filled, competitive environment for all players.

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

Division 1 – Brandon Pearson nearly kept his card clean of bogeys, but his round of 70 was more than enough to take the top spot in Division 1 on Saturday. Pearson was three under par as he went to the par-three 17^th hole. The uphill par-three would be the location of Pearson’s one and only bogey en route to shooting two under par.

John Schiemer shot 75 to finish runner-up. Schiemer made a late charge on the back nine with birdies on the long par-three 14^th hole and the challenging par-five 18^th hole. Jackson Hill and Jody Clary tied for third place with rounds of 76.

Christopher White rounded out the top-five with a round of 76.

Division 2 – Nine players finished within four shots of the lead in Division 2 on Saturday, but when the dust settled, Scott Webber emerged victorious with a round of 75. Webber climbed the leader board early with two front-nine birdies. Webber was even par heading to the challenging back nine. A string of five straight pars on the back nine helped Webber seal the deal.

Chris Joyner and Logan Pendergrass tied for second place with rounds of 76. Like Webber, Joyner also shot even par on the front nine, but made three straight bogeys during the most challenging stretch of the back none.

Pendergrass found himself atop the leader board after making three birdies on the front nine to shoot one under par before firing 42 on the back nine.

Jonathan Pruitt and Mitch Howze tied with rounds of 77 to round out the top-five. Pruitt found his groove on the back nine with seven pars, a birdie, and a bogey to shoot 36.

Senior Division 2 – Mitch Howze’s steady day that included 12 pars was enough to clear him by one shot over the field in Senior Division 2 on Saturday. Howze shot 39 on the front nine with seven pars, as his lone birdie came on the challenging dogleg left par-four, No. 12.

Darrell Johnson made two back-nine birdies as he tried to make a late charge on the field. Johnson’s birdies came on the 10^th and 15^th holes. Stanley Smith finished third with a round of 81, followed by Michael Mullins in fourth place with a score of 83. James Teston came home fifth with a round of 88.

Division 3 – Brad Hillman wasted no time getting going on Saturday, as the Asheville, NC native birdied the first hole and proceeded to play the front nine in even par en route to a round of 77 to win Division 3 on Saturday.

Hillman held off challengers Dan Ahlers and Steve Easler as both shot 79 to finish tied for second place. Ahlers was within one shot of Hillman after the front nine as Easler made a back nine charge, aided by a birdie on the par-four 10^th hole.

Shannon Osborne finished fourth with a round of 81, followed by a five-way tie for fifth place including John Anderson, Matt Miller, Darrius Prysock, William Buie, and Daniel Ruppe. All five players shot 82.

Senior Division 3 – William Buie’s impressive eagle on the par-five ninth hole proved to be the difference as the Greenville, SC native shot 82 and won Senior Division 3 on Saturday by just one shot. Buie also took advantage of the par-five 15^th hole on the back nine with a birdie en route to his victory.

Dean Crouch finished second in the division with a round of 83. Crouch made just three bogies on the front nine to go along with six pars. His 39 on the front placed him atop the leader board midway through the round.

Sonny Smith shot 84 to finish third, followed by Myron Samuels in fourth place with a score of 85. Jeff Best and Lawrence Daniels tied for fifth place with rounds of 88.

Division 4 – Gaffney, SC native Colby Crow made himself right at home on Saturday as he carded a round of 81 to win Division 4. Crow shot 38 on the front nine, including a birdie on the par-five first hole. Three pars in his final four holes sealed the deal for Crow to take the victory.

Scott Bryant and Billy Trull tied for second place with rounds of 83. Bryant made birdie on the challenging par-four fourth hole en route to shooting 39 on the front. Trull had a steady day that included 10 pars, five of which came on the closing stretch.

Maurice Sherman, Derrick Ray, and Kenny Brown tied for fourth place with rounds of 87 to round out the top five.

Senior Division 4 – Eighteen holes of golf were not enough to decide a winner in Senior Division 4 on Saturday, as Scott Bryant prevailed in a playoff over Billy Trull after both players carded rounds of 83. Bryant made a string of five straight pars around the turn to reach the playoff as Trull’s steady day included five pars on the back nine.

Maurice Sherman shot 87 to finish third, followed by Djuan Johnson in fourth with a round of 89.

Frank Daniels and Billy Odom rounded out the top-five with rounds of 90.

Division 5 – A playoff was also needed in Division 5 on Saturday as Vern Verna and Dick Jenkins finished tied after 18-hole as both players’ shot 92. In the end, it was Verna who took the victory.

Verna made three pars to go along with a birdie on the front nine to position him atop the leader board. Jenkins found his groove on the back nine with four pars during a challenging five-hole stretch.

Danny Sullivan shot 95 to finish third as his round was highlighted by a birdie on the par-five ninth hole. Bill Turner and Tim Kunkel rounded out the top-five with rounds of 96 and 97, respectively.

Senior Division 5 – Vern Verna made it a clean sweep on Saturday, but it wasn’t without a sweat. Verna prevailed over Dick Jenkins in a playoff after both players carded rounds of 92. Danny Sullivan finished third with a score of 95 as Bill Turner posted a score of 96. Tim Kunkel rounded out the top-five with a score of 97.