APT’s Battle at Brights Creek Golf Results

The Amateur Players Tour-Upstate Chapter traveled to the mountains of North Carolina to play at Bright’s Creek Club in Mill Spring on Sunday June 27th.

The Tom Fazio design at Bright’s Creek is an exclusive private club and has hosted the 2015 NC Mid-Amateur.

The course is in immaculate condition from tee to green. The staff was delightfully accommodating and welcoming to our players as they were treated to the best kept golf secret in the Carolinas.

Division 5 saw most of the field get off to a challenging start, we’ll call it first tee jitters, with a short yet difficult par 5 opening hole. As the players settled into the round, three players would separate themselves from the field. Stephen Herbet (46-45-91) would lose on the scorecard playoff with Terry Bollenbecker (47-44-91) taking second place money. The day belonged to 13-year-old Alex Franklin (43-46-89), who set the pace on the front nine and forced players to catch him, to capture the win.

Division 4 had the highlight of the day as Scott Bryant (45-44-89) held out from the fairway for an eagle 2 on hole 17. Scott would settle for third place. Joe Lee (45-42-87) would find himself atop the leaderboard heading into the last two holes, Unfortunately for Joe, the par 5 18th, would undo the comeback as he settled for second. The journey back from a shoulder injury is never fun. Through an extended break and working to put his game back in order, Joe Lewis (42-44-86) claims his first victory in a number of years.

Division 3 TJ Eaves (42-40-82) put himself in contention again this week. Staying away from the big numbers was good enough for fourth. Shannon Leonhardt (44-37-81) had the hot back nine with a one over 37 which would be good enough for third. Bill Russell (41-39-80) didn’t get off to the dream start but was able to make up some lost ground with two birdies on the front nine. Bill added another couple birdies early on the back before cooling off and taking second place. Chad Harrington (39-40-79) playing steady all day until giving 4 shots back to the field on 14 and 15, secured the one-shot victory in style with a birdie on 18.

Division 2 was a typical tight leaderboard all day and players taking the scores low. Four players separated themselves from the pack. Joe Zebrecky (38-37-75) put together a solid round but would finish just outside the cut line in fourth place. Tom Cone (39-35-74), happy he didn’t walk as he normally likes, goes one under bogey free on the back nine and settles for third. Caig Vaughn (37-36-73) was the birdie machine as he posted 5 on the day and took second place. Posting his best round in tournament golf, Wesley Jones (37-35-72) secured the win with a stellar performance on the inward nine going bogey free one under to secure the victory.

Division 1 would require extra holes to determine the winner. Dan Constantino (41-35-76) found himself in a hole going 6 over after the first three holes. Never one to throw in the towel, Dan clawed his way back going bogey free two under for the rest of the round. Scott Roberts (38-38-76) also dropped a couple of shots on his opening holes and played his typical steady golf and stayed away from the big mistake. The players went back to number one to settle the tie, Dan got his par on the par five for some redemption. Scott, knocking his third shot to about four feet, birdies the hole to secure the victory.

Thank you to all our members and guests, representing five different APT Chapters, for joining us at Bright’s Creek Club!

Thank you again to Bright’s Creek and their staff for helping us make this event a success while showcasing the course.

Tournament Reports

Pace of Play Report: 

4 hours and 45 minutes (+5 minutes)

Skins and Pins Report:

Closest to Pins ($63 Per)

Hole 3	Joe Zebrecky – 12’ 3”
Hole 6	John Perron – 9’ 3”
Hole 13	Craig Vaughn – 4’ 10”
Hole 16	Chad Harrington – 3’ 1”

Flight Skins Division 1|2

19 out of 20 players - Pot $285

Jason Breedlove - Hole 2 $95

Wesley Jones – Hole 8 $95

Craig Vaughn – Hole 13 $95

Flight Skins Division 3

19 out of 20 players - Pot $285

Shannon Leonhardt – Hole 2 $72

Shannon Leonhardt – Hole 15 $72

Bill Russell – Hole 12 $72

Chad Harrington – Hole 18 $72

Flight Skins Division 4/5

15 out of 20 players - Pot $225

Vic Lawrence – Hole 5 $45

Geof Smith – Hole 5 $45

Andy Burns – Hole 13 $45

Ellis Williams – Hole 14 $45

Scott Bryant – Hole 17 $45

Super Skins

49 out of 60 players – Pot $490

Geof Smith – Hole 5 $123

Wesley Jones – Hole 8 $123

Scott Bryant – Hole 17 $123

Chad Harrington – Hole 18 $123

Upcoming Tournaments

Charlotte Chapter:

July 3 (Saturday): Charlotte National – Straight Tee
Stableford and optional two-person net best ball
Registration

Upstate Chapter:

July 17 (Saturday) Kenmure Country Club
Registration

Carolina Triad Chapter:

July 12 (Monday): Bermuda Run East
Registration

With the summer travel season upon us, be sure to review the entire schedule. With the player of the Year points battles heating up, there is still plenty of time to make a run up the standings. National Schedule | Amateur Players Tour (bluegolf.com)