Charlotte National played host to the “Players Tournament” this holiday weekend. With a sold-out field and 12 Amateur Players Tour Chapters represented, an exciting tournament was about to be showcased.

We called this “Players Tournament” for a simple reason. All across North America, every chapter lives by the “By the Players, For the Players”, and in this tournament the players picked all the formats.

The primary competition revolved around the Stableford format, which was voted on by the players back in late February. We also provided other formats as optional contests to the players and they selected a Blind Draw Net 4-Ball Team event.

To help set the table, the stableford point structure was the following.

6 Eagle
4 Birdie
2 Par
1 Bogey
0 Double Bogey
-1 Triple Bogey or worse

Division 5 had three players jockey for position most of the day to secure a payout to the top two. Dereck Kemp (6-9-15 points) and the APT Charlotte D5 points leader finish just outside the money line for third. Danny Sullivan (8-9-17 points) played steady all day which would be good second place. The winner saw a veteran of amateur golf but a player in his first event win. Chris McGee (13-5-18 points) got atop the leaderboard for a commanding lead. Chris was able to stay away from the negative points most of the day as he cruised to victory.

Division 4 had seven players in contention for four money spots. Bruce Shively (13-10-23 points), Vic Lawrence (41-44-85 and 13-10-23 points) and Ellis Williams (13-10-23 points) tied for fifth and just outside the money line. Steven Hawk (15-9-24 points) settled for fourth place on a scorecard playoff. Michael Fitzgerald (15-9-24 points) takes third on the scorecard playoff. Roy Williams (11-13-24 points) would take second on the second-place money on the scorecard playoff. The day belonged to Justin Bennett (14-15-29 points) playing out of the Upstate Chapter. Justin played steady and consistent golf throughout the day to win by five points.

Division 3 paid the top three positions today. Andre Banks (13-12-25 points) was in the club house looking good to cash. John Torres (12-13-25) put a point up on every hole on the back nine to secure third place money on the scorecard playoff. Randy Quis (20-9-29 points) seemed to be in control of his game on the front nine, as he accumulated points. The back nine always plays tough at Charlotte National. Randy would settle for second. Tour veteran Nolan Elenz (17-19-36) put on a display of consistent golf throughout the day. Nolan posted at least 1 point on every hole and three birdies on the day will always help in this format.

Division 2 was a typical tight leaderboard after the outward nine. Paying out the top three spots, playoffs would be required to determine all the money positions on the day. Malcolm Niven (16-15-31) continues to play well but would lose on the scorecard playoff for third place money. Charles Devenney (12-19-31) found a little magic on the back nine to secure third place money. Extra holes would be required to settle the first-place tie. While one player would make boastful claims, the other had no idea where he stood. Rick Philo (19-15-34 points) and Judd Dye (22-12-34) would need two holes to settle this tie. Judd would par both playoff holes to secure the win, while Rick took second.

Division 1 was the largest division in the field with 23 players teeing it up. D1 would also be able to argue it would be the toughest in the field with National player of the year points leader in the field and about half the players at 1 to +3 index. With four money spots on the line 5 players would be within 5 points of each other in the end. Ryan Turley (22-16-38) and Scott Roberts (20-18-38) would tie for fourth with Scott winning the scorecard playoff for payout. Brian Parker (23-17-40) would find himself near the top of the leaderboard all day but would settle for third. Eric King (18-23-41 points) settled into the round after the third hole and found a little magic on the back nine with three consecutive birdies and secured second place. Dennis Reames (18-25-43) was able to take advantage of his course knowledge as Charlotte National is a regular for him. With a pedestrian opening nine, Dennis put up 4 birdies in a six hole stretch to get his first APT-Charlotte win.

The Blind Draw Net Team 4-ball was an opportunity for players to meet other players from different divisions they may not necessarily cross paths. It also kept players focused throughout the day as they didn’t want to let their partner down if they found themselves in contention. The Team game took all day and wasn’t settled until almost the last groups came off the course. The contest had twenty-four teams competing for 4 money positions. The teams of Justin Willis/Jimmy Popp (30-34-64) and Randy Hodges/Dennis Reames (29-35-64) finished T3 and earned $120 per team. The team of George Harris/Ellis Williams (30-31-61) finished second and earned $240 for the team. The team of Steve Hawk/Cliff Morgan (31-28-59) found themselves atop the leaderboard splitting the first money of $480. Each player indicating they didn’t want to let the other down, found themselves grinding over putts all the way through 18 and sharing a few laughs when all was said and done.

Thank you to all our members and guests, representing five different APT Chapters, for joining us at Charlotte National Golf Club!

Thank you to Cherokee National Golf Club and their staff for helping us make this event a success while showcasing the course.

Tournament Reports

Pace of Play Report:

4 hours and 51 minutes (+11 minutes)

Skins Report:

Flight Skins Division 1|2

36 of 39 players entered

Pot $540

Scott Patnode 1 $270 – Hole 5

Michael Rave 1 $270 – Hole 12

Flight Skins Division 3|4|5

43 of 47 players entered

Pot $645

William Buie 1 $129 – Hole 4

Hubert Jones 1 $129 – Hole 6

Bruce Shively 1 $129 – Hole 8

Chris McGee 1 $129 – Hole 9

Nolan Elenz 1 $129 – Hole 13

Super Skins

69 of 86 players entered

Pot $690

Scott Patnode 1 $230 – Hole 5

Steve French 1 #230 – Hole 7

Michael Ravey 1 $230 – Hole12

Closest to the Pin

72 of 86 players entered

Pot $360/$90 each par 3

Hole 3 – Rondal Gibson – 3’1”

Hole 6 - Casey Alexander – 1’

Hole 12 – Jimmy Popp – 7’4”

Hole 16 – Nolan Elenz ($45)/Joe Zebrecky ($45) both 14’7”

Upcoming Events

Charlotte Chapter:
July 10 (Saturday): Return of Red Bridge – Straight Tee
Red Bridge greens have recovered and are getting better each day. We are confident the course is able to host a tournament.
Registration

July 31 (Saturday): Warrior – Double Tee
Registration

Upstate Chapter:
July 17 (Saturday) Kenmure Country Club
Registration

July 24 Carolina 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)

TOURNAMENT RESULTS