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Southern Brawl at Bear’s Best Sets the Stage for the North American Championship
The final National Major before the North American Championship delivered a fitting test at Bear’s Best Atlanta, as players from across the Amateur Players Tour competed over 36 holes with a major title and valuable Worldwide Golf National Player of the Year positioning on the line.
With the 2026 season entering its final stretch, the Southern Brawl represented one of the last major opportunities to make a move before the Tour heads west to We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the North American Championship and Senior North American Championship.
Bear’s Best provided plenty of separation across the field, but several divisions remained undecided deep into Sunday’s final round. Division 1 finished with the only player in the field under par for the championship, Division 3 was decided by a single shot, and Division 5 also came down to a one-shot margin.
When 36 holes were complete, Erik Benson, Travis Wartluft, John Perron, Rodney Oden and Michael Durand had added National Major titles to their seasons. Paul Howard Jr. captured Mid-Am Net, while Durand completed a two-title weekend by also winning Senior Net.
Division 1 – Benson Adds Another Major
Erik Benson arrived at Bear’s Best as the No. 1 player in the Worldwide Golf Division 1 National Player of the Year standings, and the Atlanta standout delivered again on a national stage.
Benson was the only player in Division 1 to finish the championship under par, posting a 3-under total to win by two shots. He entered the final round at 2-under and followed it with another round under par Sunday, keeping Rodric Overholt from closing the gap.
Overholt finished alone in second at 1-under, while Jeffrey Simpson and Peyton Austin shared third at 1-over. Jackson Hill rounded out the top five at 3-over.
For Benson, the Southern Brawl victory adds another significant result to an already strong 2026 campaign and further strengthens his hold on No. 1 in the Worldwide Golf Division 1 National Player of the Year standings heading into the final stretch of the season.
Division 2 – Wartluft Pulls Away
Division 2 belonged to Travis Wartluft, who put together the most complete 36-hole performance in the flight and created some breathing room between himself and the rest of the field.
Wartluft finished at 11-over, earning a three-shot victory over Kentucky’s Tyler Whittaker at 14-over. Paul Luker and Magnificent McMillan finished one shot farther back at 15-over to share third, while Charles Long completed the top five at 16-over.
Wartluft entered Sunday with the lead and did enough in the final round to prevent anyone from mounting a serious charge. While several players behind him battled for position, he kept control of the tournament and walked away with the National Major title.
The win also has implications beyond Bear’s Best. Wartluft now sits No. 4 in the Worldwide Golf Division 2 National Player of the Year standings, behind John Wayne Parrish, Jeff Clifford and Mark Iriarte. With the North American Championship still ahead, Division 2 remains one of the National Player of the Year races worth watching in Scottsdale.
Division 3 – Perron Wins by One
No division produced a tighter finish than Division 3.
Atlanta’s John Perron and Central Pennsylvania’s Dan Sadler were separated by just one shot after 36 holes, with Perron surviving the battle to claim the Southern Brawl title at 19-over.
Sadler finished at 20-over for runner-up honors, while Craig Carroll and Will Houston tied for third at 21-over. Darrius Prysock and Aaron Bascomb were another shot back at 22-over.
The championship was very much in play during Sunday’s round. Perron posted a final-round 10-over, while Sadler finished at 11-over, leaving the one-shot difference intact when the final scores were posted.
While Perron took home the trophy, Sadler’s runner-up finish also carried weight nationally. He remains No. 4 in the Worldwide Golf Division 3 National Player of the Year standings, chasing current leader Pat Ryan along with John Blackburn and Andre Banks.
With the North American Championship still to come, the D3 race is not finished yet.
Division 4 – Oden Takes Control
Rodney Oden gave himself room to work with heading into the final round and ultimately converted it into a four-shot Division 4 victory.
The East Tennessee player finished the championship at 29-over, with fellow East Tennessee member Daniel Andrews taking second at 33-over. Correy Garland completed an East Tennessee sweep of the top three at 34-over.
Mark Rigby and Roger Morito tied for fourth at 35-over, with William Koontz finishing sixth at 36-over.
Oden’s victory added another National Major champion to the East Tennessee contingent and came in a division where Bear’s Best proved particularly demanding over the two-day championship.
Nationally, James Plaire remains No. 1 in the Worldwide Golf Division 4 National Player of the Year standings, followed by David Dick, Chris Huge and Joey Fyall III. The Southern Brawl was the final National Major chance to improve that position before the Tour moves on to its season-ending championship in Arizona.
Division 5 – Durand Holds On by One
Michael Durand needed every shot of his 36-hole total to claim Division 5.
The Augusta member finished at 37-over, edging Tulsa’s Matt Salvo by a single shot. Salvo closed with an 18-over final round to put pressure on the lead, but Durand’s total held up for the championship.
Kentucky’s Abigail Brooks finished third at 46-over, while Phillip Bush, Mitchell McDannald and Richard Kemp shared fourth at 47-over.
The win was only part of Durand’s weekend.
His play across the two rounds also put him at the top of the Senior Net leaderboard, giving him two Southern Brawl titles before leaving Bear’s Best.
In the Worldwide Golf Division 5 National Player of the Year race, Danny Acosta remains the player to catch at No. 1, followed by Garye LaFevers, Robert Rosenbaum, Brooks and Roger Eberlein.
Mid-Am Net – Howard Goes Low
Paul Howard Jr. turned in the best Mid-Am Net performance of the championship and was the only player in the competition to reach 6-under for the weekend.
The Atlanta member finished at 6-under net, three shots clear of Craig Carroll at 3-under. Correy Garland took third at 2-under, while Brandon Howard, Aaron Bascomb and Tyler Whittaker shared fourth at even par.
Howard’s performance gave the host Atlanta chapter another Southern Brawl championship and added his name to the list of winners from the Tour’s final National Major of the season.
The Worldwide Golf Mid-Am Net National Player of the Year standings continue to be led by David Dick at No. 1, with Denver Hubert and Cody Quattlebaum currently rounding out the top three.
Senior Net – Durand Completes the Double
Michael Durand wasn’t finished after winning Division 5.
Durand posted a 5-under net total to capture Senior Net by two shots, completing a rare two-title weekend at Bear’s Best.
John Perron nearly accomplished the same feat after his Division 3 victory, finishing tied for second in Senior Net at 3-under alongside Steve Daniels. Dan Sadler finished fourth at 2-under, while Mark Rigby rounded out the top five at 1-under.
The result gave Durand both a division and net championship from the Southern Brawl and capped one of the strongest individual weekends in the field.
The Worldwide Golf Senior Net National Player of the Year race remains particularly tight heading toward Scottsdale. Danny Acosta currently holds the No. 1 position, followed by Dave Funkhouser and Rick Johnson.
The Major Schedule Is Complete. Scottsdale Is Next.
With the Southern Brawl complete, so is the 2026 National Major schedule.
Throughout the season, players have traveled across the country chasing major championships, national competition and position in the Worldwide Golf National Player of the Year races. Bear’s Best represented the final National Major opportunity to make a statement before the biggest championship of the year.
Now the focus shifts to We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The North American Championship and Senior North American Championship will bring players from across the Tour together for the final championship of the 2026 season. Several Worldwide Golf National Player of the Year races remain unsettled, making every round in Scottsdale that much more important for those still chasing the top spot.
For Benson, Wartluft, Perron, Oden, Durand and Howard, the road to We-Ko-Pa now includes one more National Major trophy.
For the rest of the field, there is one final championship left to change the story.
Next stop: We-Ko-Pa.
