Carolinas Golf Association Announces 2011 Richard S. Tufts Players of the Year

West End, NC (1/17/12) - Two previous winners and four first-timers have been named 2011 Richard S. Tufts Players of the Year by the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA).

The six winners are: Scott Harvey of Greensboro, NC (Men), Austin Ernst of Seneca, SC (Women), Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC (Senior Men), Pat Brogden of Garner, NC (Senior Women), Carson Young of Pendleton, SC (Junior Boys) and McKenzie Talbert of North Augusta, SC (Junior Girls).

The Richard S. Tufts Awards were established in 1997 to honor Carolinas amateur golfers who had exceptional individual tournament performances over the preceding year. Tufts served on the CGA Executive Committee from 1926 to 1964 and served as President from 1931 through 1933. The awards are given to the number one golfer based on the CGA amateur rankings at the end of the calendar year in each of four categories: Men, Women, Senior Men and Senior Women.

The Junior Boys and Junior Girls awards are based on a series of junior tournaments run by nine associations that are the grassroots of junior golf in the Carolinas.  Participating Carolinas associations and tournaments are the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA), Carolinas PGA (CPGA), Trusted Choice Big I Junior Classics, South Carolina Golf Association (SCGA), Women's Carolinas Golf Association (WCGA), Women's South Carolina Golf Association (WSCGA), South Carolina Junior Golf Association (SCJGA), Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and the Joe Cheves Junior Invitational.

Award winners will be honored during Carolinas Golf Night and CGA Annual Meeting at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, NC on Saturday, February 25, 2012.

Eight out of last thirteen Carolinas Men's Players of the Year are current PGA Tour members while four former Carolinas Women's Players of the Year have competed on the LPGA tour. Notable past Tufts award winners include: Jonathan Byrd (1999, PGA Tour), Beth Bauer (1999, LPGA), D.J. Trahan (2000-2002, PGA Tour), Marcy Newton Hart (2000, LPGA), Brandi Jackson (2002, LPGA), Bill Haas (2003, PGA Tour), Webb Simpson (2006, PGA Tour), Dustin Johnson (2007, PGA Tour), Cydney Clanton (2009-10, LPGA) and Mark Anderson (2012, PGA Tour).

Visit the CGA website at www.carolinasgolf.org for Tufts Award winner photos.

2011 Richard S. Tufts Award Winners

Men

Scott Harvey of Greensboro, NC claimed his first Carolinas Men's Player of the Year award following a stellar 2011 tournament campaign that validated his status as one of the best amateur players in the region. The 33-year-old property manager won four championship titles and two second place finishes.

His most notable accomplishment of the year was winning the Carolinas Amateur Championship at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, SC that fulfilled a lifelong dream by etching his name on the same trophy as his father to win the most historic amateur title in the Carolinas. Bill Harvey, a three-time Carolinas Amateur champion, won titles in 1964, 65 and 73.

Three other titles highlighted Scott's season including the North Carolina Open (also won by his father) played at The Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis, Eagle Point Amateur at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington and the J.M. Bryan Amateur at Bryan Park Golf Club in Greensboro.

Other top finishes for the 2011 Carolinas Four-Ball champion include second at the Carolinas Mid-Amateur, tie for second at the North Carolina Mid-Amateur, semifinalist at the North Carolina Amateur Match Play, tie for 13th at North Carolina Amateur, round of 16 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, tie for 10th at Cardinal Amateur and tie for 19th at the Eastern Amateur.

Harvey currently is the number 57th ranked men’s amateur player in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Women

Austin Ernst of Seneca, SC garnered the Carolinas Women's Player of the Year honor for the first time. The 19-year-old Louisiana State University sophomore vaulted into the national spotlight after winning the NCAA Division I individual title at The Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, TX. Her seven-under par 281 sealed a three stroke victory and set an LSU school record.

Ernst advanced to the semifinals at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship that was played at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, RI.

The four-time CGA champion was recently named to represent the United States at the Curtis Cup that will be played at The Nairn Golf Club in Scotland this June.

She is currently the eighth ranked women’s amateur player in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Senior Men

Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC capped the 2011 season with his sixth consecutive Carolinas Senior Men's Player of the Year award and ninth overall Tufts Award. Simson previously garnered the 1998, 2005 and 2008 Carolinas Men's Player of the Year awards.

Coming off the 2010 “senior amateur triple crown” where he won three national championships in three countries, Simson showed he was still the best around. Facing an improbable task of repeating the feat, he managed to post high finishes in all of his title defenses that included second at the Canadian Senior Amateur, quarterfinals at the U.S. Senior Amateur and tie for 24th at the British Seniors Open Amateur.

The 60-year-old insurance executive rang-up three victories including the North Carolina Senior crown played at his home club of North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh, the North & South Senior at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club and the Society of Seniors Championship held at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines.

A by-product of his 2010 season, Simson also competed in the U.S. Senior Open and British Senior Open where he made the cut and finished tied for 54th at Walton Heath Golf Club in England.

Simson is one victory shy of tying Dale Morey's all-time CGA record of 24 titles and is currently the number four ranked senior player in the country according to Golfweek rankings.

Senior Women

Pat Brogden of Garner, NC takes home her first Carolinas Senior Women's Player of the Year honor. Her 2011 season included one victory and five top-10 finishes.

The 57-year-old retiree won the Women’s Eastern Senior, second at the Carolinas Women's Senior and North Carolina Women's Senior, third at the Southern Senior, tied for ninth at the North & South Women's Senior and a round of 16 showing at the U.S. Women's Senior Amateur.

Brogden is a six-time CGA champion including two Carolinas Women's Senior titles (2009, 10), two North Carolina Women's Senior titles, Carolinas Women's Match Play (1999) and the Carolinas Women's Four-Ball (1991).

Junior Boys

Carson Young of Pendleton, SC earned the 2011 Carolinas Junior Boys Player of the Year honor fueled by two victories at the CGA South Carolina Junior Match Play Championship and the Carolinas PGA Junior Championship. 

The 17-year-old high school junior at Pendleton High School also finished third in the SCJGA Players Championship, fifth at the SCJGA Fall Championship, tied for fifth at the CGA Carolinas Junior Championship and sixth at the South Carolina Trusted Choice Big I Junior Classic. 

Young helped the Carolinas defeat the Virginias in the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Team matches.  Young, the fifth ranked junior in South Carolina, has committed to play collegiate golf at Clemson University.

Junior Girls

McKenzie Talbert of North Augusta, SC won her third straight Carolinas Junior Girls Player of the Year award.

The 16-year-old junior at Strom Thurmond High School claimed three victories in Player of the Year rankings events. She won the Carolinas PGA Charles Tilghman Junior, the SCJGA Fall Championship and the CGA South Carolina Junior Match Play Championship titles.

Other top-finishes includes second at the Vicki DiSantis Junior Girls Championship, second at the Joe Cheves Junior and advancing to the semifinals at the Carolinas Junior Girls Championship. 

She was also named the 2011 Beth Daniels South Carolina Junior Player of the Year by the South Carolina Junior Golf Association. 

Talbert, a two-time CGA champion, has verbally committed to play collegiate golf at Clemson University.

Richard S. Tufts Award Winners

Men

1997 - Cliff Cunningham, Monroe, NC

1998 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

1999 - Jonathan Byrd, Elgin, SC

2000 - D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC

2001 - D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC

2002 - D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC

2003 - Bill Haas, Greer, SC

2004 - Todd White, Moore, SC

2005 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2006 - Webb Simpson, Raleigh, NC

2007 - Dustin Johnson, Myrtle Beach, SC

2008 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2009 - Mark Anderson, Beaufort, SC

2010 - David Chung, Fayetteville, NC

2011 - Scott Harvey, Greensboro, NC

Senior Men

2001 - Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC

2002 - Cliff Cunningham, Monroe, NC

2003 - Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC

2004 - Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC

2005 - David Strawn, Charlotte, NC

2006 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2007 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2008 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2009 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2010 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

2011 - Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC

Women

1997 - Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC

1998 - Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC

1999 - Beth Bauer, Cramer Mountain, NC

2000 - Marcy Newton Hart, High Point, NC

2001 - Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC

2002 - Brandi Jackson, Belton, SC

2003 - Amber Marsh Elliott, Jamestown, NC

2004 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2005 - Maggie Simons, Raleigh, NC

2006 - Adrienne Millican, Fuquay-Varina, NC

2007 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2008 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2009 - Cydney Clanton, Concord, NC

2010 - Cydney Clanton, Concord, NC

2011 - Austin Ernst, Seneca, SC

Senior Women

2001 - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC

2002 - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC

2003 - Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC

2004 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2005 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2006 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2007 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2008 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2009 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2010 - Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC

2011 - Pat Brogden, Garner, NC

Carolinas Association's Junior Players of the Year Award Winners

Junior Boys

2003 - Vince Hatfield, Greenwood, SC

2004 - Brad Dilen, Cary, NC

2005 - David Chung, Fayetteville, NC

2006 - McCuen Elmore, Cheraw, SC

2007 - Ben Kohles, Cary, NC

2008 - Mark Joye, Columbia, SC

2009 - Andy Knox, Cary, NC

2010 - Cody Proveaux, Leesville, SC

2011 - Carson Young, Pendleton, SC

Junior Girls

2003 - Mallory Hetzel, Summerfield, SC

2004 - Emily Street, Forest City, NC

2005 - Amber Littman, Stoney Creek, NC

2006 - Rachel Uremovich, Hilton Head Island, SC

2007 - Haley Stephens, Greer, SC

2008 - Haley Stephens, Greer, SC

2009 - McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, SC

2010 - McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, SC

2011 - McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, SC