GURLEY SURVIVES TOUGH CONDITIONS TO WIN 12^th NORTH CAROLINA MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Rocky Mount, NC-- The final round of the 12th NC Mid Amateur Championship started with temperatures in the mid 30's but with no wind. It looked like scores might finally go down. After the first six groups turned their cards in, no improvement was noticed. It seemed the high winds had hardened the greens andkept the difficulty about the same. Finally, as the temperature went up the scores started going down.

Mike Goodes made a run at the leaders with the only under par round of the tournament, a fine 71. If not for a double bogey on the short but treacherous 16th, he would have finished in a tie for the championship.

In the final group, 2002 NC Mid-Am winner Danny Gurley and 2001 Carolinas Mid-Am champ Wynn Solle found themselves tied for the lead playing the 18th. Solle hit his second shot in the one place where par was almost impossible, over the green. Gurley's second found the center of the green, just short of the severe slope to the second level. Wynn's chip almost went in the hole but ended up on the front of the green. His 90 footer went 3 feet past the hole and another missed putt gave him a double bogey 6.

Skip Taylor, who shared the lead with Gurley going into the final round, made a fighting par on 18, so it was up to Danny to two-putt for the win. His 30 footer stopped within a foot for a tap-in one shot win over Taylor.