John Pitt Sets Pace at North Carolina Mid-Amateur

Raleigh's John Pitt played bogey-free golf en route to an opening round 67

HIGH POINT, N.C. (September 8, 2017) -- First round results of the Carolinas Golf Association's 24^th North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship conducted at High Point Country Club's Willow Creek Course in High Point, N.C. on Friday, September 8th (6777 yards, par 36-36--72, Course/Slope Rating: 72.8/137)

Related: Championship Website | Scoring | Pairings | History | Photos

Between starting his own business and helping raise two young children, 39-year-old John Pitt of Raleigh has not had much time for golf, playing just twice in the past weeks. That time away seemed to serve him well. In Friday's opening round of the 24^th North Carolina Mid-Amateur, Pitt posted the day's lowest total, a bogey-free 67. "The key is I had no expectations," said Pitt, who birdied three of the four par-5s on Willow Creek's layout en route to his 5-under-par round. 

The North Carolina Mid-Amateur is conducted at 54 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, there will be a cut to the low 60 scores and ties. Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached his 30th birthday by the first day of the championship, is a legal resident of North Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association and has an active GHIN® USGA Handicap Index® at a CGA member club that does not exceed 5.4.

2012 champion, Scott Harvey of Greensboro, trails Pitt by one-stroke following a four-under-par 68. Playing on Willow Creek's slick greens, Harvey, a 39-year-old property manager, knows the importance of placing approach shots below the hole. "On the back nine I avoided being above the hole and was able to putt more aggressively," said the top ranked amateur in the Carolinas. After an even-par front nine, that course management maneuver led to four inward birdies, propelling Harvey up the leaderboard.

Tied for second with Harvey is 34-year-old Justin Pennell of Lenoir. Pennell's round was highlighted by an eagle on the difficult par-5 7th hole. "It was just a 15-foot lag putt that found the bottom of the hole," Pennell said. With his wife caddying for him, together the Pennells chose which flags to attack, and when to play conservatively. This strategy translated into four birdies and an eagle, offset by just two bogeys.

51-year-old Joe Jaspers of Huntersville is in fourth place at three-under. The 2014 champion made two birdie putts over 35 feet and avoided making a single bogey during his opening round 69. Twelve players recorded under-par first rounds Friday at the Willow Creek Course.

Scoring will be provided by the CGA throughout the championship, offering hole-by-hole updates. Live updates will also be available on the CGA’s official Twitter account, @cgagolf1909. Continue to visit the CGA website throughout this championship and all year long for complete championship coverage including scores, interviews, photos, and recaps.

24th North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship
High Point Country Club (Willow Creek) | High Point, N.C.
First Round Results

 

Rank	Name	City, State	Score
1	John Pitt	Raleigh, NC	-5	67
T2	Scott Harvey	Kernersville, NC	-4	68
T2	Justin Pennell	Lenoir, NC	-4	68
4	Joe Jaspers	Huntersville, NC	-3	69
T5	Dennis Long	Statesville, NC	-2	70
T5	Timothy Driver	Holly Springs, NC	-2	70
T5	Jeremy Ray	Pfafftown, NC	-2	70
T5	Steve Harwell	Mooresville, NC	-2	70
T9	James Harris	Lillington, NC	-1	71
T9	Brad Mundy	Hickory, NC	-1	71
T9	Jd McNeill	Raleigh, NC	-1	71
T9	Dustin Moore	Greensboro, NC	-1	71
13	Paul Tucker	Waxhaw, NC	E	72
T14	Scott Campbell	Wake Forest, NC	+1	73
T14	Scott Patnode	Belmont, NC	+1	73
T14	Sherrill Britt	West End, NC	+1	73
T14	Steven Brame	Henderson, NC	+1	73
T14	Ryan Sharpe	Greensboro, NC	+1	73
T19	Kevin Knox	Wake Forest, NC	+2	74
T19	Dean Channell	Cary, NC	+2	74
T19	Daniel Neveu	Pinehurst, NC	+2	74
T19	Chris Cassetta	High Point, NC	+2	74
T19	John Nieters	Clemmons, NC	+2	74
T24	Jay McGhee	Greensboro, NC	+3	75
T24	Jeff Beasley	Angier, NC	+3	75
T24	Todd Grear	Charlotte, NC	+3	75
T24	Samuel Ring	Carthage, NC	+3	75
T24	Gary Pugh	Asheboro, NC	+3	75
T24	Mark Absher	Winston Salem, NC	+3	75
T24	Chris Holland	Fayetteville, NC	+3	75
T24	Patrick Waters	Rutherfordton, NC	+3	75
T24	Scott Park	Charlotte, NC	+3	75
T33	Jason Craver	Winston Salem , Nc	+4	76
T33	Brian Steele	Pinehurst, NC	+4	76
T33	Kevin Whitaker	West End, NC	+4	76
T33	Brady Eckard	Conover, NC	+4	76
T33	Trae McKee	Dudley , NC	+4	76
T33	Mark Hodges	Belmont, NC	+4	76
T33	Tommy Miller	Boone, NC	+4	76
T40	Ernie Newton	Winston Salem, NC	+5	77
T40	Brad Coleman	Jamestown, NC	+5	77
T40	Bret Kinney	Reidsville, NC	+5	77
T40	Joe Brooks	Franklin, NC	+5	77
T40	Kevin McCallister	Oak Ridge , NC	+5	77
T40	Jonathan McDonald	Belmont, NC	+5	77
T40	Harrison Rutter	Winston-Salem, NC	+5	77
T40	Kevin Womack	Burlington, NC	+5	77
T40	David Fowler	Winston-Salem, NC	+5	77
T40	Michael Oliverio	Charlotte, NC	+5	77
T40	Paul Carpenter	Denver, NC	+5	77
T40	Lionel Sutton	La Grange, NC	+5	77
T40	Phil Miller	China Grove, NC	+5	77
T53	Brandon Miller	Winston-Salem, NC	+6	78
T53	Brad Buxton	Greensboro, NC	+6	78
T53	Park Williams	Kernersville, NC	+6	78
T53	Kelby Rouse	Wake Forest, NC	+6	78
T53	Richard Youden	Winston-Salem, NC	+6	78
T53	Walker Taylor	Wrightsville Beach, NC	+6	78
T53	Nicholas Brown	Lenoir, NC	+6	78
T53	Jim Murray	Taylorsville, NC	+6	78
T53	Wes Keever	High Point, NC	+6	78
T53	Patrick Brady	Reidsville, NC	+6	78
T53	Ryan Baucom	Charlotte, NC	+6	78
T64	Paul Slomkowski	Colfax, NC	+7	79
T64	Dirk Fennie	Greensboro, NC	+7	79
T64	Kyle Stockton	High Point, NC	+7	79
T64	Andrew Frank	Charlotte, NC	+7	79
T64	Dj Barksdale	Statesville, NC	+7	79
T64	Jarrod Hamilton	Holly Springs, NC	+7	79
T64	Michael Ford	Chapel Hill, NC	+7	79
T64	Randy Dockins	Charlotte, NC	+7	79
T72	Keith Kepley	Charlotte, NC	+8	80
T72	Chad Frye	Davidson, NC	+8	80
T72	Jonathan Jackson	Chapel Hill, NC	+8	80
T72	David Van Kula	Raleigh , NC	+8	80
T72	Daniel Welborn	Charlotte, NC	+8	80
T72	Brandon Buchanan	Kernersville, NC	+8	80
T72	Patrick Horneman	Gastonia, NC	+8	80
T79	Skip Corneliussen	Summerfield, NC	+9	81
T79	Patrick Hynes	Clemmons, NC	+9	81
T79	Billy Andrews	Advance, NC	+9	81
T79	Eric Ardery	Durham, NC	+9	81
T79	Rob Hukill	Raleigh, NC	+9	81
T79	Brandon Reece	Rolesville, NC	+9	81
T79	Steven Kidd	Liberty, NC	+9	81
T79	Derek Pederson	Weddington, NC	+9	81
T79	Rick Riddle	Charlotte, NC	+9	81
T79	Dwayne Simpson	Charlotte, NC	+9	81
T89	Rick Marion	Mount Airy, NC	+10	82
T89	Ken Bass	Pinehurst, NC	+10	82
T89	Mike Olson	Wake Forest, NC	+10	82
T89	Joseph Martin	Lumberton, NC	+10	82
T89	Jason Smith	Raleigh, NC	+10	82
T89	Jonathan White	Wilmington, NC	+10	82
T89	Jeff Manley	Raleigh, NC	+10	82
T89	Danny Boughman	Lenoir, NC	+10	82
T97	Eric Sayer	Cary, NC	+11	83
T97	David McMahan	Gastonia, NC	+11	83
T99	Hunter Freeman	Raleigh, NC	+12	84
T99	Bj Szafran	Greensboro , NC	+12	84
T99	Jeff Tedder	Advance, NC	+12	84
T99	Gerald Frye	Aberdeen, NC	+12	84
T99	Tom Murphy	Wake Forest, NC	+12	84
T99	Neal Morrison	Charlotte, NC	+12	84
T105	Bradley Helms	Winston-Salem, NC	+13	85
T105	Eric Schumacher	Charlotte, NC	+13	85
T105	James Bohn	Cary, NC	+13	85
T105	Peter Michaels	Durham, NC	+13	85
T105	Eddie Connelly	Jacksonville, NC	+13	85
T105	Jacob Lowder	Greensboro, NC	+13	85
T111	Kenny Flynn	Winston Salem, NC	+14	86
T111	Mark Kozel	Chapel Hill , NC	+14	86
T113	Kevin Coggins	Apex, NC	+15	87
T113	Stuart Augustine	Fayetteville, NC	+15	87
T113	Tad Galloway	Cary, NC	+15	87
T116	Brad Dawson	Mebane, NC	+16	88
T116	Ryan Taylor	Charlotte, NC	+16	88
T116	Brian Hayes	High Point, NC	+16	88
119	Christopher Jackson	Beaufort, NC	+18	90
120	Michael Jones	Charlotte, NC	+19	91
121	Mark Lear	Canton, NC	+28	100
WD	Hunter Peak	Gastonia, NC	-	WD
WD	John Olsen	Mooresville, NC	-	WD

 

Championship Schedule

 

Friday, September 8

Round 1 – 18 holes stroke play
(Tee times at 8:00am/12:45pm off #1 and #10 tees)

Saturday, September 9

Round 2 – 18 holes stroke play
(Tee times at 8:00am/12:45pm off #1 and #10 tees)

Cut to low 60 scores and ties. Field re-paired according to score.

Sunday, September 10

Round 3. Tee times begin at 8:00am off #1 and #10 tees.
Awards ceremony immediately following play at scoreboard.

 

 

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events as well as qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed nearly $2,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.    

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

 

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