Event: 112th Carolinas Amateur Championship
Host Site: Governors Club, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Playing Dates: July 7-10, 2026
Social Media: @CGAGolf1909

Related: Championship Website | Final Leaderboard | Photos

By Jackson Sveen

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Twenty-four hours after seeing his championship hopes seemingly disappear, BJ Boyce refused to let one difficult stretch define his week. 

The 23-year-old Spring Lake, N.C., native, who will enter his final season at UNC Greensboro this fall, carded a bogey-free 9-under-par 63 in Friday's final round, matching the competitive course record at Governors Club and overcoming a five-shot deficit to win the 112th Carolinas Amateur Championship at 14-under-par 274.

Boyce's remarkable comeback earned him a two-shot victory over Henry Holland of Charlotte, while Ben Jordan, Jack Boyer, James Rico and Aston Lee shared third place at 11-under. 

The victory marks the biggest win of Boyce's amateur career and secures his place in next month's U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club. 

"It's a big deal to me," Boyce said. "It's more than just the trophy itself. It's all the hard work that I've put in over the years. I've been playing this tournament for as long as I can remember, and everybody's goal when they're teeing it up is to come and win. To finally be able to say I've accomplished that is huge." 

For much of Thursday's third round, Boyce looked poised to separate himself from the field. 

After beginning the day two shots behind, he birdied each of his first three holes before adding another at the par-4 fifth to take the outright lead. 

Then came one of the most dramatic swings of the championship. 

At the par-3 ninth, Boyce found the water twice on his way to a quintuple-bogey 8, instantly dropping from a one-shot lead to four shots behind. Another costly mistake came late in the round with a double bogey on the par-5 17th, leaving him with a 4-over 75 and five shots off the lead entering Friday. 

Rather than dwelling on what could have been, Boyce leaned on the mental approach he has spent years developing. 

"You can't get stuck in the past," Boyce said. "In this game, you're just going to get lapped because there are other people that are going to be pushing harder and wanting it more. I just walked off the green, brushed myself off, kept my eyes up and continued to play because we still had 27 more holes in the tournament. It wasn't anywhere close to over." 

The final round quickly became one of the most entertaining finishes in championship history. 

Virtually everyone near the top of the leaderboard made a run. 

Jamal Hutchinson birdied his first two holes. John John Santospago played his opening four holes in 3-under. Gray Mitchum quickly climbed into contention with a pair of early birdies, while Daniel Boone and James Rico each found themselves within striking distance. 

The 2024 champion Nic Brown made a charge, Tanner Cadieux battled to stay in contention, and Aston Lee briefly held the outright lead after birdieing the third hole. 

At one point during the afternoon, 13 players sat within four shots of the lead, creating a back-nine battle unlike any seen in recent Carolinas Amateur history. 

Then Ben Jordan delivered what appeared to be the round that would steal the championship. 

The Greensboro native blistered Governors Club with nine birdies, including eight through his first 13 holes, eventually signing for a 9-under-par 63 to establish a new competitive course record, eclipsing the previous mark of 64 set by Jamie Wilson during the 2019 Carolinas Amateur. 

Only one player remained on the course with a realistic chance to catch him. Boyce. 

Playing several groups behind Jordan, Boyce quietly pieced together one birdie after another. 

Without making a bogey all day, he steadily erased the five-shot deficit and climbed into contention by the turn. 

As others around him stumbled, Boyce continued executing his game plan. 

Birdies on Nos. 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16 pushed him to 9-under for the round and 14-under for the championship, tying Jordan's course record while opening a three-shot advantage. 

Pars on the final two holes completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in championship history. 

"I don't think anything changed overnight," Boyce said. "I had my game plan, and I was going to stick to it. I feel like the formulas I've created over the years have started to work, and I realized that if I just stick to my game plan and do what I know how to do, anything can happen." 

Despite posting the lowest round ever recorded in championship play at Governors Club, Boyce admitted he never paid much attention to the leaderboard. 

"I wasn't super focused on the score today," he said. "I wanted to play the whole back nine like I was one back and needed to make a birdie. I was just trying to play each shot that was in front of me." 

Boyce credited his mental game more than any aspect of his golf swing for carrying him through championship week. His ability to recover from Thursday's collapse ultimately became the defining story of the tournament. 

"I'm most proud of my mental game," Boyce said. "It's grown so much and gotten so much stronger. I'm proud of the way I was able to hang in there, keep my head on the right track and continue with all the work I've put in over the years. It's nice to see it finally pay off." 

The win also carries added significance after what Boyce described as a difficult stretch over the past several months. 

"I actually haven't won in a long time," he said. "This is probably number one because it's more than just a win. I've been going through a bit of a low spell with my game the past few months and mentally trying to crawl myself back. I've worked on myself as much as I could and focused on getting myself right, and it showed this week." 

Boyce will now turn his attention to the U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club, where he plans to continue the same process that carried him to the Carolinas Amateur title. 

"I'm just going to stick to what I know best, keep grinding and keep chipping away, finding any little thing I can improve on," Boyce said. "We'll take it up to Merion and see what happens from there." 

Boyce finished at 14-under-par 274 after rounds of 71-65-75-63. 

Henry Holland closed with a final-round 65 to finish runner-up at 12-under. Ben Jordan's record-tying 63 vaulted him into a tie for third alongside Jack Boyer, James Rico and Aston Lee at 11-under. 

The 112th Carolinas Amateur marked the latest chapter in Governors Club's long-standing partnership with the Carolinas Golf Association. Since first hosting the Tar Heel Cup Matches in 1996, the Chapel Hill club has welcomed numerous CGA and USGA championships, including the Twin States Junior Girls' Championship (2011), Carolinas Senior Four-Ball Championship (2012), Carolinas Women's Senior Amateur Championship (2014), North Carolina Amateur Championship (2016), the 105th Carolinas Amateur Championship (2019) and now the 112th Carolinas Amateur Championship in 2026.

The Carolinas Golf Association extends its sincere appreciation to the members, staff and volunteers of Governors Club for their outstanding hospitality and commitment throughout championship week. Special thanks to General Manager, Jeff Earley, Director of Golf Jason Marciniec, Head Golf Professional Sarah B. Lewallen, Golf Course Superintendent Brent Gentel, Assisstant Superintendent Matt Killian and the entire Governors Club team and the many volunteers whose dedication helped make the 112th Carolinas Amateur Championship a tremendous success.