TRIANGLE Fall 2017

Fall 2017

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TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

3

P

Area Insider

Pinehurst Resort opens new short course

– by David Droschak

inehurst Resort is scheduled to open its new 9-hole short course on Sept. 30.

Designed by golf architect Gil Hanse, The Cradle features holes ranging from 56 to 127 yards and measures a total of 789 yards. Mere steps from the resort clubhouse, it is the same area where, in 1898, Dr. Leroy Culver carved the first nine holes out of the sand at Pinehurst.

Over the next century, Pinehurst came to be referred to as the Cradle of American Golf.

“Pinehurst’s place in golf goes back almost as far as the time the game was first introduced in America,” says Pinehurst CEO Bob Dedman Jr. “As we embark on the latest era at Pinehurst, it’s symbolic that our newest course sits on the same ground as the original first holes of golf at Pinehurst. We look forward to watching players of all ages and all abilities enjoy golf at The Cradle.”

For those familiar with U.S. Open golf at Pinehurst, the new 9-hole course will occupy the space that the pros use for the driving range.

Hanse’s design incorporates the native sandscape

and wiregrass common to the original courses of Pinehurst. With holes that meander along the rolling terrain, The Cradle’s greens subtly blend into the surrounding landscape and are protected by rough-hewn bunkers, all features that have long been hallmarks of Pinehurst golf.

“The beauty of golf at Pinehurst is that it is very natural, traditional and classic, especially architecturally,” says Hanse, who designed The Olympic Golf Course in Brazil. “That Pinehurst character, we believe, permeates

through The Cradle. These nine little golf holes are on a historic piece of land, and we feel like each hole has its own identity that fosters the creativity golfers have enjoyed here for more than a century.”

Greens fees for The Cradle are $50 this fall, and will vary seasonably. Kids 17 and under play free when accompanied by a paying adult, and resort guests may book tee times in advance. Public tee times are available 24 hours in advance. Tee times can be made by calling 1-800-ITS-GOLF.

Area courses unveil new greens for fall play

I

n three consecutive weeks in late August and early September courses in Rocky Mount, Clayton and North Raleigh unveiled their new Bermudagrass greens for members and guests.

Belmont Lake, The Neuse and Wildwood Green – all public courses -- had ultra successful conversions from bent grass, which often suffers in the North Carolina summer heat, to new strains of Bermudagrass on their greens, a move that that will provide more stress-free, year-round play on the course’s putting surfaces.

Belmont Lake had a par-3 tournament the last week of August to celebrate, in which all 18 holes were converted into layouts measuring 180 yards or less to give players a chance to hit approach shots into the new greens and test their putting strokes.

“I thought the greens renovation went great,” said Belmont Lake general manager Tim Wilke. “We selected the perfect time to do this renovation and the grass filled in quickly and very nicely. The members I felt were very gratified to be back on the regular greens in such a quick period of time.

“The greens are a bit slow and soft yet, but will improve on both ends speed and firmness with some more top dressing and care,” Wilke added. “We are very excited to know that we will not have to worry about the greens come next summer and that should really boost our business.”

Meanwhile, The Neuse had a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 2 to celebrate its new greens.

“There is definitely a big buzz and excitement within the club and on the streets around Clayton and 4

TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

Johnston County,” said The Neuse general manager Stew McComb. “ Wildwood Green, along with The Neuse is a John LaFoy layout, opened its new greens the second weekend in September to rave reviews.

“With the change in grass type (from bent) we anticipate immaculate playing conditions into the fall and every summer from here on out,” said Wildwood Green general manager Jeff Engelhaupt. “Everyone knows that bent grass is so tough to keep alive during hot and humid months. Those hotter months have been one after another here recently, which just killed our summers. To provide the playing conditions expected by our members and customers this change had to happen.

Wildwood Green will now surely be a place everyone will want to play and be a part of.”

Fall 2017

Your contacts for golf:

Main Office P.O. Box 11784, Winston-Salem, NC 27116 Phone: 336-924-1619

Volume 18 • No. 6

Publisher: Jay W. Allred, E-mail: jay@triadgolf.com Editor: David Droschak, E-mail: David@triadgolf.com

Triangle Golf Today, published seven times a year, serves the Triangle region of North Carolina. While our information is gathered from dependable sources, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. We do not accept responsibility for the validity of our advertisers. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use without written consent is prohibited.

Triangle Golf Today and trianglegolf.com are trademarks owned by Piedmont Golf Today, Inc. © 2017.

NEXT ISSUE: November 9, 2017 On the Cover: Doc Redman poses with the trophy during the final round of match play of the 2017 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017.

Copyright USGA/Chris Kean) www.trianglegolf.com

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TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

5

Redman’s month of August one for the ages North Carolina star wins U.S. Amateur, takes runner-up at Western Am

Redman plays his second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of match play of the 2017 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

M

By DAVID DROSCHAK

ore times than college coaches would like to admit, they set out to recruit a player or two at a junior tournament, and somebody else turns their head.

Such was the case at the Carolinas Junior championship at Willow Creek in High Point as Doc Redman was heading into the 10th grade. Clemson coach Larry Penley had several players on his radar at the event – the young Redman was not one of them.

“I was actually there recruiting two other players and Doc ends up winning,” Penley said. “I just started watching him from a distance, but he got everybody’s attention when he won that tournament.

“I watched him a couple other times, and then I got real lucky because the sum6

TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

mer of his junior year and Carolinas Am was in Greenville, S.C., and Doc was on the leaderboard every day and he played great. After the tournament I was able to get him on campus for a visit and he committed to us right after that, which was fantastic.”

Little did Penley realize what a star he had in the making.

“You really don’t ever know, but you can sort of tell by their make-up,” Penley said. “If you sit down and talk to Doc for about a half hour he wears you out, and I don’t mean that in a negative way.

He wants so much info, he wants to be coached, it’s such a pleasant change. You can’t give him enough information. That’s just the way his mind works, just the way he was raised.”

After a record-setting All-American freshman season with the Tigers, Redman turned in quite an August in 2017, winning

the U.S. Amateur and finishing runner-up at the Western Amateur within a threeweek span.

Redman’s U.S. Amateur run in California started with a 13-man playoff just to get into match play, then he reeled off six consecutive match wins to capture the 117th edition of the prestigious USGA event in dramatic fashion, forcing a playoff with an eagle and birdie over the final two holes of the 36-hole final, and then defeated Texas senior Doug Ghim on the first extra hole.

“Not even a little bit,” Penley said when asked if Redman’s late rally caught him off guard. “He maybe surprises me when he plays average. He never surprises me when he plays great.”

The seeds of Redman’s golfing successes the last five years are scattered all over golf courses in North Carolina and South Carolina, but his determination

Copyright USGA/Chris Keane

this time around at the U.S. Amateur was cemented a year earlier when he lost 5 and 4 in the second round to Sam Horsfield of the University of Florida.

Redman’s golf instructor at Wildwood Green Golf Club in North Raleigh, 61-year-old Jimmy Hamilton, caddied for his student at the 2016 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills. Hamilton watched as Redman was 3-under through nine holes yet was three down to a red-shot Horsfield. Redman ended up leaving the course dejected.

“We talked on the way home and I said to him, ‘You know, if you ever had any doubts about yourself being at the top level of competition in this country you can put that aside right now because you are in the conversation of being amongst the very best, you have nothing to be ashamed of,”’ Hamilton said. “I do think

Continued on page 21 www.trianglegolf.com

Duke University Golf Club turning 60

T

By DAVID DROSCHAK he Duke University Golf Club, which hosted the 1962 NCAA men’s golf championship and was designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., will turn 60 years old on Sept. 26.

A golf course at the university was first envisioned in the early 1930s by coaches Wallace Wade and Eddie Cameron, and President William Preston. By 1941, actual plans were drawn up by the renowned architect, Perry Maxwell, on a site that is now the location of the Duke Faculty Club. The original golf course construction was planned to begin prior to World War II, but when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the plans were put on hold by Wade, then Duke’s athletic director.

At the conclusion of the war, the plans resurfaced and the present site of 120 acres was selected. The property was carefully chosen for its unique blend of unusual elevation changes throughout its mildly rolling terrain. This site would be worthy of major championships and was planned to have its fairways free from the suffocation of surrounding home sites.

It typified the Piedmont of North Carolina at its best, sprinkled with meandering streams and blessed with a variety of hardwoods, towering pines, and beautiful shrubbery.

Duke University sought out Jones Sr., whose golf course design work was widely respected. Dumpy

Hagler, Duke golf coach (1933-1973), put it simply: “He was one of the best designers in the whole world.”

On Sept. 26, 1957, Duke University Golf Club opened to the public. Records indicate that the Board of Trustees viewed the ceremonial dedication with much interest. The Duke course was immediately labeled as one of the top university golf facilities in the nation. The attention was great enough to attract the1962 men’s NCAA Golf Championship. Ironically, there was a soon to be famous golf course architect playing in that NCAA field from Yale University.

His name was Rees Jones, eldest son of the Duke golf course designer.

In 1988, Duke athletic director Tom Butters recognized that the golf course desperately needed restoration.

The passing years had been more than unkind to the once incomparable Duke layout. The compacted greens and fairways were struggling to grow grass, its tees were badly worn, and the sand bunkers were in need of repair. While no one denied the magnificent routing of its holes, the condition of the course had become unacceptable by Duke University standards.

The Board of Trustees approved an endowment program that was conceived and developed by Butters for the purpose of funding the restoration of the Duke course to the position it had once held. The five-year plan necessary to achieve this goal was put in place, with the final major construction to begin in June 1993 and be completed by April 1994.

Rees Jones, now a master architect in his own right, was chosen for the redesign. Rees had completed renovations for several U.S. Open venues such as Brookline, Hazeltine, Baltusrol, and Congressional.

Throughout the redesign, Rees scrutinized every shot possibility, observed and considered every angle so as to insure that each nuance of the golf course would be subtle, yet perfectly placed.

In Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s words, “(Duke’s)golf holes were on the ground, just lying there, waiting to be grassed over.”

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TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

7

Up to the Challenge:

New greens just a start

D

By STEVE HUFFMAN

avid Crowder heads a group of mostly senior golfers who get together once a week to play a variety of Triad-area courses.

The group has no official name. Some refer to it as “David Crowder’s Gang.”

Crowder prefers, “The Challenge Senior Traveling Group.”

That latter comes from the fact that members typically play The Challenge Golf Club in Graham twice a month.

Crowder lives in a house that borders the course and is a member of the club, thus his role as leader of the group.

Usually, when members get together, their number totals about 40. When they played The Challenge in early August, there were 74 golfers teeing off.

Crowder said the increase stemmed from the fact that members were playing The Challenge for the first time since the course closed in mid-May for the start of some overdue renovations. Reopening was the first week of August.

“Everyone wanted to get back out here and see what they’ve done,” Crowder said. “They’re excited about all the improvements. The people here, they’ve really done a lot to bring the course back to where it was.”

The Challenge has been through a great deal since it opened two decades 8

TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

ago. There was a time it received a fourstar rating from Golf Digest magazine.

But the course has seen its share of pitfalls, including numerous changes in ownership and a bankruptcy.

Over the years, the quality has slipped.

As director of golf Todd Smith puts it: “Everybody loved the layout, but there have been issues with just about everything else.”

Smith was hired in January by Ritchie Belton, who purchased the course a little more than two years ago. Belton brought in Smith with the intention of returning The Challenge to its former glory.

That explains the recent 10-week closing. The amount of labor that went into the first – and most intense – phase of a threestage refurbishing was extensive.

Greens and sand traps were reworked, and significant improvements made to the fairways. The red clay that golfers said was too common around the course is no more, either planted in grass or covered in mulch.

The bentgrass greens were replaced with Champion bermudagrass, allowing for truer and faster putts. The greens on holes No. 4 and No. 10 were expanded.

About 20 percent of the sand traps were edged and cleaned. Several tee boxes were leveled, reshaped and given new life. Some work remains, everyone at the course agrees, but Smith said feedback has been nothing but positive.

“We’ve had a lot of people bragging about the course,” he said. “The difference between now and May is significant.”

Smith said the weather this summer was conducive to completing the work. A good amount of rain fell to help the bermudagrass greens take hold.

Smith said this summer’s work involved “pretty much everything inside the cart paths.” That’s a lot of ground to cover.

“We tried to add more character to the course,” Smith said. “The new look is very clean, very defined.”

George Frye of Champion Turf Farms of Bay City, Texas, was the man responsible for the conversion of the greens. The company, in business more than 50 years, is known for its no-till sprigging brand of green conversion.

The process allows for changing the grass variety on a putting green without reconstructing the existing surface. The result of the process is that the green contours remain as they were before, but with a uniform stand of Champion bermudagrass.

Champion Turf Farms has previously converted the greens at Pinehurst No. 2, as well as at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro.

“It’s gone better than anticipated,” Belton said of the renovations. “From our longtime players, everything I’m hearing is positive. The guys when they’re finishing

one round, they’re already making reservations for the next.”

Belton, who also owns Mebane’s Quaker Creek Golf Course, said the thing he’s proudest of involving the work at The Challenge is the new greens, though he said much more was accomplished during the closing, noting the revamped tee boxes and work on the sand traps.

“There’s lots of things people can’t put their fingers on,” Belton said. “But they tell me they like it.”

This summer’s closing and work was the beginning of a multi-year plan to revitalize The Challenge. Course officials are referring to the work that’s been completed as Phase 1.

Phase 2 consists of improving drainage at the course, new sand for all the traps, replacing the existing railroad ties and bringing the fringes up to standards.

Phase 3 is, as a flyer posted at the course reads, “All the little things that add up to a unique golf experience.”

“We’re excited, our members are excited,” Belton said.

Smith came to The Challenge after spending five years in a similar capacity at Stoney Creek Golf Club in Whitsett. He’s been involved in the management of golf courses for the better part of 30 years.

“This is the most enjoyable job I’ve had in my career,” Smith said. “The Beltons -- we think a lot alike.” www.trianglegolf.com

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TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

9

Former junior star Widener comes full circle at Wyndham Championship

G

By BRAD KING

rowing up in Greensboro as golf’s can't-miss kid, Jason Widener always assumed the PGA Tour would be a big part of his future.

Little did he know it would take nearly three decades to turn his dream into reality.

When he signed to play golf at Duke University, Widener was the No. 1-ranked junior in the country, having won nearly every title imaginable, including the USGA’s Junior Amateur national championship in 1988.

As a freshman with the Blue Devils he won medalist honors at the ACC Championship and was selected AllACC three times during his college career. He later competed on the Nike Tour and the PGA European Tour, but Widener never reached the heights he and many others assumed he would.

“I took some technical advice partway through my freshman year in college that didn’t work out for me,” Widener said. “I had been a very natural player — a ‘feel’ player you might say — never really had much instruction. When I took the advice, I lost my way. I lost my feel. And I never really got back to the level where I had played until I was 19.”

Instead of competing, Widener began teaching the game. He served as the men’s golf coach at UNCWilmington for five years following three seasons as a men’s and women’s assistant coach at his alma mater. As a teacher, Widener’s clientele is located around the state and runs the gamut from good amateur golfers; up-andcoming junior golfers who want to play in college, college golfers and young professionals.

About a year ago, the 46-year-old Widener decided to start focusing on his own game.

“I had figured some things out a while ago, but I hadn’t had any desire to play,” he said. “The main reason I started practicing again was really to be a better coach. I realized with some of my junior golfers and college players that the range work was important, but I really needed to get out on the 10 TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

Chapel Hill resident Jason Widener and caddie John Calarco close to playing on the weekend at the Wyndham Championship.

Photo by Brad King golf course with them. I felt inspired to work on my own game so that I could do a good job for them.”

Slowly wading back into competition, Widener experienced mixed results. He missed making it to the Greenbrier qualifier and narrowly missed in a U.S. Open qualifier at Pinewild Country Club, finishing as first alternate. Then Widener headed north, and after missing the cut at the New Hampshire Open by a single shot, he tied for fifth at the Vermont Open and tied for eighth at the Greater Bangor Open.

All of which set the stage for the Wyndham Championship pre-qualifier at Bermuda Run Country Club’s East Course. Widener shot 68 there to play his way into the Monday qualifier, where he fired a 66 and secured a spot in the annual PGA Tour event in the city where Widener grew up.

“Getting to play in the Wyndham was pretty special,” he said.

When it came time to pick a caddie, Widener turned to John Calarco, a former captain of the UNC-W golf team, who Widener has known for years and even coached for a while. “John has been a really good friend and we have a great relationship,” Widener said.

“He’s just a wonderful person.”

Calarco said Widener’s round in Wyndham’s Monday qualifier was, “by far, the best ball-striking round of golf I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”“My only job was reading the grain on the greens and reading putts,” Calarco said. “He didn’t need my help. He’s such an elite player and ball striker.

His precision is just amazing. It’s really like a machine. And his short game is just as good, if not better. Every element of his game is so impressive from the driver to the putter. There’s not an

area of weakness in there at all.”

Widener said he felt comfortable, relatively relaxed and ready to play golf heading into his opening round of the Wyndham Championship. Former collegiate competitors Bob Estes and Dicky Pride warmly greeted him on the driving range. Widener had been an assistant coach at Duke when Kevin Streelman was a senior and he also helped recruit Ryan Baum, so he was able to catch up with both of those competitors.

Widener and Padraig Harrington were rookies together in Europe. “It was nice to say hello,” Widener said. “I probably hadn’t seen him since 1996.

“I wouldn’t say (the tournament atmosphere) was overwhelming in any way,” he said. “I felt good.”

Calarco felt like his man was ready to compete, noting that the only perceptible difference between Widener and the other Tour pros on the range was that Widener might have been even more consistent. “Jason was in beautiful rhythm heading into the first round,” Calarco said. “It was fun to see him put into play and practice what I had heard about for all those years.“I would say his ball striking is just as good if not better than a lot of players I saw on the driving range. I knew there was no doubt in my mind he could compete at that level.”

In Thursday’s opening-round, battling oppressive heat and humidity — not to mention numerous tour regulars who were battling to reach the FedEx Cup playoffs — Widener grinded through the day, not swinging the club his best and not making many putts. Nevertheless, he stepped to the 18th tee box at even par, before his worst swing of the week sailed out of bounds right, the miss-fire eventually resulting in a triple bogey.

In Friday’s second round, Widener was swinging more in rhythm and despite Sedgefield Country Club greens that were firmer and faster than the day before, he managed a 2-under 68.

Even though he missed the cut in his first PGA Tour event, Widener took solace knowing that — had he avoided the triple bogey on Thursday and managed one more birdie — he might have been playing on the weekend. “It was still a great experience,” he said. “All things considered I was happy with my performance.”

Widener, who lives in Chapel Hill with his wife, Hannah, and their two

Continued on page 11 www.trianglegolf.com

Widener from page 10

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teenage daughters, grew up playing The Cardinal (now Sedgefield CC Dye Course) in Greensboro and his mother even worked at Sedgefield for a while, so Widener was encouraged by the wide support of the Greensboro community throughout the week.

“One of the coolest things was seeing so many old friends who came out to see me play, not to mention the tournament staff and volunteers,” he said. “I saw old classmates from Northwest Guilford (where he graduated in 1989) and even back to Colfax Elementary School. A marshal on the 15th hole told me he had officiated some of my matches in high school and had followed my career. All of that was really neat.”

Calarco, who caddied in the 2005 U.S. Open in Pinehurst for a former college teammate, said he doesn’t know what the future holds for Widener, but added that whatever Widener decides to do moving forward he’ll always consider him a champion.

“Our relationship has been really, really special,” Calarco said.

“He’s been an incredible mentor to me. I’ve learned so much about golf, and the swing and how the game is played and all these different approaches to it, but I’ve learned more about life and being a caring and compassionate person, and how important it is to continue to maintain good, healthy relationships with people. He’s just an amazing person.

Our friendship is very much a blessing to me.”

Widener — who dove into martial arts when he stopped travelling and competing years ago, and through the years has practiced and taught college courses in both Aikido and Tai Chi — has stayed physically fit. He said he plans to continue to consult with his coach, Larry George, the director of golf at River Landing in Wallace, while he decides what steps to take next in his rejuvenated playing career.

“The exact plans I’m still working on,” he said. “I feel like my game is in a good place right now. Larry and I will continue trying to figure out what the best, next step is on this path. I’m planning to continue to compete and keep getting better — see what I can do with it.”

TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

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Long-hitting Love became complete player at UNC Former Tar Heel heads into World Golf Hall of Fame

W

By DAVID DROSCHAK ith a resume of 21 PGA Tour victories, including a PGA Championship, Players Championship and a dozen Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team competitions, it’s easy to assume Davis Love III arrived on the University of North Carolina campus in the early 1980s as a highly-recruited and polished player.

Nothing could have been further from the truth as Love gets ready to celebrate his sport’s highest honor in late September by entering the World Golf Hall of Fame.

“I wasn’t a top prospect out of high school,” Love said. “A few places I wanted to go to didn’t even pay any attention to me, like the University of Texas, so I crossed that one off the list.”

Love grew up a Tar Heel fan since his mom’s family was from North Carolina, so he made the natural progression to Chapel Hill to play college golf.

“I really wanted to come to Carolina to watch basketball,” admitted Love, who his freshman year became close friends with eventual basketball superstar Michael Jordan.

“Surprisingly, Davis wasn’t as highly recruited as you might expect,” said Duke University Golf Club general manager Ed Ibarguen, who at the time was a pro at UNC’s Finley Golf Club. “His ball striking was exceptional but his ability to score, particularly putting, was initially his weak link.”

John Inman, a UNC junior at the time and one of the nation’s best college golfers, roomed with Love when he first arrived on campus. Inman was of diminutive stature who excelled around and on the greens, while Love was a lanky 6-foot-3 golfer who could bomb it out of sight, but do little else.

“When I first played with him and I saw him putt and chip it was just terrible,” said Inman, who won the 1984 NCAA title, became a PGA winner and is now on the Champions Tour. “He was just inconsistent. One day Davis would be putting split grip and one day it was cross-handed -- you just didn’t know what he 14 TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

was going to do. He was just searching. Davis was taught to swing hard and he always had a long arc.

I helped him any time he wanted it but Davis was like most golfers, he was pretty head strong. He would say ‘Nah, I got this.’ His competitive nature brought him to where he is today and I knew once he learned how to score the golf ball he would be dangerous.”

Although Love didn’t have a national reputation as a prep golfer, he quickly gained status at UNC as the longest hitter in collegiate golf.

“Davis loved to hit golf shots,” Ibarguen said.

“He would take a very large bucket of balls and start hitting them on customer side of the UNC Finley Golf Course. That was long before the golf team building was built on the opposite side of the range. By the time he moved to his 5-iron people would stop hitting their buckets and just watch him strike the ball. His iron shots sounded like a small gun going off. His very impressive ball flight was penetrating, but still stayed in the air forever.”

And Love’s driving was prodigious by any standards of the day.

“Simply put, he could ‘rip it’ long before John Daily got to the Tour and made that saying famous,” Ibarguen said.

Inman lost to Love in the 1984 North & South Championship at Pinehurst No. 2, recalling Love’s driving ability.

“He could hit it well over 300 yards in college,” Inman said. “The 10th hole is over 600 yards and I’m trying to get around the corner of the fairway to hit my third shot to the green and Davis hit a driver and 1-iron over the corner of the trees to pin high in two. I mean, it’s a 600-yard hole. On the fourth hole, another par-5, I hit a driver, 3-wood and rolled it up just short of the green and Davis hit driver, 7-iron. He would hit it 100 yards past me if he wanted to.”

Three decades ago, there were often “driving contests” at each college tournament. Love would dominate.

“It was a big thing back then,” Inman said of the driving contests. “Davis would always sign up for last. He could just smooth one out there longer than anybody, and then he would really

go after one. But he could win it at 75 percent, it didn’t matter who it was. He was definitely hitting the ball as far as anyone that I had ever seen.”

For Ibarguan, who became a golf pro at Finley in 1979, the arrival of Love in Chapel Hill meant so much more.

“I remember being very excited to hear that Davis Love III was coming in as a freshman, not because I knew a lot about his game,” Ibarguen said.

“I was pumped that his dad, Davis Love Jr. would certainly be spending time at UNC Finley watching his son. He was one of the lead instructors in the Golf Digest Golf School’s and in my opinion perhaps the greatest golf teacher of all time. I had the opportunity to watch and learn from Davis Love Jr. during his visits. I consider him a great mentor for me in my teaching during that period.”

With brother Mark soon joining Davis at UNC, Love Jr. would often hand write letters to his sons on yellow legal pads, and send them the latest and greatest pieces of golf equipment.

“I remember Davis had the first ball compression gauge I’d ever seen,” Ibarguen said. “That was very cool and I remember we tested all the different balls in the golf shop at the time. As I recall, he mostly played PING irons in those days but his Dad would funnel new things for his experimentation. Truth be told, the times I played with Davis he could have played with a broomstick and played great. He always kicked my butt and helped me realize that I needed to focus on becoming as good a teacher as I could be!”

As Love progressed through UNC under the direction of coach Devon Brouse, it became clear with each passing tournament that pro golf was right around the corner.

“How did UNC shape me? It showed me that I probably wasn’t a good enough student to be at the University of North Carolina, so after three years I was a better player than my grade point average,” said Love, who left college early for the pros.

“My dad was really good every year telling me what I needed to work on and after my third year of school he told me that I would probably make it on the PGA Tour, and that my second year I would probably win a tournament. I said, ‘OK, I’m gone, I’ll turn pro.’ And he was exactly right. I kept my tour card my first year and then I won in my second year and I never really struggled to keep my card after that first year.”

Love was a three-time All-ACC and AllAmerican golfer at UNC, winning five college titles, including the 1984 ACC Championship, and is a member of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team.

“I played tons of tournaments when I was at Carolina, every one of them for three years,” Love said. “I played against the best players in the world – guys who are still out there playing on the Champions Tour – so it was a great three years for me. I grew up a lot.”

Continued on page 22 www.trianglegolf.com

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TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

15

Chang heading to Southern Cal sooner than later

C

By DAVID DROSCHAK

atching up with Jenny Chang after a putting session was an accomplishment in itself, considering she spent exactly five days over a five-week period in North Carolina, having traveled to New Jersey, California, Kansas and Missouri for tournaments during her flourishing junior career.

After the chat, she was then off to California again for the U.S. Women’s Amateur and to Iowa for the PING Junior Solheim Cup. “I know; crazy, right?” she said of her hectic summer, crosscountry golf trek. “It gives me an idea of what LPGA Tour life is like. It’s tiring.

The traveling is just awful.”

The golf was not. Chang, a senior at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh who will be gunning for a state record fourth straight 4-A championship this fall, had a fantastic few months, finishing runner-up

in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship to propel her to 10th in the World Junior Golf Rankings.

“Jenny has made great strides in her short game,” said Ben Hynson, Chang’s instructor at Lochmere Golf Club in Cary. “The hours we’ve spent working on this part of the game are starting to pay huge dividends. Her ability to play different shots around the greens is starting to make her a more complete player.

She is holing out more clutch putts and when she gets ahead in a match, it’s only

a question of far ahead she wants to get ahead.”

Chang also plans to get ahead when it comes to college. She will graduate early this winter from Athens Drive and enroll at Southern Cal in January, joining the women’s team for the spring semester competition.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “A lot of people ask me, ‘Why go to the West Coast because there are a lot of great schools in the East Coast?’ But when I found out USC was interested my eyes were just

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locked on them. They have a great golf program and I like the nice weather in California – no humidity.”

Jenny Chang Photos by David Droschak

The Trojans are a women’s golf power, but lost three seniors so Chang, who turns 18 in October, may have an opportunity to step into the starting lineup immediately.

“I was planning to graduate early and then spend the whole next semester not going to school, just practicing golf and playing in the summer, but I talked to coach (Andrea) Gaston and she gave me the option of going to school early.

I talked to my parents about it and they thought it was the best thing to do.

Instead of just golfing all the time why not get a head start in school?”

Chang and her parents have also hired mental game coach Dr. Mathew Park, who also works for NASA in Huntsville, Ala., to help the Southern Cal signee become an even more accomplished golfer.

Chang began a series of one-hour phone sessions with Park prior to her runner-up finish in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in late July. Chang overcame an opening-round 76 to qualify for match play as the 16th seed and made it all the way to the championship, falling 3 and 2 to Erica Shepherd of Greenwood, Ind. “At first when my parents told me

about Dr. Park I said, ‘I don’t think I need a mental coach, I think I’m pretty strong,’ but after working with him and realizing how big a role the mental side plays in golf it’s something I really want to work on,” Chang said.

Chang says her conversations with Park center on being able to execute one shot at a time.

“Before I started working with him I always thought ahead of myself, I was thinking results, I wasn’t staying in the moment,” she said.

Chang has also started meditation through an app called Headspace.

“I used it every day during U.S. Girls for about 10 minutes because our drive from the hotel to the golf course was so long,” Chang said. “This app helps me with breathing and just clears my mind.”

Chang run to the finals of the U.S. Girls was improbable since she started stroke play with a 5-over round.

“It was an insane, crazy experience,” she said. “After the first day my thought process was I was just trying to make the cut, and to get to the finals after that I have no words to describe that. It was such an amazing experience. I shot 76 and 69. You just never know.”

Chang has learned to pace herself after a hectic summer on the links.

“I don’t want to tire myself out, grind all day during tournament season,” she said. “I tried to keep my practices simple and efficient.”

And with dad Yong hard at work in North Carolina, mom Eunok is often behind the wheel, making 12-hour trips in the car with her talented daughter.

“After my tournaments we talk about what I could have done better, and talk about the good and the bad, and then after that we try to stay away from golf because it always seems to be about golf, golf, golf,” Chang said. “It’s good to take a break way from golf. We talk for about an hour and then I sleep the whole way back.”

As Chang walked off the putting green at Lochmere after draining of series of long ones, she was greeted by a classmate. I asked if the team was starting to practice every day for the upcoming season.

Chang just chuckled. “Oh no, most of them aren’t as serious about golf as I am.”

Chang has the miles to prove it. www.trianglegolf.com

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17

Akshay Bhatia:

North Carolina’s latest rising star golfer

E

By KURT DUSTERBERG

ven in a sport that relies entirely on statistics to define achievement, Akshay Bhatia's recent exploits on the golf course need additional context.

Bhatia won the 42nd Boys Junior PGA Championship at The Country Club of St. Albans (Mo.) in early August, shattering the four-round tournament record by five strokes.

Here is some more perspective: His second-round 61 was the lowest in tournament history, one stroke better than the mark held by three-time majors champion Jordan Spieth and five others.

But if you want to fully understand what the kid accomplished, consider his age. Bhatia is 15 years old. He won't turn 16 until Jan. 31.

“Right after I won, I thought, ‘wow, I just broke Jordan Speith's record, Pat Perez, Chris Couch – all these guys' records that have been held for 10-15 years,”’ he says. “To have the low round of my career on that big of a stage is pretty cool.”

In fact, it's more than cool. He is ranked 16th in the country in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, and is second among players in the high school class of 2020. With his future in golf growing brighter by the day, it's fair to wonder what comes next.

“I've gotten a lot of questionnaires from different colleges,” he says. “I'm still so young, so it's really early in the process. Anything can happen.”

Successful junior golfers typically continue their careers by playing in college, but Bhatia's success at a young age suggests he might be capable of turning pro by the time he graduates. But for now, that's just a hypothetical discussion.

“All the doors are open for him,” says Sonny Bhatia, Akshay's father.

“College is very important. There are a lot of colleges following him, and we've gotten to know some of these coaches quite well.”

Akshay's father is a casual golfer, so he leaves most of the golf teaching to qualified instructors. But when it comes to navigating the path to success, he takes the lead for his son.

“Whether he turns pro or not, that's not something you can decide at 15 years old,” Sonny says. “The right jour18 TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

ney is through college. That's something we will probably decide in his junior year.”

For now, Akshay will continue on his current path. He is home schooled in Wake County, which allows him to play a heavy junior tournament schedule. His father is retired, so he can chart a schedule and accompany Akshay on most tournament weekends. His mother, Renu, plans to retire later this year, allowing her to see more competition.

But mapping out a junior golf career is not as simple as signing up for the next big tournament. Sonny considers the time commitment, travel costs and competition before signing up to play in an event.

For top junior players like Akshay, the PGA will reimburse the cost of airfare and accommodations to keep outof-pocket expenses to a minimum.

In addition, Akshay has gained the support of Nike and equipment maker TaylorMade.

“As far as Nike, they support me with clothes, shoes, gloves,” Akshay says. “That's pretty cool just to think I'm a Nike athlete. TaylorMade provides me free equipment – balls, gloves, hats.

That saves us a ton of money, especially because of how good the golf clubs are

Fifteen-year-old runs away from Junior PGA Championship field

By Montana Pritchard/PGA of America

getting. Keeping fresh wedges in the bag is a huge thing.”

Fresh wedges?

“A lot of these tournaments, the greens are so firm that you need a decent amount of spin,” he says. “I have a couple different options for different grasses, different conditions. On a soft course with a lot of green, I have a highbounce option. For a firm course with not a lot of green, I have a low-bounce option.”

Such is the level of detail in Akshay's game. After shooting a 3-under 69 on the opening day of the Junior PGA Championship, he headed to the practice green, determined to improve his putting from the 5-foot range.

“It was a grip I changed to help my forearms, and I changed my pre-shot routine,” he says. “That got my tempo working really well and the feeling of everything working in one motion.”

The result was a 24-putt effort in his round of 61. That wasn't the only impressive effort of the summer.

Akshay nearly made the field for the PGA's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, missing the Monday qualifier cut, chock full of pros, by one stroke with a 68.

Watching his son climb the ranks of junior golfers has been a joy for Sonny, but he doesn't exactly revel in the low rounds and top finishes.

“I like to see him accomplish what he goes to a tournament to do,” the elder Bhatia says. “Of course I'm proud of him, but I'm happier for him, just because of his work ethic. He knows what he's doing; he knows where he wants to go to.”

Still, dad keeps a close eye on his son's rapid ascent, recognizing that a 15-year-old needs not only a plan, but some patience.

“When to put the pressure on, when not to put the pressure on him,” Sonny says. “I like to say, ‘we don't take the elevator up, we take the steps up, one step at a time.”’

Akshay seems to fall in line with that thinking. There are courses to conquer and events to win, but there remains a young boy inside of the prodigy golfer, one who sees a chance to be accepted by his peers.

“I'm still the same person at the end of the day,” he says. “I'm still young, so a lot of people don't really know me.

More guys will get to know me better, and I will make more friends. So I think it will be good in the long run." www.trianglegolf.com

www.trianglegolf.com

TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

19

Junior Golf Scoreboard HJGT

College Prep Series at Duke University Duke University Golf Club Durham, NC August 2-3, 2017 Boys Division - 6741 1 George Duangmanee, Fairfax, VA 76-70--146 2 Kase Diehl, Charlotte 69-78--147 2 Tianyu Wu, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 73-74--147 4 Connor Murphy, Land O’’ Lakes, FL 72-76--148 5 Woodson Smith, Martinsville, VA 73-76--149 Selected Others 6 Andrew Merrills, Cary 80-75--155 20 Will Pruthi, Durham 92-81--173 27 Eric Bradford, Chapel Hill 92-94--186

AJGA

AJGA Junior All-Star at Irish Creek The Club at Irish Creek Kannapolis, NC August 14-17, 2017 Boys Division - 6882 1 Carson Bacha, York, PA 69-67-69--205 2 Michael Brennan, Leesburg, VA 70-68-70--208 3 Garrett Engle, Harrisburg, PA 70-70-72--212 3 George Duangmanee, Fairfax, VA 70-73-69--212 5 Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, SC 73-69-71--213 Selected Others 14 Jackson Brimfield, Chapel Hill 79-73-69--221 23 Nick Mathews, Mebane 78-74-73--225 34 Zach Roberts, Holly Springs 76-78-75--229 45 Kareem Elkassem, Raleigh 80-80-75--235

Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy Junior Championship

Barefoot Resort - Norman Course North Myrtle Beach, SC August 7-10, 2017 Boys Division - 6949 1 Connor Burgess, Lynchburg, VA 70-70-71--211 2 William Wann, Birmingham, AL 73-71-67--211 3 Jonathan Yaun, Minneola, FL 75-69-71--215 4 Cameron Moore, Glen Allen, VA 75-70-72--217 4 Lorenzo Elbert, East Point, GA 73-73-71--217 Selected Others 14 Spencer Oxendine, Fayetteville 76-74-71--221 14 Matias La Grutta, Cary 75-74-73-- 222 14 Peter Fountain, Raleigh 71-76-75--222 14 Viraj Garewal, Raleigh 79-71-72--222 Girls Division - 5998 1 Christine Wang, Houston, TX 70-71-75--216 2 Erika Smith, Orlando, FL 69-74-76--219 3 Chloe Schiavone, Jacksonville, FL 75-73-73--221 4 Nicole Adam, Pinehurst 75-77-72--224 5 Hanana Kawada, Takaoka 78-73-74--225

Webb Simpson Challenge

Mid-Pines Inn & GC Southern Pines GC Southern Pines, NC July 28-29, 2017 Boys’ Division 1 Noah Connor, Reidsville 2 Mariano Leyva, Lewisville 3 Riley Smith, Concord Selected Others 4 Brandon Jones, Sanford 5 Kameron Jones, Mebane 9 Luke Edwards, Chapel Hill 10 Caden Baker, Mebane 12 Chad Allison, Cary

18 Chris Kim, Cary 18 Zach Roberts, Holly Springs 24 Jack Massei, Cary

75-72-77--224 72-75-77--224 75-72-78--225

61st Carolinas Junior Girls’ Championship

CC of South Carolina Florence, SC August 1-3, 2017 Championship Division - 6006 1 Gracyn Burgess, Lexington, S.C. 74-69-70--213 2 Elle Johnson, Inman, S.C. 77-69-71--217 2 Jodee Tindal, Rock Hill, S.C. 71-72-74--217 4 Carly Lyvers, Simpsonville, S.C. 67-76-76--219 4 Emily Hawkins, Lexington 73-70-76--219 Selected Others 14 Nicole Adam, Pinehurst 77-73-79--229 First Flight - 6006 1 Muskan Uppal, Cornelius 78-78-72--228 2 Hailey Freedman, Chapel Hill 72-84-75--231 3 Karlee Vardas, Lexington, S.C. 76-80-76--232 4 Mary Kathryn Talledo, 78-80-75--233 Blythewood, S.C. 5 Kelley Topiwala, Charlotte 80-77-79--236 Selected Others 11 Deborah Spair, Raleigh 82-80-81--243 Second Flight - 6006 1 Siana Wong, Summerfield 83-83-79--245 2 Jayla Rogers, Wilmington 85-80-81--246 3 Olivia Erwin, Charleston, S.C. 84-85-80--249 4 Angelique Seymour, Fayetteville 83-82-85--250 5 Caroline Isaacson, Greensboro 90-80-82--252 Selected Others 6 Carson Stewart Jenkins, Raleigh 91-77-85--253 9 Mara Hirtle, Pinehurst 87-81-91--259 12 Halle Jo Auf Der Heide, 92-85-91--268 Fayetteville

Cabarrus CC Concord, NC July 25-27, 2017 Boys Division - 6900 1 Michael Sanders, Davidson 70-70-67--207 2 Jacob Bridgeman, Inman, S.C. 69-73-68--210 3 Quinn Riley, Raleigh 70-72-69--211 3 Jack Massei, Cary 69-71-71--211 3 Fulton Smith, Pinehurst 70-69-72--211 Selected Others 6 Peter Fountain, Raleigh 69-73-70--212 11 Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst 71-73-71--215 20 Attie Giles, Pinehurst 67-78-72--217 20 Chris Kim, Cary 69-76-72--217 45 Nathan Norfleet, Chapel Hill 73-73-77--223 45 Spencer Oxendine, Fayetteville 73-72-78--223 49 Austin Bonfiglio, Holly Springs 77-74-73--224 49 Andrew Wilmoth, Raleigh 73-71-80--224

Peggy Kirk Bell Tour

72-70--142 72-71--143 73-71--144 75-72--147 73-75--148 80-73--153 80-75--155 80-77--157

Carolinas Golf Association

13th Dogwood State Junior Girls’ Championship Pinewood CC Asheboro, NC August 8-10, 2017 Girls’ Division - 6028 1 Sasha Hayes, Winston-Salem 74-72-74--220 2 Sophie Holland, Cornelius 78-75-74--227 3 Alexis Sudjianto, Charlotte 78-79-74--231 4 Madison Isaacson, Greensboro 82-77-74--233 Selected Others 5 Lotte Fox, Raleigh 80-78-76--234 8 Hannah Rose Bruxvoort, 85-71-81--237 Chapel Hill 21 Deborah Spair, Raleigh 81-79-89--249 23 Mara Hirtle, Pinehurst 89-83-80--252 32 Carson Stewart Jenkins, Raleigh 99-85-86--270

13th Dogwood State Junior Boys’ Championship

Bermuda Run CC Bermuda Run, NC August 1-3, 2017 Boys’ Division - 7080 1 Fulton Smith, Pinehurst 72-71-68--211 2 Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst 72-75-65--212 2 Brandon Einstein, Clemmons 71-67-74--212 4 Peter Fountain, Raleigh 68-71-74--213 5 Graham Chase, Charlotte 78-71-67--216 Selected Others 8 Spencer Oxendine, Fayetteville 77-71-71--219 8 Attie Giles, Pinehurst 71-74-74--219 14 Matias La Grutta, Cary 74-72-76--222

20 TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

83 85 85 88 80 83 85 85 86 88 97

Tour Championship

Clemmons, NC Salem Glen G&CC Aug. 4-6, 2017 Bell - 6052 1 Amanda Sambach, Davidson 2 Sasha Hayes, Winston-Salem 3 Skylar Sload, Ashburn VA Selected Others 9 Lorin Wagler, Seven Lakes 12 H annah Rose Bruxvoort, Chapel Hill 13 Megan Kanaby, Chapel Hill Futures 5289 1 Maria Atwood, Holly Springs 2 Emma Chen, Derwood MD 3 Grayson Warren, Washington Selected Others 5 Halynn Lee, Cary 8 Erin Singleton, Apex 12 Kayla Dowell, Mebane 13 Grace Greene, Apex

PKBGT.ORG

Bermuda Run, NC July 29, 2017 Prep - 5735 1 Sasha Hayes, Winston Salem 2 Mackensi Hall, Graham 3 Nicole Kramer, Charlotte Selected Others 15 Carson Jenkins, Raleigh Futures - 4919 1 Lauren Denhard, Salisbury 2 Morgan Ketchum, Winston-Salem 3 Hannah Lindemann, Charlotte Selected Others 6 Heather Appelson, Wake Forest 10 Elizabeth Tart, Holly Springs

78 79 80 97 77 78 84 87 92

NC One-Day Series Event

Bryan Park GC Greensboro, NC July 24, 2017 Prep - 5800 1 Emelia Pack, Browns Summit 2 Ryann Sinclair, Mooresville 3 Kayla Ward, Raleigh Selected Others 16 Tylor Whitley, Raleigh 18 Claire Patrick, Creedmoor Futures - 5260 1 Victoria Cook, Reidsville 2 Macie Burcham, Greensboro 2 Morgan Ketchum, Winston-Salem Selected Others 12 Anika Bhatnagar, Cary 16 Grace Greene, Apex 16 Julia Greene, Apex 16 Catherine Vivongsy, Wake Forest 16 Kinsley Smith, Raleigh

71 71 74 85 90 77 78 78 86 93 93 93 93

TYGA

68th Carolinas Junior Boys’ Championship

NC One-Day Series Event Mill Creek GC Mebane, NC August 11, 2017 Prep - 5711 1 Grace Holcomb, Wilmington 2 Carson Jenkins, Raleigh 2 Cameron Wood, Waxhaw Selected Others 5 Halynn Lee, Cary Futures - 5147 1 Emily Mathews, Mebane 2 Kayla Dowell, Mebane 3 Megan Morris, Cary 3 Elizabeth Tart, Holly Springs Selected Others 5 Catherine Vivongsy, Wake Forest 6 Laney Wessels, Sophia 12 Madison Srinivasa, Raleigh

Presented by

2017 SAS Junior Championship Prestonwood CC Cary, NC August 10, 2017 Boys’ Division - 6500 1 Benjamin Hays, Cary 2 Quinlan Polin, Cary 3 David Schoening Jr, Raleigh 3 Carter Massengill, Cary Selected Others 5 Ryan Bradley, Cary 6 Eston Lee, Four Oaks 7 Kareem Elkassem, Raleigh 7 Alan Van Asch, Raleigh 7 Hampton Roberts, Cary 7 Gus Lascola, Durham

69 72 73 73 74 75 76 76 76 76

Source: Tarheel Youth Golf Association as of 9/1/17

2017 TYGA One Day

Coharie CC Clinton, NC August 2, 2017 Boys’ 16-18 - 6534 1 Carmen Serbio, Fayetteville 2 Jake Newman, Sapphire 3 Carter Dickinson, Raleigh Selected Others 6 Logan Sessoms, Fayetteville 8 Noah Butler, Raleigh 8 Jack Gaither, Fayetteville 12 Robert Foxworth Jr., Holly Springs 13 Hunter Johnson, Raleigh Boys’ 14-15 - 6534 1 Logan Patrick, Dunn 2 Colton Danks, Roseboro Boys’ 12-13 - 5349 1 Zachary Davis, Clayton 2 Hayes Mahoney, Greenville Selected Others 5 John Michael Best, Dunn 11 and under - 4579 1 Ethan Paschal, Fayetteville 2 Michael Williams, Rose Hill

73 78 80

73-73-74--220 73-69-79--221 77-72-73--222 77-78-79--234 80-79-78--237 82-81-75--238 79-70-72--221 71-79-80--230 76-81-75--232 77-80-79--236 86-75-80--241 86-92-84--262 90-88-85--263

NC One-Day Series Event Bermuda Run GC (West)

5th ANNUAL

84 89 89 94 95 78 81 74 78 93 +4 +5

2017 TYGA One Day

Wilmington Municipal Wilmington, NC August 1, 2017 Boys’ 16-18 - 6709 1 Matthew Townsend Jr., Whiteville 2 Parker Eason, Greenville 3 Brantley Moore, Wilmington Boys’ 14-15 - 6709 1 Josh Newman, Sapphire 2 Casey Osiecki, New Bern 3 Houston Brabble, New Bern 3 Tanner Huff, Pinehurst Boys’ 12-13 - 5567 1 Joe Stott, Wilmington 2 Chris Ha, Fayetteville 3 Ryan Jahr, Ocean Isle Beach Girls’ 14-18 - 5567 1 Grace Holcomb, Wilmington 2 Darby Reeder, Smithfield 3 Erin Walsh, Zebulon 4 Morgan McPhatter, Raleigh

Boys (High School, graduation year) 1 Peter Fountain, Raleigh (Broughton HS, 2020) 2 Akshay Bhatia, Wake Forest (Home School, 2020) 3 Chris Kim, Cary (Green Hope, 2019) 4 Quinn Riley, Raleigh (Athens Drive, 2018) 5 Fulton Smith, Pinehurst (O’Neal School, 2019) 6 Jack Massei, Cary (Green Hope, 2018) 7 Spencer Oxendine, Fayetteville (Jack Britt HS, 2019) 8 Jackson Van Paris (O’Neal School, 2021) 9 A.J. Beechler, Pinehurst (Pinecrest, 2018) 10 Attie Giles, Pinehurst (Pinecrest, 2018) Girls (High School, graduation year) 1 Jennifer Chang, Cary (Athens Drive, 2018) 2 Gina Kim, Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill HS, 2018) 3 Nicole Adam, Pinehurst (O’Neal School, 2020) 4 Mackenzie Battle, Aberdeen (Pinecrest, 2018) 5 Holly McCann, Raleigh (Ravenscroft, 2019) 6 Hannah Rose Bruxvoort, Chapel Hill (Cardinal Gibbons, 2018) 7 Haeley Wotnosky, Wake Forest (S. Wake Academy, 2018) 8 Lotte Fox, Raleigh (Wakefield HS, 2020) 9 Riley Smyth, Cary (Cardinal Gibbons, 2018) 10 Kayla Ward, Raleigh (Garner Magnet HS, 2018)

73 74 75 74 80 82 82 74 75 76

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‘Ringer’ score proves surprising

O

By HOWARD WARD

K, Bets, get your thinking cap on because I’m gonna throw you a big curve ball.

Have you ever heard of a Ringer score? Maybe you have, but I doubt it.

When you get so old that you no longer have a game to take to the course, you look for other outlets to keep you involved in the sport. So, I sat down one day and came up with my ringer score for Gates Four Golf and Country Club, where I was a member since 1970.

If you play golf regularly you get in a lot of rounds in 40 years and you might be surprised at what your ringer score would produce.

Enough beating around the bush, a ringer score is taking the best score you have ever had on each hole of a course and arriving at a total.

I actually came up with the idea from something I read in a golf book several years ago. It was a lot of fun recalling my best score on each hole

Doc Redman from page 6 if we didn’t get that draw in 2016 Doc would have gone deep last year too. He was playing that well. I told him he was going to take all of his confidence down to Clemson.”

Redman did just that for Penley, leading Clemson in stroke average at 70.77 -second best in Clemson history.

“Doc is a different kind of kid,” Penley said. “There is not one ounce of give-up in this child – ever.”

As Redman grew up in Raleigh he was the youngest of a quartet of talented juniors that played and practiced together at Wildwood Green, including current PGA Tour player and recent winner Grayson Murray, Web.com Tour player Carter Jenkins and former Winthrop golfer Zach Seabolt. As the crew moved up through the ranks Hamilton and fellow instructor John Budwine (who taught Redman until moving on to Deep Springs Golf and Country Club) would quietly talk about Redman’s talent.

“We both felt Doc would be the one that would possibly go the furthest because he has a very cool and calm www.trianglegolf.com

Too many courses cloud the mind

and was really quite surprising.

By BETSEY MITCHELL For instance, I knew I had birdied ot so fast, Buster. Mr. Ward, I every hole at Gates Four, so I was will have you know that I know already at 18 under par. I had eagled exactly what a Ringer score is. all of the par 5s so that got me to 22 In fact, my women’s league plays it under. I have had two holes-in-one every year. And just so you know….. I and that gets me to 24 under. And never win. probably the most startling stat was Knowing how to do a thing doesn’t that I have eagled six of the par 4s. count much toward actually doing a That adds up to a 30 under 42, thing. which actually left me This is going to come amazed. I had no idea across all braggy, but the that it was anywhere last time I could keep track of a lifetime Ringer near that. was when we lived in So, if you are sitting Ohio. In those days, I around the house on played one course almost a rainy day and have times a week during nothing else to do, you DUELING DIVOTS four the golf season. might try figuring up I never had an eagle there. Little your ringer score on your favorite Turtle was one of Pete Dye’s earliest course. designs. It looked easy, it wasn’t very Sometimes mental golf can be as long, but it was wicked hard. much fun as the real thing.

They hosted a U.S. Open Qualifier one year. The young bucks came to the first tee full of swagger, ready to make mincemeat of the 6,500 yards.

The only guy to shoot par was a member, Rod Spittle. You may recognize

N

him from the Champions Tour. He went pro after he hit 50 and has done pretty well for himself.

As for me, after seven years of battling the Turtle I never did birdie the first or 17th holes. I’ll blame the first hole on not being awake that early in the round.

I’ll blame the 17th on Dye. I never did figure out that green. I even took a lesson on just how to play that darn hole… didn’t help.

When we moved to North Carolina, our first membership was at a club with four courses. Now, my membership includes nine.

Frankly, I’ve played too many courses over too many years to remember my best scores. Heck, I can’t even remember what my best full-round scores were.

I can’t remember the course layouts … let alone what my Ringer scores might be.

Then again, some unkind fellow columnist might be so bold as to suggest that I can’t remember because my brain is melting.

My game is totally mental and not in a good way. Congrats on the 42, Annika would be proud.

demeanor,” Hamilton said. “He is a sponge, he is receptive, if he has a question he’ll ask it, but he understands what you’re trying to do and help him with.”

“His best asset is the 6 inches between his ears,” Hamilton added.

“He has an incredible head on his shoulders – just stays in the moment. He doesn’t think too far ahead.

And he’s the finest young man you would ever want to meet. He is the kind of kid that if I had a daughter his age I would love for her to be

in math, so Doc doesn’t think he’s going to bypass anything to get to the next step,” Penley said. “You have to take it one step at a time, and you’ve got to be extremely patient and very thorough, cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s and that’s what he does.

“There is nothing that Doc approaches that doesn’t have a plan, even just daily things. It’s daily victories with Doc, it’s like ‘let’s go learn a little something today.’ His mindset is simple in the fact that if he can improve 1 percent every day just think how good he’s going to be, and that’s how he approaches things.”

Penley said he had to chuckle when a reporter asked Redman prior to his U.S. Am championship match a question about The Masters.

“He kind of looked at her with this bewildered

look, and I promise you it never entered his mind,” Penley said. “He is that mentally tough, he is process oriented. He never, ever would have let Augusta interfere with his performance – at no time.”

Hamilton was partaking in some R&R at Pawley’s Island the weekend of the U.S. Amateur, but made it a point to get back to the room to watch his pupil.

“I just sat there transfixed, watching these two guys go head-to-head.

It was incredible golf,” Hamilton said.

“When Doc made that putt on 17 I think I jumped as high as I ever jumped. And I’ve watched Doc stand out on the putting green at Wildwood in all kind of weather making that putt that he made on the 36th hole. I’m sure he was able to just go back and draw on all of that … and he just poured that sucker right in.”

Hamilton said Wildwood Green members are abuzz by the recent success of Redman and Murray.

“We all like to think of ourselves as part of the village. I made the comment that there is something cooking up here at Wildwood Green and a bunch of people are getting their tummy full,” Hamilton said. “It has been really fun to see. The membership is stoked.”

able to date him. That’s the kind of kid he is.”

Redman is majoring in Mathematical Sciences at Clemson, an interest that Penley believes spills over onto the golf course with his sophomore star.

“There are no short-cuts

TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

21

CALENDAR All listings are based on submissions by clubs and correspondence.

To list your tournament free email your information to jay@triadgolf.com or call 336-924-1619.

USGA Qualifiers Selected events (full list at Carolinasgolf.org) Oct. 23 – 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Sectional Qualifier, Pinewild, Pinehurst Oct. 24 – 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Sectional Qualifier, Cedarwood, Charlotte

CGA Men Majors/Qualifiers Four-Ball Championships Oct. 13-15 – 22nd N.C. Four-Ball Championship, Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh

CGA Senior Men Majors/Qualifiers Sept. 25-26 - 10th North Carolina Super Senior Championship, Hendersonville CC, Hendersonville Oct. 2-3 – 6th Carolinas Super Senior Four-Ball Championship, Old Chatham GC, Durham

CGA Women Majors Sept. 26-27 – 19th Carolinas Senior Women’s Amateur, Greensboro CC (Irving Park), Greensboro.

Nov. 11-12 – 7th Carolinas Net Amateur Championship, Pinehurst No. 3, Pinehurst.

CGA Other Oct. 25-26 – 2nd Carolinas Senior Interclub Final Four, Pinewild, Pinehurst.

Nov. 12-13 – 7th Carolinas Net Amateur Championship, Pinehurst No. 3, Pinehurst.

Nov 18-19 – 20th Carolinas Interclub Final Four, Dormie Club, Pinehurst, Pinehurst.

TBA – Carolinas Young Amateur

Amateur Individual Sept. 30-Oct. 1 — Steve Welch Fall Classic, Asheboro Municipal GC. Medal play in flights.

336-625-4158.

Laid-Back Golfers Tour 434-792-3728 • Men/Women All-Ages Flights pre-determined by handicap Tees determined by hdc/age formula Sept. 19 – Deep Springs CC, Stoneville Oct. 11 – Greensboro National, Summerfield Oct. 25 – Chatmoss CC, Martinsville

David Love III from page 14

Love also matured as a player under Brouse.

“Coach was big on goal setting and practice routines,” Love said. “And we had Dr. Richard Coop, a great sports psychologist, at our disposal. All of it showed me the basics of what it was going to take to be a professional golfer, for sure.”

Few have been more consistent on the PGA Tour than Love, nicknamed DL3 during the social media age. He is the only player to win on the PGA Tour in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

“It really makes me happy that he has achieved the greatest accolade you can get in this game,” Inman said. “He hasn’t done it with smoke and mirrors; he has done it with a lot of hard work.

22 TRIANGLE GOLF TODAY • FALL 2017

Nov. 8 – Bryan Park GC, Brown Summit Nov. 13 – Danville GC, Danville Nov. 29 – Goodyear GC, Danville

Golfweek Amateur Tour 252-864-9161 Sept 23-24 -- Local Finals at Bryan Park (both courses) Oct. 20-22 -- National Championship at Hilton Head Island, SC Senior Individual Oct. 10-12 – World Super Senior Championship.

Tanglewood Championship, Clemmons. Ages 70-over, Kitty Visintine 336-703-6420.

Ridencgolf.com Senior Amateur Tour (ages 50-over) 336-329-3453 Oct. 19 – Stoney Creek, Whitsett

Senior Amateur Tour (ages 50-over) 910-964-1547 Sept. 21 -- Bryan Park (Championship), Brown Summit Sept. 28 -- Chapel Ridge, Pittsboro Oct. 5 -- Stoney Creek GC Oct. 25-26 -- National Championship at Hilton Head Island, SC

Amateur Team Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 – Lynrock Memorial Two-Man, Lynrock GC, Eden. 336-623-6110.

Oct. 14-15 – Jamestown Park Fall Classic, 2-man bestball. Jamestown Park GC. 336-454-4912.

Oct. 21-22 – Lexington BBQ Festival 2-person teams, Lexington GC. 336-248-3950.

Nov. 4-5 -- Greensboro National Fall Classic, Greensboro National GC, Summerfield. 2-man bestball. 336-342-1113.

Oct. 6 -- 48th Annual Exchange Family Center, The Crossings, Durham. Natalia Koch, nataliak@exchangefamilycenter.org, www.exchangefamilycenter.org .

Oct. 7 – 5th Annual Brandon’s Buddies benefitting children with cancer, Bermuda Run West, Bermuda Run. Keith Koontz 336-909-2336.

Oct. 13 – Camel City Classic benefiting Combat Warriors, Maple Chase GC, Winston-Salem, Golf shop 336-767-2941 ext. 2 Oct. 13 – Postal Customer Council Golf Tournament, The Preserve at Jordan Lake, Pittsboro. Eddie Goldberg 919-420-5161.

Oct 16 – First Annual ITSC / NCSITE Golf Tournament benefitting transportation engineering scholarships, Bryan Park Champions Course, Brown’s Summit. Andrew.Bell@aecom. com https://itscarolinas.regfox.com/itsc-ncsitegolf-tournament Oct. 18 – 15th Annual Clemmons Masonic Lodge, Salem Glen, Clemmons. Richard Brewer 336-399-2278.

Oct. 21 -- Psi Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Scholarship, Reynolds Park, WinstonSalem. Donnie Holt:336-240-1036 Dholt85@ triad.rr.com or Benny Murrill:336-407-1848 Murrilbl@bellsouth.net.

Oct. 21 – Fifth Annual Driving 'Fore' a Cure for PH Tournament benefiting the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, Riverwood GC, Clayton. Jayna Wall 919-698-9162. www.drivingforeacureforph.com

Junior Golf Schedule

For the latest tournament schedule, now updated daily, go to www.trianglegolf.com then click on Tournaments Oct. 7 – Junior Hickory Fall Classic, Wolf Creek, Reidsville. Learn to play with old hickory clubs.

Seth Lomison juniorhickoryclassic@gmail.com .

Oct. 7-8 - CGA-PKBGT Jimmy Anderson Girls' Invitational, Jacksonville CC, Jacksonville, NC, Girls only, Ages 12-18.

Oct. 11 – TYGA Pinecrest H.S. Girls Invitational, Pinehurst No. 6, Pinehurst. Girls Only.

Oct. 14 – TYGA Tots, Championship, Longleaf GC, Southern Pines. Ages 6-11 Oct. 14-15 - TGF Western Carolinas Junior Championship, CC of Salisbury, Salisbury, NC, Boys Ages 9-18.

Oct. 28-29 TGF Pinewild Fall Junior Classic, Pinewild CC, Pinehurst, NC, Boys, Ages 9-18.

Oct. 29 - PKBGT Invitational Qualifier, Colonial CC, Thomasville, NC, Girls, Ages 11-18.

Nov. 4-5 - NC Junior Golf Foundation 7th Annual UNC Tar Heel Junior, Chapel Hill, Boys, Ages 12-19, Nov. 11-13 - PKBGT INVITATIONAL (*) @ Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NC, Girls, Ages 11-18.

Nov. 11-12 - TGF UNC Tarheel Junior Championship, Finley GC, Chapel Hill, NC, Boys, Ages 9-18 Nov. 11-12 - Winternational Junior Series, Pinehurst C.C. #5, Pinehurst, NC, Boys/Girls, Freshman-Senior Nov. 22 - TYGA One Day at Longleaf Golf & Family Club, Southern Pines, NC, Boys/Girls, Ages 8-18 Nov. 25-26 - TGF Bell Holiday Classic, Mid Pines & Pine Needles Golf Resort, Southern Pines, NC, Boys Nov. 25-26 - Winternational Junior Series, Pinehurst C.C. #6 Pinehurst, NC, Boys/Girls, Freshman-Senior Dec. 2-3 - PKBGT TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS @ Pinehurst #8, Pinehurst, NC, Girls, Ages 11-18.

Dec. 9-10 - 28th Charles Tilghman Carolinas PGA Junior Championship, Surf Club, N. Myrtle Beach, SC, Boys/Girls, Ages 13-18, 336-398-2742 Dec. 9-10 - Winternational Junior Series, Pinehurst C.C. #2 & #1 Pinehurst, NC, Boys/Girls, Freshman-Senior Dec. 28-29 - Peggy Kirk Bell Junior @ Pine Needles, Southern Pines, NC, Girls, Ages 11-18.

Sept. 22 & 23 – 11th Annual Stogner Scholarship benefiting Children with Autism, Pudding Ridge GC, Mocksville. Contact Wendi@scholarshipforautism.org.

Sept. 25 – Ft. Bragg Military Intelligence benefitting Military scholarships and holiday gift cards, Ryder GC, Ft. Bragg. Tim Moore 910-584-6990.

Sept. 30 – 4th Annual Chameleon Classic, benefitting children with autism and intellectual disabilities. Sue Harvey 336-333-7065.

Oct. 3 – SECCA Slam for Art, Salem Glen, Clemmons. Siobhan Olson 336-769-6365.

Oct. 5 – House Majori’TEE, The Challenge Golf Club, Graham. Dennis Riddell 336-222-1303.

CGA 910-673-1000 * TYGA 910-673-1000 * PKBGT 336-347-8537 * NCJGF 919-858-6400 * TGF 919-291-5813 * NJGT 704-824-6548 * AJGA 770-868-4200 * USGA 908-234-2300 * USKIDS Raleigh Tour 919-206-4666 * Winternational 847-204-9888 * HJGT 904-379-2697 Sept. 23-24 - TYGA State Championship, Keith Hills, Buis Creek, Boys/Girls, Ages 12-18.

Sept. 27 - TYGA-PKBGT North State Girls High School Challenge, Keith Hills, Buis Crek, Girls only, grades 9-12.

Sept. 30 - TYGA NC Middle School Championship, Longleaf GC, Southern Pines, Boys/Girls, Grades 6-8.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1 – TGF, Grandover Resort, Greensboro Boys Ages 9-18.

Oct. 6-9 - AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational, Reynolds Lake Oconee, Greensboro, GA, Invitational.

“The thing that really makes me smile the most is he has won five times at Harbourtown (the MCI Heritage) on a golf course that is my favorite tournament golf course because it was really tight and you had to place it here-and-there. To me, it is one of the golfing anomalies of all anomalies that Davis won so many times there. That just shows how much he progressed from a youngster up to college, and when he got out there on Tour he had the pedal to the metal. He carried that big stick; everybody knew about him when he got out there. He already had that reputation and it served him well.

Power is where the game went … and my brother always told me a good big man will always beat a good little man any day.”

Love gets advice from his UNC coach, Devon Brouse.

Captain’s Choice

Photo provided by UNC Athletics

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