CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2014 CHAMPIONS

2014 National Tour Champions

Left to Right: Championship Flight Champion: Brian Layne, Piedmont VA; A Flight Champion: Tom Carbone, Charlotte, NC; B Flight Champion: Dick Kuehl, Raleigh-Pinehurst ; C Flight Champion: John Henely, Raleigh-Pinehurst

 

PINEHURST HOSTS SENIOR AM TOUR NATIONAL FINALS

 Pinehurst, NC  (November 13, 2014)  -  Two Hundred Twenty Eight Senior Amateur Golf Tour members representing fifteen states and twenty-one cities converged on four premier venues (Pinehurst #9, Pinewild Country Club, The Legacy Golf Links, and Seven Lakes Country Club) this Tuesday and Wednesday to contest the 16th annual Senior Amateur Golf Tour National Championships.

 The field was greeted by seasonably warm and sunny weather to compete for the $10,000.00 prize pool in Edwin Watts gift certificates.  "We had to deal with some pretty rough weather the last two years", stated Tour Founder Dennis McCormac.  "(It) could not have been better this year.  With four superior courses in play, the guys really had a great time".

Arguably Yorktown, VA's Brian Layne had the best time of all.  After winning A Flight first place honors at last year's National Finals, Layne moved up to compete with the big boys in the Championship Flight this year.  All he did was make it two-in-a-row with a 2-day score of 147, besting Charlotte's Dave Brown by a single stroke.

 Layne, who only started playing golf 8 years ago stated "I love any kind of competition and felt I was playing too good to stay in A Flight".  His results this week proved him right.

Consistency was the key for the A Flight winner, Charlotte's Tom Carbone.  He hit 24 of 28 fairways with only one 3-putt during the 2-day competition.  Carbone, who didn't win a single event this year on his home Tour's schedule, said "Getting off to a good start the first day at Pinewild was the key to my win.  I only had 29 putts that day".

Tour rookie Dick Kuehl out of Sanford, NC's Carolina Trace CC, had a relatively comfortable 4 stroke margin of victory with a 2-day score of 159 in securing the B Flight win.  "I wasn't long but safe off the tee and my irons were pretty accurate both days", stated Kuehl.  “I made a bunch of 5 and 6 footers today which really helped".

Pinehurst's John Henely was one of only three C Flight competitors to break 90 both days of the event with a total of 86-85 - 171.  After hitting the ball straight all day, Henely was 1 shot down on the final hole of the tournament, facing a long iron shot over water.  He hit the shot purely and made par, giving him the win.

 In the team competition, which is based on the total strokes of the top two finishers from each tour in each flight, the Raleigh/Pinehurst Tour emerged victorious, snapping a 6-year "stranglehold" that the Charlotte Tour had on the team trophy.  Their 1281 total bested Charlotte by a mere 5 strokes.

 "The last time we won it was 2006" said Raleigh/Pinehurst Tour Director Bruce Hallenbeck.  "It was about time we got it back".

 

THE SENIOR AMATEUR GOLF TOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

TOP FIVE SCORES BY FLIGHT

 

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT:

Brian Layne, Yorktown, VA  76-71 - 147

Dave Brown, Charlotte, NC  75-73 - 148

Jim Gallagher, Yorktown, VA  76-73 - 149

Bill Hall, Charlotte, NC  74-75 - 149

Keith Myers, Roanoke, VA 70-82 - 152

 

A  FLIGHT:

Tom Carbone, Charlotte, NC  75-79 - 154

Jim Alford, Zebulon, NC  83-75 - 158

Ed Paterniti, Orlando, FL  79-79 - 158

Jeff Thompson, Charlotte, NC  77-81 - 158

Bobby Annison, Shreveport. LA  82-77 - 159

Ricky Segal, Charlotte, NC  80-79 - 159

Mike Smith, Kentucky  80-79 - 159

 

B  FLIGHT:

Dick Kuehl, Sanford, NC  80-79 - 159

Glenn Wright, Pittsboro, NC  82-81 - 163

Jerry Drewry, Indiana  79-84 - 163

Allen Hagen, Charlotte, NC  79-85 - 164

Les Brightbill, Florida  75-89 - 164

 

C  FLIGHT:

John Henely, Pinehurst, NC  86-85 - 171

Mark Sikes, Charlotte, NC  87-87 - 174

Joe Porter, Orlando, FL  89-87 - 176

Terry Lawson, Orlando, Fl  95-82 - 177

Mike Wren, Virginia Beach, VA  91-87 - 87

 

 

For full results from the 2013 Senior Amateur Golf Tour Championship, click here.

For full results from the 2012 Senior Amateur Golf Tour Championship, click here.

For full results from the 2011 Senior Amateur Golf Tour Championship, click here.
For full results from the 2010 Senior Amateur Golf Tour Championship, click here.
For full results from the 2009 Senior Amateur Golf Tour Championship, click here.