Shortened CGA Super Senior at Mimosa leads to half-dozen winners

The Carolinas Golf Association hosted its 17th annual Carolinas Super Senior Championship at Morganton’s Mimosa Hills Golf Club on Tuesday and Wednesday, though severe weather in the area on day two led officials to shorten the event to 18 holes.

With all scores on the final 18 holes of stroke play thrown out — some players had finished their scheduled second rounds, while some had just started mid-afternoon and would have been unable to finish before dark due to lightning delays — two players tied for the 65-and-over division title, and four tied atop the 70-and-over field to earn the title of co-champions.

Brian Harris of Newton and Tim Teaster of Cayce, S.C., both started hot and overcame three subsequent bogeys to shoot 5-under par rounds of 67 on Tuesday as they tied for the 65-and-over title.

The 65-year-old Harris made birdies at Nos. 1, 2, 3, 8, 13, and 16 and eagled the par 5 12th hole, while the 67-year-old Teaster’s round also included just eight pars as he birdied the first, second, seventh, 12th, 14th, and 18th holes to go with an eagle on No. 3.

That duo finished one shot ahead of Dale Fuller of Raleigh and Christopher Ingram of Winston-Salem, while Paul Simson of Raleigh, Russ Perry of Winston-Salem, and Joe Hendrick of Chesterfield, S.C., tied for fifth place at 3-under.

Twelve players shot under par in the division, and another seven carded even-par 72s. Mimosa member Keith Bowers and Marion’s Brandon Godfrey both shot 7-over 79s and tied for 63rd in the 88-man field, while Morganton’s Brian Reep withdrew.

In 70-and-over play, the quartet of winners who posted 3-under 69s also finished with somewhat up-and-down rounds in the extreme heat, with only 74-year-old John Bunn of Raleigh making fewer than four bogeys or worse.

Ed Donlin of Concord, 70, Steve Fox of Pinehurst, 71, and Pete Allen of Southport, 75, also shot 69, with Donlin and Fox carding four bogeys and Allen able to get back to 3-under despite a double bogey on No. 4 as the trio combined for 22 birdies.

Four more players broke par, and four others finished even-par. Morganton’s David Simpson shot a 2-over 74 to tie for 16th place, and Nebo’s Rick Condrey tied for 20th with a 75.

Honeycutt-Vanderpool win Silver Creek member event

The team of Daniel Honeycutt and Aaron Vanderpool shot a sizzling 7-under par Sunday round of 65 to break out of a three-way tie through 18 holes and claim the annual Member-Member tournament at Silver Creek Golf Club on June 21-22.

The duo finished 36 holes over the weekend at 12-under par to win by four strokes over overnight co-leaders Steve Jetter and Rob Scott as well as Byron Bailey and David Simpson, who finished birdie-eagle on Nos. 17 and 18.

Jetter is the defending club champion and Burke County Open champion, while Bailey and Simpson recently won the Member-Guest at Mimosa Hills and were last year’s Bubba champions at Silver Creek.

The event featured 33 total teams who were split into six flights after the first round, and prizes were awarded for skins and closest-to-the-pins on all par 3s in both rounds. Honeycutt was closest to the pin on No. 3 on day one, and the duo pocketed more cash with the only eagle of the day later at No. 12.

Jetter and Bailey were also among closest-to-the-pin winners, and the team of Barry Rand and Terry Richards won one of two day-one skins and claimed two closest-to-the-pins.

Silver Creek hosting Drive, Chip, and Putt next month

Silver Creek Golf Club is hosting a Drive, Chip and Putt local qualifier on July 19, and today (Saturday, June 28) is hosting a junior clinic/practice session ahead of the event.

Drive, Chip and Putt is a free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the fundamental skills employed in golf. Winners from local events move up through various stages in order to attempt to qualify for the national finals, which are held at Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters tournament.

Today’s junior clinic will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. Cost is $20, and there is a maximum capacity of 18 students. To register for either youth event or for more information, call the pro shop at 828-584-6911.