Warren three-peats; Mitchell defends 1A Championship
WEST END – The Mitchell Mountaineers and Connor Warren repeated as the NCHSAA 1A Men’s Golf Champions in a tournament that was delayed and ultimately shortened to 27 due to rain.
Warren posted a one-over par 72 on Monday and an even par 35 on Tuesday to win the individual championship by three strokes. He becomes the third golfer in NCHSAA history to win three individual titles and the first since Brendon Todd won the 2000, 2002, and 2003 championships for Green Hope.
Mount Airy finished second, just three strokes behind the Mountaineers, and was led by junior Shockley Hiatt, who posted six-over and finished in a tie for third. Langtree Charter’s Samuel Skoog finished in second place, three shots behind Warren, and overnight leader Colin Ferrick from Christ the King ended up in a tie for third.
Mountain Island Charter took third place, and Cornerstone Charter finished fourth.
7 Lakes Golf Club made its debut as an NCHSAA Golf Championship host site this week and played as a 6,376-yard par 71 for the 1A Championship.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting and highlighting outstanding sportsmanship and has partnered with North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance to recognize one athlete from each team who has displayed the ideals of sportsmanship throughout the year. The 2024 NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award winners for the 1A Men’s Golf Championship were Brody Miller from Mitchell and Brandon Bowman from Mount Airy.
Seaforth wins 2A title in playoff
MONROE – The Seaforth Hawks edged Pine Lake Prep on the second playoff hole to win the school’s first NCHSAA Men’s Golf Championship on Tuesday at Stonebridge Golf Club.
Seaforth and Pine Lake Prep were tied at 594 after the completion of round two. The Pride held a three-stroke lead after round one, but the Hawks rallied on day two with rounds in the 60s from sophomore Ty Willoughby and junior Griffin Ching. In the playoff, all eight players made par on the first hole; on the second hole, the Hawks topped the Pride by two shots.
Willoughby won the individual championship as he carded a 67 in round one and a 68 in round two to finish nine-under-par and five shots ahead of East Surry sophomore, and defending champion, Pennson Badgett in second place. Willoughby’s 135 is tied for the fourth-best score in NCHSAA Championship history and he is the first Hawk to win an individual men’s golf titile.
Badgett’s Cardinals finished in a tie for fourth with Newton-Conover with a team score of 633. Salisbury finished in third, 22 strokes behind Seaforth and Pine Lake Prep.
Ching finished third on the individual leaderboard, and Louisburg senior Will Dement and Farmville Central senior Holder Rucker rounded out the top five as they tied for fourth at one-under.
The 2024 2A tournament was the first time that Stonebridge has hosted an NCHSAA Men’s Golf Championship but it did host a Women’s Championship in the fall. The track played as a 6,569 yard par-72 for the men this week.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting and highlighting outstanding sportsmanship and has partnered with North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance to recognize one athlete from each team who has displayed the ideals of sportsmanship throughout the year. The 2024 NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2A Men’s Golf Championship were J.T. DeLoach from Seaforth and Matthew Utz from Pine Lake Prep.
Terry Sanford wins back-to-back 3A championships
SOUTHERN PINES – The Terry Sanford Bulldogs won their fifth North Carolina High School Athletic Association Men’s Golf Championship on Tuesday as they defended their 3A crown at Longleaf Golf and Family Club.
The team score of 567 broke the NCHSAA State Championship Record, which was set by Broughton’s 569 at Pinehurst No. 6 in 2001. However, a few hours later, on Tuesday, Pinecrest set an even lower mark of 562 at Pinehurst No. 9 in the 4A Championships.
Terry Sanford was led by seniors Thomas Horne and Ethan Paschal as they finished tied for second on the individual leaderboard at six-under par. Freshman Taft Courie added a one-under performance that landed him in a tie for 10th, and senior Parks Helms finished in a tie for 20th as he posted five-over par for the two-round event.
The Bulldogs finished 14 strokes clear of J.H. Rose in second place and 34 strokes ahead of Stuart Cramer in third. Cramer senior Rich Wills won the individual state championship as he came in two shots ahead of Horne and Paschal. Wills posted a 67 in the opening round with six birdies and a bogey and followed it up on Tuesday with five birdies and two bogeys on the way to a 69.
Wills’ 136 is the sixth best championship score in NCHSAA history and he is the first player from Cramer to win an NCHSAA individual title.
There were 13 golfers that finished the event under par, including two freshmen, Courie and Warren Stiglitz, from East Lincoln, and a sophomore, David Gee, from Fred T. Foard.
The 2024 3A tournament marks the 18th time that Longleaf has hosted an NCHSAA men’s golf championship. This year the course played as a 6,611 yard par-72.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting and highlighting outstanding sportsmanship and has partnered with North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance to recognize one athlete from each team who has displayed the ideals of sportsmanship throughout the year. The 2024 NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award winners for the 3A Men’s Golf Championship were Thomas Horne from Terry Sanford and Will Guidry from J.H. Rose.
Pinecrest wins eighth NCHSAA title, second in a row
PINEHURST – The Pinecrest Patriots claimed their eighth NCHSAA 4A Men’s Golf Title on Tuesday at Pinehurst No. 9 in dominating fashion as they topped New Hanover by 14 strokes and set a new NCHSAA Championship scoring record in the process.
The Patriots posted a team score of 562, five shots better than the mark set by Terry Sanford earlier in the day and seven shots better than Broughton’s record that had stood since 2001.
Three Patriots finished the 36-hole event under par. Junior Carson Bertagnole led the way as he won the individual championship with a score of eight-under, 136. Bertagnole had a hole-in-one on Monday and went 27 straight holes without a bogey before carding a five on the 36th hole.
Sophomore Pete Myers finished five-under and in a tie for third, and freshman John John Santospago came in one shot behind him in solo fifth.
Runner-up New Hanover finished the championship even par as team and were led by Frank Averitt’s three-under that left him in a tie for sixth. Broughton and Green Hope tied for third at 584.
Green Hope senior Jake Lewis was the runner-up in the individual competition, just one stroke behind Bertagnole, and Charlotte Catholic junior Will Hartman tied with Myers for third.
Pinehurst has hosted an NCHSAA men’s championship 24 times but this week was the first time on No. 9. All previous championships at Pinehurst have been contested on courses No. 2, 4, 6 and 8. This week, No. 9 played as a 6,559 yard par 72.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting and highlighting outstanding sportsmanship and has partnered with North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance to recognize one athlete from each team who has displayed the ideals of sportsmanship throughout the year. The 2024 NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award winners for the 4A Men’s Golf Championship were Hudson Griffin from Pinecrest and Frank Averitt from New Hanover.
