Created in 2020 by NCHSAA Assistant Commissioner Brad Alford, the Alford Family Golf Scholarship provides financial assistance to one male and one female golfer who will continue their educational and athletic career at the next level. Recipients must demonstrate how the shared core values of the NCHSAA and the game of golf have affected their life as high school student-athletes. 

Recipients must display leadership qualities that include sportsmanship as a player and integrity as a person. The student-athlete must share the ways in which they plan to give back to the game in the future. 2024 is the second awarding of the Alford Family Golf Scholarships.

The winners of the 2023-24 Alford Family Golf Scholarship are Makenzie Crossman from Chatham Charter and Landon Merrell from East Rowan.

Crossman was the 1A Central Tar Heel Conference Golfer of the Year all four years of her high school career and finished in the top four each year in the Regional, winning in 2023. She also finished in the top 10 at the 1A/2A State Championship all four years. She is a Beta Club member and a four-time winner of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her numerous volunteering efforts, including but not limited to being a scorekeeper at the US Adaptive Open, LPGA USGA Girls Golf Leader Board of Directors, PKBGT Player’s Council, Middle School Coach, talent show planner, tutor, summer program and vacation bible school helper. She graduated with a 3.88 unweighted GPA and will play golf and study exercise science at Barton College.

Merrell was the South Piedmont 3A Conference Player of the Year as a freshman and is a four-time winner of the Rowan County Championship. He qualified for the State Championship three times and finished T16 this year at the 3A State Championship. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Junior Civitan and Civitan Scholar, he made the A-Honor Roll all four years and is a volunteer worker at First Reformed Church. He volunteered at the Granite Quarry Civitan Fiddlers Convention and at the Junior Civitan Special Olympics, and as a cook and camera operator at First Reformed Church. He graduated with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and will play golf and study business at Coker University.