18th Annual Pine Needles Invitational Championship

Southern Pines, March 6, 2012 – A field of 68 teams (36 Open Division & 32 Senior Division) from 12 states as well as Quebec, Canada, teed off Friday, March 2nd in the 18th Annual Pine Needles Invitational Championship at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club and Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. This has become one of the most popular amateur team events in North Carolina and the Southeast. The event is a 54-hole team competition playing both Four Ball and Modified Alternate Stroke formats over the first weekend of March. The Open and Senior Divisions competed on both Donald Ross designed layouts, which are constantly ranked among two of the best in North Carolina.

The Open Division played a Four Ball format for the first two rounds, with Friday’s round taking place at Mid Pines and Saturday’s round at Pine Needles. We had 36 teams begin play in the Open Division and after the 2nd round the field was cut to the low 25 teams. The Final round was played at Pine Needles using the Modified Alternate Stroke format.

Brett Williams from Cockeysville, MD and Brandon Lacroix from Roanoke, VA were named the Champions of the Open Division with a score of 65-65-68-198. We had a tie for 2nd place with a 54-hole score of 200. Adam Horton from Chesapeake, VA and Garland Green from Tazwell, VA tied with Gary Carpenter Jr. and Josh Upton both from Crofton, MD. We also had a tie for 4th place with a 54-hole score of 201. Scott Campbell from Greenville, NC and Barry Dyche from Charlotte, NC tied with Thomas Parker from Charlotte, NC and Will Huntley from Pinehurst, NC.

The Senior Division also played the Four Ball format for the first two rounds with Friday’s round at Pine Needles and Saturday’s at Mid Pines. The Senior Division required both players to be at least 50 years old to qualify. We had 32 teams begin play and after the 2nd round the field was cut to the low 24 teams. The final round was played at Pine Needles using the Modified Alternate Stroke format.

Gary Strickfaden from Southern Pines, NC and Dennis Helms from Monroe, NC were named Champions in the Senior Division with a score of 68-68-64-200. Allen Barber from Yorktown, VA and Charlie Green from Tazewell, VA finished in 2nd place with a score of 65-68-68-201. Spike Smith from Pinehurst, NC and Jim Macallister from Fort Washington, PA finished in 3rd place with a score of 65-68-70-203. Rich Lownes from Fort Washington, PA and Jim Muller from Huntingdon Valley, PA finished 4th with a score of 66-68-71-205. Roy and Chip Hunter, both from Charlotte, NC finished in 5th place with a score of 72-68-66-206.

A full scoring summary from the weekend is available at www.pineneedles-midpines.com. We want to thank all the players for a great weekend of golf and are looking forward to next year’s event. The 19th Annual Pine Needles Invitational will be held February 28-March 3, 2013.