Over 670 players from 45 Local Tours competed in the 2024 Golfweek National Championship!
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. –The 30th anniversary of the Golfweek Amateur Tour culminated with nearly 700 players representing all 45 of our Local Tours competing over three days on eight courses throughout Hilton Head Island.
In the Championship Flight, Bryce Benson secured his first National Championship by leading the tournament from start to finish. Benson opened the tournament on Friday at Atlantic Dunes with a one-over-par round of 73, establishing a five-shot lead over several competitors. During Saturday's round at Golden Bear Golf Club in Indigo Run, both Benson and Wes Strader carded one-under-par scores of 71; however, they fell just short of the day's lowest score of 70, posted by last year’s runner-up, Lance Lacombe. Returning to Atlantic Dunes on Sunday, Benson maintained a commanding six-shot lead, which he never relinquished. Although Lacombe started the day five shots behind, he was unable to close the gap, ultimately finishing in fourth place. Jeff Wong, a two-time National Champion, displayed consistent performance throughout the day, finishing four shots back in second place. Jacob Hamner claimed third, while Lance Lacombe took fourth. The fifth position was shared between Steve Calhoun and seven-time National Champion Joe Jaspers.
Bryce Benson, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (73-71-78—222)
Jeff Wong, Hilton Head-Savannah (78-75-73—226)
Jacob Hamner, Louisiana South (80-72-74—226)
Lance Lacombe, Jacksonville, FL (80-70-79—229)
Steve Calhoun, North Central Florida (78-79-73—230)
Joe Jaspers, Charlotte, NC (78-74-78—230)
A Flight players tested their skills in Palmetto Dunes Resort on both the Robert Trent Jones and Arthur Hills courses throughout the tournament. Remarkably, for the second time in thirty years, a woman emerged as the A Flight Champion. Sokhary Pavesse played solidly all weekend and concluded the last day by successfully fending off her challengers. Trevor Wedekind’s score of 78 on Sunday enabled him to clinch second place. Close behind, Matt Bankston, Ben Roberts, Derek Barnes, Steve Evans, and Scott Edwards each concluded the tournament with three-day totals of 246.
Sokhary Pavesse, Tampa, FL (81-79-81—241)
Trevor Wedekind, Michigan West (85-81-78—244)
Matt Bankston, Mississippi (84-77-83—246)
Ben Roberts, Atlanta, GA (86-81-79—246)
Derek Barnes, Denver, CO (85-79-82—246)
Steve Evans, Hilton Head-Savannah,(83-80-83—246)
Scott Edwards, Hilton Head-Savannah, (85-77-84—246)
Michael Anderson battled all weekend and never held more than a three-shot lead over the rest of the B Flight competitors. Anderson shot consistent scores as he battled Jacob Gregory and Will Duncan over the three days. Eventually, he finished up Sunday at the Country Club of Hilton Head with a three-shot margin of victory to claim the title of National Champion.
Michael Anderson, Cincinnati/Dayton, OH (83-80-82—245)
Jacob Gregory, Central, NC (85-80-81—248)
Will Duncan, Kansas (82-87-80—249)
Craig Peplin, Atlanta, GA (84-82-84—250)
Rich McClendon, Arkansas (86-77-85—248)
Deon Cook, Atlanta, GA (88-83-80—251)
Shawn Cacioppo, Central, NC (83-83-85—251)
In the C Flight, Kevin Brown won his first-ever National Championship with an impressive three-day total of 249. Following him in second place was Chris Louth, with Patrick Klase and Louis Lafayette taking the third and fourth positions, respectively. David Yi and Adam Gilliam completed the top five standings.
Kevin Brown, Columbus, OH (87-79-83—249)
Chris Louth, Cincinnati/Dayton, OH (85-87-84—256)
Patrick Klase, Columbus, OH (87-86-85—258)
Louis Lafayette, Washington, DC Metro (88-84-87---259)
David Yi, Atlanta, GA (93-88-81—262)
Adam Gillam, Alabama (84-94-84---262)
In the D Flight, Thomas Hargis triumphed over Tony James, securing the title of National Champion with an impressive three-day score of 271, finishing six shots ahead. The final day was a closely contested two-horse race, with James striving to close the gap; however, he ultimately fell short, concluding in a commendable solo second place. Robert Aamodt claimed third, while Zak Thompson finished forth. Kirill Volchenko and Jay Thompson rounded out the top five respectively.
Thomas Hargis, Cincinnati/Dayton, OH (87-90-94—271)
Tony James, Augusta, GA (92-95-90—277)
Robert Aamodt, Denver, CO (93-95-92—280)
Zak Thompson, Washington, DC Metro (89-96-96—281)
Kirill Volchenko, Louisiana South (95-93-94—282)
Jay Thompson, Washington, DC Metro (90-96-96---282)
Cincinnati/Dayton successfully defended their Team Cup title for the third consecutive year, finishing with a cumulative score of 2611 strokes over three days. Louisiana South took second place with a total of 2619 strokes, followed closely by Charlotte with 2621. Rounding out the top five teams were Dallas-Fort Worth with 2629 strokes and Tidewater at 2639 strokes.
Turning to the Edwin Watts 2 Man Team Challenge, please join me in congratulating the following teams for their outstanding performance in winning their respective flights with the three-day totals listed below:
Champ Flight: Corbin Holt (Alabama) and Lance Lacombe (Jacksonville, FL) 461
A Flight:Tim Middleton (Tidewater, VA) and Bradley Miller (Tidewater, VA) 500
B Flight:Michael Anderson (Cincinnati/Dayton, OH) and Amal Irudayaraj (Indianapolis) 504
C Flight:Chris Louth (Cincinnati/Dayton, OH) and Kurt Reichert (Michigan East) 525
D Flight:Gary Hedges (Cincinnati/Dayton, OH) and Thomas Hargis (Cincinnati/Dayton, OH) 558
The 2024 season marked the nineteenth year Hilton Head Island hosted our National Championships. Our 1245 competitors (678 Golfweek Amateur Tour/467 Senior Amateur Tour) collectively played on eleven courses: Country Club of Hilton Head, Golden Bear, Hampton Hall, Hilton Head National, Oyster Reef, Robber’s Row, Arthur Hills/Fazio/Robert Trent Jones at Palmetto Dunes, Arthur Hills at Palmetto Hall, and Atlantic Dunes at Sea Pines.