Wynns wins again at Eastern Am

Editor’s Shag Bag by STEVE WILLIAMS

The final leaderboard at the Eastern Amateur July 13 looked like a convention of some of North Carolina’s best college players from the past season.

Braxton Wynns, a senior at Campbell University, captured the title for the second straight year, shooting 72-64-66-71 and then edging Ramon Bescansa, a 2003 graduate of North Carolina, in a three-hole sudden death playoff.

Bescansa, who shot 70-69-67-67, was sent packing when Wynns holed a 20-foot downhill birdie chip out of the rough behind the eighth green at Elizabeth Manor Golf Club in Portsmouth, Va.

Wynns, who is from Buies Creek, won the title for the second straight year, becoming the first player in 31 years to repeat.

Andy Bare, a junior at UNC-Greensboro from West End, finished a shot off the pace at 274 (69-70-69-66) and Duke senior Rob Beasley of Greensboro tied for sixth at 276 (69-69-68-70).

Mike Derminio of Arizona State and Ryan Carter of Fresno State were the outsiders in the top five.

Greensboro’s Greg Earnhardt, 33, looked like the grizzled veteran among all the college boys and he tied for sixth. Earnhardt, who won the Middle Atlantic Amateur last fall, shot 66-66-71-73.

East Carolina University’s Jason Harris of Clemmons made a strong showing in the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship before falling in the round of 16.

Harris, who will be an ECU senior this fall, defeated Nathan Colson, 2 and 1, in he first round and then turned back Scott Seibert, 4 and 2.

In the third round, Luke List held on for a one 1 up victory over Harris. List won another match before falling in the semifinals to eventual champ Brandt Snedeker, a first-team All-American who graduated from Vanderbilt in May. Snedeker clobbered Dayton Rose in the 36-hole championship match, 10 and 9, scoring 11 birdies in 27 holes.

Dustin Bray, a senior at the University of North Carolina, turned in a solid performance in the Palmer Cup at Kiawah Island’s Cassique course despite the Americans’ 14-10 loss to Europe.

Bray teamed with Brandt Snedeker in a 2 and 1 victory in foursome play after taking a 2 and 1 win in individual play.

Bray-Snedeker also teamed up for a 2 and 1 victory in fourball play the first day of event.

Greensboro College sophomore Rocky Manning was low amateur at the Carolinas Open played June 24-26 at Surf Golf & Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach.

Manning posted rounds of 68, 69 and 71 on the par-71 course and finished in a tie for seventh, seven shots off the pace of Jeff Lankford of Mocksville.

Amber Marsh of Jamestown and Jennifer Gleason, a recent UNC-Greensboro graduate, were co-medalists in qualifying for the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship to be held Aug. 4-10 at Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne, Pa.

Marsh and Gleason each shot 71 to take two of the seven spots in the qualifier held at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. Stacy Hilton of Lexington also earned a trip to the U.S. Am with a 74.

The 24-member Virginias team notched a 52-47 victory over their Carolinas counterparts to win the 47th Virginias-Carolinas Women’s Team Matches at Stonewall Resort.

In the event, played July 14-16, Ridgeway’s Fran Hensley and Martinsville’s Becky Poindexter were key players in the Virginians’ victory.

The 2003 Carolinas-Virginias men’s team matches site and date have been changed to Grandfather Golf and Country Club in Linville on October 17-19. This year will mark the 58th playing of the matches that began in 1955.

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach was originally slated to host the event but opted out because of work at the course.

The Kemp brothers of Greensboro finished 2-3 in the Crown Royal Golf Championship at Providence Forge, Va.

Korky Kemp used a final round 66 to vault into second place with a 277 total, three shots off the pace of Ted Brown, who turned pro after his May graduation at Virginia Commonwealth University. Kevin Kemp finished third at 278 after a final-round 71.

Brown won $13,500, Korky Kemp $7,000 and Kevin Kemp $4,000.

Mark Stillwell, another mini-tour player from Greensboro, picked up his first professional victory in June, taking the title in an Atlantic Coast Golf Tour event at Quarry Hills. He came close to his second win July 17, but lost in a three-way playoff in the Deer Brook Invitational, an event on the Tar Heel Tour. Stillwell shot 69-69-71 and tied with David Siegel of Charlotte (66-68-75) and Karl Mitchell of Rockwell (71-67-71). Siegel’s chip-in birdie ended the playoff on the first hole.

Greensboro resident John Maginnes picked up his biggest check of the year on the PGA Tour with a tie for fifth in the B.C. Open July 20.

Maginnes shot 66-69-67-69 for a $98,250 payday. He has made 10 cuts in 18 events and stands 129th on the money list with $285,388.