Around the Green

Compiled by Steve Williams and Jay Allred

Four Triad-Area Pros Advance in U.S. Open Qualifying
 Four professionals with Triad ties have made it through local U.S. Open qualifying and are looking toward sectional events June 3-4.

Jerry Haas, golf coach at Wake Forest University, was medalist at North Stone CC in Huntersville May 13 with a 67. Also advancing out of the Huntersville qualifier was Christopher Hipwell, an assistant pro at Forest Oaks CC in Greensboro. Hipwell shot 71.

Nick Biesecker of Lexington and Korky Kemp of Greensboro, both members of the NGA Hooters Tour, made it through a local qualifying event at River Landing in Wallace. Each posted one-under-par 71s.

There are 12 sectional qualifying sites across the nation. Top finishers at each will earn berths in the U.S. Open, set for June 13-16 at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

CPGA Senior-Junior
SUNSET BEACH – Former Greensboro resident Hugh Gill teamed with Charles Moore to win the Carolinas PGA Senior-Junior Championship May 20 at Panther’s Run Golf Links.

Gill-Moore edged Vic Lipscomb and Bob Boyd in a playoff after both teams shot 64.

David Thore of Reidsville, teaming with Sam Brewer of Raleigh, tied for fourth at 66 with three other teams, including Steve Isley and J.B. Guyton.

N.C. Senior Am 
Cliff Cunningham of Monroe made a routine par on the third playoff hole to defeat Terry Rathman of Gastonia to add to his collection of North Carolina Senior Amateur Championships.

The 54-hole event, the 17th annual, was played May 20-22.

Cunningham, 66, finished at 217 (70-74-73) as did Rathman (71-74-72). They tied the first two playoff holes but Rathman found a water hazard on the third hole at Raintree Golf Club’s South Course in Charlotte, giving Cunningham a simple two-putt to wrap up the title.

Cunningham has won the event six out of the last nine years dating back to 1994. He also won the 1997 United States Senior Amateur Championship.

Jack Williams of Gastonia finished third at 219, Dave Robinson of Burlington was fourth at 220 and Jim Dowtin Jr. of Greensboro took fifth at 221.

Carolinas Four-Ball 
For the second straight year, Bert Atkinson of Charleston, S.C. and Sammy Truett of Surfside Beach, S.C. are the Carolinas Four-Ball champions.

The pair captured the event with a 3&1 decision over 1999 champions Daran Womack of Aiken, S.C. and Joe Hendrick of Chesterfield, S.C. at Camden Country Club May 5.

A pair of Triad teams made strong runs in the tournament, only to lose to the eventual champs.

Chris Cassetta of Kernersville and Kenny Flynn of Winston-Salem reached the semifinals and lost to a red-hot Atkinson-Truitt team 5&4. Atkinson fired six birdies in the 14-hole match.

Steve Jones and Dirk Fennie of Greensboro reached the quarterfinals before falling to Atkinson-Truitt 1 up.

Cassetta-Flynn, who finished second in qualifying with 63-66, had made their way to the semifinals with a 1 up verdict over Concord’s Keith Harris and Glenn Quintana in the quarterfinals.

Earlier wins were over Steve Sharpe of Greensboro and Jacob May of Lexington (22 holes) and Chuck Floyd of Fort Mill, S.C. and Mike Granger of Charlotte (3&2).

Fennie-Jones made their way to the quarterfinals with wins over Ray Womack of Burlington and Jimmy Simmons of Elon (4&3) and Mark Wagner and Lance Waggener of Statesville (7&6). They were eight-under par after 12 holes in that win.

Keith Hills Am Changing 

The Keith Hills Amateur Tournament is going to a 54-hole format in 2003, but this year it dropped back to 18.

The eighth annual event’s scheduled first round May 18 was washed out by rain, leaving the 132-player field to face off in an 18-hole shootout May 19.

Pinehurst’s Sherrill Britt began his round knowing what he needed to win after Mike Ordnung of Conway posted a 5-under-par 67 earlier in the day. Britt notched he number he needed, a 6-under 66, concluding with a

seven-foot birdie putt on the final hole .

The event will go to a Friday-through-Sunday 54-hole format next year. The size of the field will increase but there will be a cut after 36 holes.

Harris, Brown Honored 
East Carolina’s Jason Harris, a sophomore from West Forsyth High in Clemmons, was named team MVP after his first season with the Pirates.

Harris, who transferred to ECU after his freshman year at Tennessee, also was selected to the Conference USA All-Tournament at All-Conference teams.

Harris placed fourth in the C-USA tournament with 211 (69-71-71). He won his first collegiate title in February at the Gulf Coast Classic.

Derek Brown, a sophomore at UNC-Wilmington by way of South Stokes High School in Walnut Cove, made second team All-Colonial Athletic Conference.

Brown, who has won two collegiate titles, finished the year with a 72.9 average. He tied for fifth in the conference tournament, shooting 214 (69-71-74).

Triad Loses Another Golf Leader
 In less than one year the golf community has lost two trailblazers for civil rights in golf. Dr. George Simkins of Greensboro, who helped open municipal golf courses to area African Americans, died last November. Then, on April 21, Harold Dunovant of Winston-Salem passed away.

Dunovant grew up in Winston-Salem and his family moved to New York while still young. As a teenager he found out African-Americans were welcomed on the fairways in New York which started his love for the game.

He graduated high school from Southside High School in Danville and returned to play college football at Winston-Salem State University. He turned professional in 1954 and was an apprentice professional at Sam Sharrow Golf School in New York and Western Avenue Golf Course, Los Angeles, California. He played in events held by the United Golf Association, an organization for African-American golfers.

In 1960, he was appointed head pro at Winston Lake Golf Course in Winston-Salem and began his campaign to become the first African-American Class A professional in the PGA of America. This was the beginning of a long battle with the PGA for equality that wasn’t recognized until his membership in 1974.

His pioneering days within the PGA was not over. In 1993 his son Jeff followed in his father’s footsteps and became a PGA Class A professional. They remained the only African-American father and son combination in the PGA of America.

In 1986, he established the National Black Golf Hall of Fame to recognize contributions by and for African-Americans in the game of golf. He devoted countless hours and money to helping kids discover the game of golf. He founded and directed the HAWS (Housing Authority of Winston-Salem) Junior Golf Program.

In 1999, the Carolinas Section of the PGA honored Harold Dunovant as its junior golf leader of the year.

 “He did a tremendous amount for junior golfers. He was always so thankful for the clubs the PGA sent him from our Clubs for Kids program,” stated Ron Schmid, Executive Director of the Carolinas PGA Section.

Although he leaves behind a lasting legacy, there will be a large void in the golf community that will need to be filled.

Dr. Tony Piparo has been focusing on putting for years and recently won the Triad Entrepreneurial Initiatives award in the business plan competition for his Down the Line™ putter. The putter has been submitted to the USGA for approval and Piparo and his business associates hope to have the revolutionary putter on the market in a few months.

On the golf course front, several courses are making renovations and improvements. Oak Valley began aggressively resodding the bermudagrass fairways in May. After last year’s drought they were unable to get enough water on the fairways. With a better water supply and new sod the spotty fairways will be back to the level of previous years come June.

Tanglewood Park recently rebuilt and leveled tee boxes on the championship course. The improvements were requested by the Senior PGA Tour after last year’s events. Most of the par-3 holes have expanded tee boxes while the others will remain in the same positions.

Linville Golf Club has restored the course back to the design of Donald Ross. Most of the modifications have taken place on holes four through eight.

America’s Discount Golf has opened in Thomasville.
The store, located off U.S. 85 (exit 103) on Laura Lane, is owned by Thomasville residents Brooks and Crystal Brock. They carry a full line of name brand equipment, accessories and apparel including Nike, Mizuno, Titleist, Taylor Made, Callaway, Ping and Greg Norman.