By David Droschak
Scott Harvey held true to his promise of reducing his tournament schedule to spend more time with his family. Heck, he didn’t pick up a club for four months.
But once Harvey started practicing hard in March it was game on.
The Kernersville native won three times in 2019 to capture the Richard S. Tufts Men’s Player of the Year award presented by the Carolinas Golf Association. Harvey has captured the honor every year since 2011 except in 2018, when Kevin O’Connell of Cary was honored.
“It still means as much to me as it did the first time,” Harvey told Triad Golf Today. “When I went up there and to accept the award I was in tears again. I’ve never gone up there and not been so emotionally overwhelmed.”
Harvey began 2019 with a late April victory at the 2019 George L. Coleman Invitational, carding rounds of 71-74-70 for a one shot win.
“That’s one of the biggest stroke-play tournaments in the world and it was my first tournament of the year,” Harvey said. “That gave me a good jump start to the year.”
In May, Harvey, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, won the U.S. Men’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with partner Todd Mitchell.
“Any time you win a USGA event that’s extremely prestigious,” Harvey said. “Those aren’t easy to come by.”
Harvey then capped off a remarkable three-month run in June by winning the George C. Thomas Invitational at Los Angeles Country Club for a fourth straight year, his second-round 67 propelling the 41-year-old to victory.
“Those back-to-back-to-back wins really set me up for a great year,” he said.
I would say so.
By the fall, Harvey made it to match play at the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, claimed runner-up at the 2019 Crump Cup, and finished off the year as a member of the winning Carolinas Team at the 74th Captain’s Putter Team Matches.
“Through June I played in three tournaments to where in the past I may have played in seven,” Harvey said of his reduced schedule. “My quality of finishes was just higher.
“Once again, I have not played since the middle of October,” Harvey added. “At the beginning of March I will start practicing hard. I have been able to relax more because in my mind I don’t really have anything to prove to anybody.”
In addition to Harvey, Russ Perry of Winston-Salem was another Triad-area winner, capturing the player of the year award in the Super Senior Men’s division. It was the second straight season Perry, 65, has won the award.
In August, Perry battled from four-shots back in the final round to capture his seventh CGA title at the 11th Carolinas Super Senior Championship. Perry played a bogey-free final round to shoot a 4-under-par, 68. He also finished first twice and fourth twice in his four CPGA events in 2019.
