By John Brasier
The Carolinas Golf Association brought a special guest to its annual Golf Night celebration on Feb. 10 at Pinehurst Resort’s Carolina Hotel.
On a night that began with the election of a new president and included recognition of the organization’s players of the year, the star of show may have been the U.S. Open trophy, loaned by the neighboring United States Golf Association, which moved staff into its new Golf House Pinehurst facility in December.
Guests took turns posing with the U.S. Open trophy Feb. 10 at Golf Night at the Carolina Hotel’s Cardinal Ballroom. (Photos courtesy of the CGA)
USGA officials told Triad Golf that it hopes to have the second of its two buildings on the grounds at Pinehurst Country Club open in May. The second building, which will be open to the public, will have a museum, interactive displays to show the USGA’s work in advancing the game and a golf shop. The admission price has not yet been announced. The first of the two-level buildings include equipment testing spaces on the lower level.
The U.S. Open is scheduled for June 13-16 on Pinehurst No. 2. The CGA is one of the USGA’s 57 Allied Golf Associations throughout the country.
Many of the 100 or so guests at the dinner and program in the Cardinal Ballroom took turns posing for photos with the trophy throughout the night during a cocktail hour and following the awards program.
Rick Riddle (top photo) of Carolina Country Club in Charlotte was elected the CGA’s new president, succeeding Michael Smith of Greenville, South Carolina.
The CGA players of the year included: Men’s, Sam Jackson of West Columbia, S.C.; Women’s, Isabella Rawl of Lexington, S.C.; Senior Men, Steve Harwell, Mooresville; Senior Women, Kathy Hartwiger, Pinehurst; Super Senior Men, Steve Fox, Pinehurst; Junior Boys’, Will Hartman, Marvin; Junior Girls’, Madison Messimer, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
