There were two major winners after Thursday’s final round of the North Carolina Open at Starmount Forest Country Club.
Recent UNC Greensboro graduate Noah Connor (pictured below), who held a six-stroke lead entering the day, cruised to a three-shot victory despite a final-round 72 that included 38 on the back nine. The Reidsville amateur finished at 11-under-par 202 for 54 holes.
Connor is now reigning champion of the state open and the Carolinas Open, two of the Carolinas PGA’s most-prestigious championships.
“I didn’t really do anything different than I had the last couple of days,” said Connor, who hopes to qualify and play in the U.S. Amateur this summer before turning pro. “I knew where I stood throughout the round, so I wasn’t ever worried or anxious about it.”
The other big winner was host pro Savio Nazareth (pictured putting and below), who birdied four of the final five holes for 68 to finish second with 205. As low pro, Nazareth shined in front of his club’s members collected the $5,000 first prize.
Plus, the tournament went off without a hitch, avoiding any type of weather problems that wiped out the CPGA Senior Open scheduled for Holly Ridge earlier in May.
After blistering the course with rounds of 66 and 64 — the low rounds each day — Connor said he didn’t have as many birdie chances Thursday and he wasn’t as successful on the greens. But he was never threatened, though Nazareth’s late charge cut significantly into the margin.
“I missed several putts of 6 to 8 feet,” said Connor, who doesn’t expect to try for a sweep of the CPGA’s three most prestigious events by playing in the S.C. Open in late June at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach. “I missed several putts of 6 to 8 feet.”
Cornelius pro Nick Rencis shot Thursday’s low round of 66 to pull into a tie with pro Aaron Black of Indian Land, South Carolina, and amateur Alex Heffner of Harrisburg.
UNCG golfer Sam Davidson of Asheboro and Gardner-Webb player Jack Royer of Greensboro tied for eighth at 209.
Nazareth, a pro at Starmount for 19 years who shared the first-round lead, birdied 14, 15, 17 and 18. The highlight was a chip-in from about 20 yards at the par-3 17th. At 18, he hit a high cut from the right rough over trees, stopping it pin high, perhaps 40 feet from the pin, setting up a tap-in.
Nazareth said he fielded some good-natured texts crediting “home cooking” after his opening 66. But acknowledged that his knowledge of the course probably helped Thursday.
He said he stayed patient on the front nine, making one birdie and one birdie in an even-par 35, waiting for opportunities on the easier back nine.
“You still gotta hit the shots and make the putts,” he said. “I just tried to play safe on the front nine. Coming down the stretch 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 — I feel like they are birdie holes. Finishing the last three holes with three birdies in a row on 16, 17, 18 was pretty cool.”
For Nazareth, it was an outstanding — but difficult — week. In December, Starmount will close for several months for renovations.
“Trying to host an event and make sure that everything goes well is of hard,” Nazareth said. “If you have a good staff, you kind of let them do their thing.”
