Vargas wins AJGA at Sedgefield; Pilot Mountain’s Badgett ties for fifth

        Asher Vargas of Spring Texas won the AJGA Wyndham Invitational at Sedgefield Country Club on Thursday, finishing with a 6-under-par 204 total for 54 holes. Mason Howell of Thomasville, Georgia, and Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California, tied for second at 206. Pennson Badgett (pictured above) of Pilot Mountain, who shot 70 in his first two…

Burlington’s Kayla Smith wins N.C. Women’s Amateur

        Burlington native Kayla Smith birdied three of the final six holes Thursday at Mooresville Golf Club to cap a 4-under-par 68 and win The Carolinas Golf Association North Carolina Women’s Amateur by three strokes over Winston-Salem’s Macy Pate. Smith, who recently finished her fifth season at the University of North Carolina with the school’s No.…

Can anybody — or any thing other than a sheriff or the law of averages — stop Scheffler at No. 2?

        The old joke continues to be told by the players at this weekend’s U.S. Open, which begins Thursday morning at Pinehurst No. 2. What’s the best way to stop Scottie Scheffler (pictured practicing at No. 2) from winning? The much-repeated answer: have him arrested by the sheriff, or any other law enforcement officer lining the…

Mathews, Hernandez, UNC trio start strong at NCAA Championship

        Participating as individuals, Mebane native Nick Mathews of N.C. State and Nick Hernandez of UNC Greensboro got off to good starts at the NCAA Men’s Championship Friday before fading down the stretch at La Costa North in Carlsbad, California. Powered by brothers David and Maxwell Ford and Peter Fountain, North Carolina grabbed third place. The…

Connor cruises to N.C. Open victory, host pro cashes in on late birdies

        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…

(Round 2 Complete) Connor leads N.C. Open by six strokes at Starmount Forest

        Noah Connor would have rather been in Southern California this week rather than playing in the N.C. Open at Starmount Forest Country Club. And that sentiment was probably shared by the rest of the field. Connor, a recent UNC Greensboro graduate and the defending Carolinas Open champion, shot 7-under-par 64 Wednesday to grab a six-stroke…