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Lopez-Chacarra birdies through Amen Corner, shoots 68 at Augusta

John Brasier
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Lopez-Chacarra birdies through Amen Corner, shoots 68 at Augusta

Carolina Lopez-Chacarra of Wake Forest made an early splash with spectacular dash through Amen Corner during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The Spaniard birdied Nos. 11, 12 and 13 — the three holes comprising the course’s legendary “Amen Corner” — on her way to an impressive 4-under-par 68 at Augusta National Golf Club, home of next week’s Masters.

Participating in the tournament for the fifth straight year, Lopez-Chacarra played the final eight holes in 5-under, highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 15th hole. At 6-under for the tournament, she was in position for a top-10 finish as the leaders played the back nine.

“Just being here, it’s like a gift for all of the hard work that I’ve put in throughout the year,” Lopez-Chacarra said in a statement posted by Wake Forest. “I teed off and I thought ‘I just want to enjoy it’. It’s my first time here playing Augusta [National] during a competitive round and I just wanted to make the most of it and take it all in.”

Carla Bernat Escuder of Spain, who shot 68 Saturday, won at 12-under 204. Escuder also shot 68 in the first two rounds at Champions Retreat.

Several players posted good scores at Augusta National, which played about 6,355 yards — nearly 1,200 yards shorter than the Masters distance. Elia Galitzky of Thailand, who finished shot 66. Of the 31 players who advanced to Augusta National, eight broke par and another six matched par on the course.

Spence stays busy close to home

John Brasier
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Spence stays busy close to home

Kris Spence is staying busy. The Greensboro-based golf architect has several projects in the works, including extensive work at Starmount Forest Country Club.

Kris Spence’s recent projects include the restoration of an Ellis Maples design at Woodlake Country Club in Vass.

He’s also helping repair flood damage at Hound Ears in Boone. Other project sites in the pipeline include Raleigh Golf Association and Pine Valley Country Club in Wilmington.

Listen to Spence describe his projects on the latest Triad Golf Podcast, released Friday.

Spence’s recent successes include a restoration with major changes at Woodlake Country Club in Vass and the creation of Quixote Club in Sumter, South Carolina. Soon after opening, Quixote jumped into Golf Digest’s 2023 rankings of the best courses in South Carolina at No. 19.

Known as a specialist for restoring and renovating Donald Ross designs, Spence has worked on acclaimed Ross courses including Sedgefield Country Club, Forsyth Country Club, Roaring Gap Club and Holston Hills Country Club.

Lopez-Chacarra makes first Augusta cut, Pate falls just short

John Brasier
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Lopez-Chacarra makes first Augusta cut, Pate falls just short

Carolina Lopez-Chacarra made the cut, but Wake Forest teammate Macy Pate came up one stroke short Thursday in the second round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

At 2-under-par 142 at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Lopez-Chacarra advanced to Saturday’s final round at Augusta National Golf Club. Pate, a Winston-Salem resident, finished at 144.

Playing in the tournament for the fifth straight year, Lopez-Chacarra, a Spaniard, made the cut for the first time.

The top 30 players, plus ties, made the cut. The entire 71-player field will have the opportunity to play a practice round at Augusta National, home of next week’s Masters, on Friday.

Chacarra and Pate each shot 72 Friday. Chacarra, who started on the front nine, made three birdies and three bogeys. Pate, who had four birdies and four bogeys, birdied No. 9, her final hole.

Defending champion Lottie Woad of England and Kiara Romero, a Californian who plays at the University of Oregon, are tied for the lead at 9-under 135. South African Megan Streicher, who plays at North Carolina, missed the cut with 146.

Pate opens with solid 72 at Augusta event; Lopez-Chacarra shoots 70

John Brasier
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Pate opens with solid 72 at Augusta event; Lopez-Chacarra shoots 70

Macy Pate of Winston-Salem shot even-par 72 Wednesday at Champions Retreat Golf Club outside Augusta, Georgia, to stand just inside the cutline at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Pate, a sophomore at Wake Forest, balanced three birdies and three bogeys to pull into a tie with 11 others for 30th place. The top 30 scores and ties of the 71 competitors after Thursday’s second round will qualify for the final round Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club, host of next week’s Masters.

Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, the other Wake Forest entrant, shot 70 to join nine others in a tie for 13th, seven strokes behind Megha Ganne. A junior at Stanford, Ganne broke the ANWA single-round record with seven birdies and an eagle. Lottie Woad, the defending champion, was second at 65.

Ketchum finishes second at ECU tourney

John Brasier
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Ketchum finishes second at ECU tourney

Winston-Salem native Megan Ketchum of Virginia Tech finished second as an individual at the ECU Ironwood Invitational in Greenville.

Ketchum shot 3-under-par in the 36-hole event, which the Hokies won as a team at 11-over. Host East Carolina was second at 17-over. N.C. State was third at 34-over. UNC Greensboro was fourth and Elon was sixth in the 16-team tournament.

Marie Madsen of N.C. State shot 6-under as medalist. UNCG teammates Lulu Leetham and Ava Romfo tied for seventh at 5-over. Mebane’s Emily Mathews of Virginia Tech finished at 15-over.

Macy Pate wants to make her round count at Augusta National

John Brasier
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Macy Pate wants to make her round count at Augusta National

Macy Pate is looking forward playing at the famous home of the Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, later this week. But first, she’s trying to focus on a nearby course, hoping her play at Augusta National isn’t limited to a practice round.

At the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the 72 players invited into the field will play rounds Wednesday and Thursday at Champions Retreat, a modern course 15 miles northwest of Augusta National.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Pate, a 19-year-old sophomore from Winston-Salem. “It should be fun and challenging — at the same time.”

Only the 30 players (plus ties) that make the 36-hole cut, will advance to the final round Saturday at Augusta National. But on Friday, the entire field will have the opportunity to play a practice round at the famed course, which will play host to the Masters the following week.

So, until the conclusion of Thursday’s play, the field will try to concentrate their efforts on Champions Retreat, a course Pate expects to play extremely tough and long.

“You’re looking at hitting some hybrids and woods into greens,” Pate said.

Pate, a 19-year-old sophomore, will have her Wake Forest coach, Kim Lewallen, serving as her caddie. Wake assistant Ryan Potter is handling caddie duties for Pate’s teammate, Carolina Lopez-Chacarra.

Lewellen is becoming accustomed to the mid-season trip. A Wake player has earned an invitation each year since the tournament’s inception in 2019.

Wake’s Jennifer Kupcho won the inaugural event, punctuating the victory with an eagle at No. 13. Emilia Migliaccio was the runner-up in 2021 after a one-year hiatus due to Covid-19. Rachel Kuehn played in the event four times, finishing in the top 10 in 2022 and 2024.

Chacarra will be playing for the fifth straight year, but the Spaniard has never made the cut.

Pate who will get her first up-close look at Augusta National this week, said she strongly considered hiring one of Augusta National’s caddies to help her with the course’s treacherous greens, which can put first-time players at a strong disadvantage.

“I thought about it, but I backed out,” Pate said about hiring a local caddie. “(Lewellen) knows me pretty well and I decided she would be the best. It could be pretty nerve-wracking out there.”

Pate said she expected 13 to be reachable in two with a long shot over Rae’s Creek. Tee placement and playing conditions could be a major factor in strategy at 15, the back side’s other famous par-5 hole.

But the shortest hole on the back nine, the par-3 12th often infli Swirling winds undetectable from the tee make club selection difficult. Many Green Jackets have been lost on the hole on Sunday. In 1992, Fred Couples went on to win his only major title after his shot hit short of the green, but did not make the typical roll back into the creek.

“I’m probably most excited to hit the tee shot at No. 12,” Pate said.

Pate, No. 51 in the world amateur rankings, has had a solid spring for the Demon Deacons. In her last two stroke-play events, she tied for eighth out of 90 players and tied for 28th out of 75 — both in tournaments featuring many of the nation’s top players.

Last summer, Pate was the runner-up the North-South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2.

“My game is feeling good,” she said.

Pate’s health is also better. She battled food poisoning during her tie for 28th at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, a course best known as the site of five PGA Tour victories by Fort Worth native Ben Hogan.

Myrtle Beach muni will close for summer to make changes

John Brasier
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Myrtle Beach muni will close for summer to make changes

Visiting golfers won’t be playing Myrtle Beach’s municipal course this summer.

As Myrtle Beach’s On The Green Magazine reports, Whispering Pines, the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base course, will close May 23 to regrass greens, fairways and tees.

The course is expected to reopen Sept. 1 (OK, summer officially lasts another three weeks, but the kids are back in school).

On The Green reports that the greens will be Sunday Ultradwarf Bermuda with Bimini Bermuda on the tees and fairways. Grown in Camden, South Carolina, Bimini is considered by some to be more tolerant and durable than the 419 Bermuda on most Myrtle Beach-area fairways.

Other work slated for the closure are the removal of a few hundred trees to provide better light and air flow around the greens and the continuation of bunker renovations. The course already completed recent irrigation improvements.

The City of Myrtle Beach has approved $1.5 million for the changes.

Whispering Pines’ initial nine was built in 1962 by military personnel. The second nine was added in 1986, creating the 6,800-yard course next to Myrtle Beach International Airport.

Peak morning tee times for weekdays and weekend days in the next week were priced in the low $60s on the course’s website, placing the course among the least expensive in the Myrtle Beach market.

UNC’s David Ford wins in Florida

John Brasier
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UNC’s David Ford wins in Florida

David Ford of North Carolina, the nation’s top-ranked men’s college golfer, won his fifth individual title at the school, but the Tar Heels and Wake Forest had disappointing finishes in this week’s Valspar Collegiate Invitational at Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Florida.

The Tar Heels finished 11th at 6-under-par 846 for 54 holes in the 17-team field while the Demon Deacons placed 15th at 862 — 46 strokes behind team champion Texas’s 816 score. Arizona State, Florida State, Oklahoma, Auburn and Duke rounded out the top six teams.

Ford’s two-stroke victory included rounds 69, 63 and 64 for 18-under 195. Scotty Kennon led Wake golfers with a tie for 25th at 210.

High Country’s Big 3 public courses will open as usual; Elk River, Mt. Mitchell not as fortunate

John Brasier
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High Country’s Big 3 public courses will open as usual; Elk River, Mt. Mitchell not as fortunate

We’re closing in on the typical start of the mountain golf season. But with the horrible damage wreaked by Hurricane Helene last fall, which High Country courses will be ready to open? How will they be different from past years? Will the others reopen, or are they gone for good?

There is good news and bad news. Some courses will open on time. Others will open on time with a limited layout. Some will open late, perhaps with a limited layout. A few may remain closed this year, or perhaps, may be gone forever.

Let’s start with the good news: The Big 3 public courses in Ashe, Avery and Watauga County escaped heavy damage.

Boone Golf Club, the longtime public-access favorites for visitors to Boone and Blowing Rock, is scheduled to open around April 1, depending on the weather, according to the course’s Facebook page and voice mail.

No foolin’. Boone is ready. The course only needed a few weeks last fall to recover from flooding No. 2, a short par-4, was turned into a par-3 as silt damage to the fairway was repaired.

Boone isn’t cheap — it was $94 in prime time last year. But it’s a great public course and it will soon be open.

Mountain Aire Golf Club was also lucky. The West Jefferson layout, which offers spectacular views and dramatic elevation changes, opened in early March, needing little, if any, extra spring prep time. According to an attendant in the pro shop, peak summer rates there will be $60 on weekdays and $75 on weekends.

Mountain Glen Golf Club in Newland, most convenient to Sugar Mountain, Beech Mountain, Linville and Banner Elk visitors, will open in April. The George Cobb design was largely spared despite damage to several nearby Avery communities. Peak summer rates are posted as $79 on weekdays and $89 on weekends.

Now, the not-so-good news:

Sugar Mountain Golf Club, a challenging and fun par-64 near Banner Elk, expects to open with nine of its 18 holes as early as May. Hard hit by flood damage, the club plans a $1-million to $1.5-million restoration project.

Tom McAuliffe, the longtime golf director at Sugar Mountain, said the plan calls for the course to open first with a routing of holes 1-3, 7-9, 10, 17 and 18. Perhaps the hardest hit was No. 16, a short, downhill par-4 with a green surrounded a creek and trees. McAuliffe said Sugar Mountain was helped financially by a strong ski season.

Linville Land Harbour Golf Club has posted that its front nine will open on April 11. Nos. 15, 16 and 18 on the short, dogleg-filled back nine suffered extensive damage. Dail Golf of Greensboro is handling the restoration, including installation of a new irrigation system.

Grandfather Golf & Country Club near Linville suffered some extensive flood damage, especially on the finishing holes around the lake and the 18th green. The club also had to replace a few bridges. But the course has a charity event on the calendar for May 5, about the typical spring opening date for Avery’s private courses.

Linville Golf Club, Linville Ridge Golf Club and Diamond Creek Golf Club — other Avery exclusives — have not reported any delays in opening. Beech Mountain Club, which has a private, 6,200-yard course, has members events scheduled for mid-May, the normal window for the state’s highest-elevation course.

Hound Ears, a private club in Boone, suffered extensive flood damage from the adjacent Watauga River, but has reportedly targeted mid-April to reopen.

Some very bad news:

The private Elk River Club, built along the Elk River outside Banner Elk, apparently faces extensive repair — the flooding has been easy to see for motorists on N.C. 194. The clubhouse for the first Jack Nicklaus design in the state was flooded as was a golf cart tunnel under the community’s main road.

Mount Mitchell Golf Club, a longtime public favorite, suffered devastating flooding. A common detour for Watauga and Avery tourists, the course will apparently be closed for at least several months. Over the past few months, TriadGolf.com calls to the pro shop have been unanswered. The course was soliciting online donations in October.

Book Review: ‘Legendary Caddies’ from N.C. author provides different perspective of Augusta, Masters

John Brasier
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Book Review: ‘Legendary Caddies’ from N.C. author provides different perspective of Augusta, Masters

Looking for a good read to get you ready for the upcoming Masters?

Check out (or buy) “The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National” by Durham native Ward Clayton, former sports editor of The Augusta (yes, that Augusta) Chronicle during its heyday in the 1990s and later director of editorial services for the PGA Tour.

It’s a quick read for golf fans, providing a different perspective of the world’s iconic, best-run major championship, mixed with the undertones of the old Jim Crow South. Though you might expect the relationships between the members, Masters contestants and the caddies to be clearly defined, it’s not as black and white as the social stratus throughout most of Augusta’s history.

As the title suggests, Clayton’s update of his “Men on the Bag” book from 2004, provides detailed (interesting, but sometimes sad) insights into the lives of the eclectic group of black caddies who have left their mark on the Masters and the host club.

Ward’s book, published by Blair/Carolina Wren Press of Durham and released last April, tells about personalities involved in the history of Augusta National and the Masters tournament, but not seen through all the beautiful green wrapping on TV.

Legendary Augusta caddies were nothing like the disinterested teenage caddies on “Caddyshack.” They were professionals at a job widely considered to be menial and replaceable by carts. Many were known for their amazing knowledge of the subtleties of Augusta’s famous greens and an ability to quickly assess a player’s capabilities. They took pride in their skills.

Often living bag to bag, they shared their expertise with leades of U.S. industry during the course’s season then hoped to cash in one week per year working for the world’s top players.

Long after the Masters and Augusta National opened their caddie ranks to all races and PGA Tour caddies in 1983, several players, most notably Ben Crenshaw, remained loyal to their longtime Masters caddies. More recently, a professional management company has taken over the Augusta caddie program, largely cutting ties with the club’s former caddie base in a nearby neighborhood.

Beginning with “Stovepipe,” and continuing with other looper legends such as “Pappy,” “Cemetery,” “Burnt Biscuits” and “Stabber,” Augusta National caddies, living walking distance from the course, played major roles in Masters history. Clayton does a wonderful job shining light on some of those personalities, sharing several nicknames and back stories.

The book tells how life for caddies in the all-black Augusta’s Sand Hills neighborhood was much different from members of the adjacent Augusta Country Club and nearby Augusta National.

Perhaps Clayton’s biggest challenge and most outstanding achievement with this book is his ability to share some of the humanity, accomplishments and life histories of the caddies while acknowledging the injustices they faced in the pre-Civil Rights Act Old South.

The book isn’t an expose on Jim Crow or a sanitized justification of the past. It does leave you with the irony that the massive progress of the Civil Rights movement that has improved the lives of millions of black Americans, has had an adverse effect on the pocketbooks of a small group of black workers.

“Legendary Caddies” won’t make you cry. But it will make you think — about where we’ve come and where we seem to be going. And it will harken you back to a history largely untold.

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