(Bluffton, SC – March 26, 2019) – A very exciting week it was for Ray Franz. It was a slingshot to the top during the final round as Franz captured the CPGA Players Championship title, as well as, the qualifying spot for the RBC Heritage. Franz, of Daniel Island Club, shot 2-under 69 in his second round to finish at 4-under par for this 36-hole championship. He finished three strokes ahead of the rest of the field to capture both titles. “I played really well these past two days, and this is going to be my first Tour event ever, so I’m pretty excited.”
The excitement began for Ray on Sunday when he won the inaugural Evolve Golf Professional Drive, Chip & Putt. “It was a great event, and everyone had a fantastic time. I was just doing it to have fun and all of a sudden, I thought ‘No way I just won – how cool!’”
More excitement was stirred during Franz’s first round on Monday, when he made an albatross on the par-5 15th, not to mention his third albatross in his career. “You know, I wasn’t playing well. I hit a good drive and hit a perfect 8-iron. My playing partner yelled ‘Go in the hole!’ and it landed on the green and rolled right in.”
Going into the final round, Franz’s nerves were subdued. “I thought, ‘Go out there and try to make pars or birdies when you can.’ This is a tough golf course, so I just needed to make pars,” he said, reflecting on his thought process for the day. “Everything went just went awesome this week!”
In the CPGA Players Championship competition, Derek Watson of Pawleys Plantation and Steve Scott of the Outpost club tied for second, finishing at 1-under par for a 36-hole total of 141. Watson stayed consistent for the day, shooting even-par to secure that second-place spot. Scott, while he shot 2-over par to fall back out of the lead, held on strong and secured the alternate spot for the RBC Heritage, beating Watson in a 3-hole playoff.
Great playing by Mark Tomedolskey of Cherokee Plantation who shot the low round of the event during the second round, turning in a clean card showcasing six birdies and 12 pars for a 6-under score of 65. This catapulted Tomedolskey up the leaderboard 43 spots to secure the T-4 position with three other competitors. Kelly Mitchum of Pinehurst Resort, Jimmy Flippen of Greensboro National GC, and Aaron Black of Springfield GC all finished at even-par through 36 holes to share that fourth-place spot.
Thanks to out partner, True Temper, for conducting their annual closest-to-the-hole competition which takes place at all CPGA major events. J.P. Waldren of Orangeburg CC stuck his shot on the par-3 8th hole to 5’9″ during the first round on Monday. Great shot, J.P.!
A huge thank you to all of our partners for this event. Evolve Golf provided tremendous support for the Professional Drive, Chip & Putt, served as the presenting partner for the Players Championship, and held their Total Driving Challenge both days on hole #3. Thank you to our partners at The Golf Target for coming out to support our event and our PGA REACH Foundation with their target challenge on hole #16.
Thank you to host professional, Adam Kushner, and his whole team at Berkeley Hall Golf Club for their outstanding support and hospitality for the few days. Everything went very smoothly and we were fortunate to have such a beautiful venue for this great event.
CLICK HERE to View the Full Tournament Results
CLICK HERE to View the DCP Results
Partners
Evolve Golf conducted its Total Driving Challenge tracking shots where distance and accuracy were combined to rate each participant on hole #3. 1st prize – $150, 2nd – $100, 3rd – $50.
Congratulations to the long hitters this week! Click here to read the full article.
1st – Holden Abrams, Jacksonville CC
2nd – Aaron Black, Sprinfield GC
3rd – Matt Bova, Country Club of Charleston
www.EvolveGolf.com
The Golf Target set up a competition with their target on hole #16. Any competitor who hit the target won $10 cash and Golf Target would donate $10 to our PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation. 11 competitors hit the target in the first round today, so congratulations to them!
https://thegolftarget.com/
The PGA Tour is a supporting partner of the PGA of America and it’s 41 Sections across the country. Dollars from that partnership were used towards this event.
www.PGATour.com
About Berkeley Hall Club
Berkeley Hall Club is a distinctive private golf community edged on the banks of the pristine Okatie River in Bluffton, South Carolina – the heart of the coastal Lowcountry – a world with a casually inviting and active lifestyle that sets the standard for all private communities. Just minutes from Hilton Head Island, Bluffton was voted among the “25 Best Places to Retire” by Forbes magazine.
In course designer Tom Fazio’s words, “Berkeley Hall is one of the greatest golf communities in the Coastal Carolinas. Each of my two courses have a different feel. It’s a special place with a membership committed to delivering a lifestyle at the highest level.”
Golf in its purest form awaits you at Berkeley Hall Club, the lowest density private club in the Southeast with only 5.3 home sites per hole. With two (2) Tom Faxio “Core Golf” courses patterned after the classic designs of the 1920s; Riviera Country Club, Winged Foot, Seminole, the “core routing” is uninterrupted by any interior homes or roads. Home sites have been positioned on the perimeters, with generous setbacks so that each layout meanders through an open coastal landscape framed by seaside grasses. Dramatic elevation changes, beautiful water features, and bold strategic bunkering showcase the designer’s artistry. You’ll find each course superbly routed with a seamless blend of balance, variety and flow, regarded as two of the most meticulously maintained golf courses in the Southeast.
The North Course is a scenic marvel with tranquil lakes, rolling fairways and bunkers that strategically frame heavily contoured greens. Its elevation changes, open vistas and liberal use of native grasses give the North Course a unique beauty unrivaled by any course in the Lowcountry.
About the Carolinas PGA Section
Since its inception in 1923, the Carolinas PGA Section has been committed to nurturing and improving the quality of the game for the thousands of golfers using its member facilities. Now the largest of the PGA’s forty-one sections, the Carolinas PGA Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association boasts over 2,000 professional members and represents more than 500 golf facilities within North and South Carolina as well as portions of southern Virginia.
PGA professionals are responsible for conducting a variety of golf-related functions which include human resource management, golf shop merchandising, golf instruction, tournament operations, junior golf programs, growth of the game initiatives, golf club repair, administering the rules, public relations and much more. For more information, contact Sally Morgan, PGA, Director of Marketing at 336-398-2675 or smorgan@pgahq.com.