(Southport, NC) – After a grueling 54-hole event in hot and humid conditions, Morgan Deneen, PGA, Assistant Professional at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, took home a well-deserved victory at the 2021 Carolinas PGA Professional Championship.
On the first morning of competition, the 120 golfers in the field were greeted by a deluge of rain, and tee times throughout the day were delayed by two hours to let the course at the Reserve Club at St. James drain some of the water.
Once play was underway, Daniel Island Club Head Professional Greg Beavan, PGA carded the best round of the tournament, shooting an 8-under-par, 64 to tie the course record and take a two shot lead going into the second day of competition.
Golfers were greeted to a similar sight on day two, with a massive morning storm once again delaying tee times throughout the day. While the weather looked identical to day one, the leaderboard was constantly shaken up, as golfers came and went at the top of the standings.
Preston Cole, PGA, an Assistant Professional at Quail Hollow Golf Club, put together his second solid round in a row, shooting a 3-under-par, 69 to take the lead at 8-under-par going into the final day of competition.
Behind him, however, Deneen and Charles Chapman, PGA, the General Manager at Olde Sycamore Golf Club, remained within striking distance, sitting two shots back at six-under-par, while four more golfers sat one stroke behind them at five-under-par.
Thankfully, the final round of the Championship was the first sunny morning of the tournament. With an on-time starting wave, the forty-five Carolinas PGA Professionals who survived the cut teed off with hopes of securing one of the ten qualifying spots for the 2022 PGA Professional Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, TX.
Deneen started the final round tied for second, but he took the lead early with three birdies on the front nine. Deneen had Greg Brastow, member of Dunes Golf & Beach Club, on the bag this week at the Championship.
“The big thing was my caddy today, he kinda settled me down and I made a lot of pars from there.”
Deneen recaps, “He chose a couple really good clubs and I turned it on on the back side there on 10 and 11 with a birdie and an eagle so that kind of set the tone.” Deneen kept his steady lead with consecutive scores of par until the Par-5 No. 17 where he hit his approach within a foot of the cup.
“One hundred and twenty-two out, he took the wedge out of my hand and put a different one in. I put it to four inches out for tap in birdie so that was all due to him, and I was really glad he was on the bag.”
Deneen finished the day at 5-under-par to win the tournament with an overall score of 11-under-par, 205. He will have the option to play in either the Wyndham Championship later in August or in the 2022 RBC Heritage next April. He will also compete in Austin next April at the 2022 PGA Professional Championship.
There was a four-way tie for second place between Old Town Club Assistant Professional and 2020 CPGA Professional Championship winner Tommy Gibson, PGA, Bentwinds Country Club Head Professional Kyle Akins, PGA, Wexford Golf Club Director of Golf Scott Hunter, PGA, and Cole at 8-under-par, 208.
Aaron Black, PGA also punched his ticket to the 2022 PGA Professional Championship by finishing in sixth place at 5-under-par, 211.
The remaining four spots for the 2022 Professional Championship went to Matt Bova, PGA, Head Professional at Country Club of Charleston, Eric Williamson, PGA, Head Professional at Charlotte Country Club, Cory Schneider, PGA, Teaching Professional at the Point Golf Club, and Beavan, who all finished at 4-under-par, 212.
Matt Vick, PGA of Sandhills Rentals will be the first alternate for the tournament, Steve Isley, PGA of Oak Island Golf Club will be the second alternate, Chapman will be the third alternate, Josh Webb, PGA of Sedgefield Country Club will be the fourth alternate, and Derek Watson, PGA of Carolina Golf Sales will be the fifth and final alternate for the 2022 PGA Professional Championship.
The 2021 Carolinas PGA Professional Championship is an official Bob Boyd CPGA Player of the Year Award Presented by Rolex points event. Additionally, PGA Professionals’ scores count toward the CPGA Johnny Palmer Trophy.
Day 1 Closest-to-the-Pin
Club Car on No. 2 – $100 VISA Gift Card
Zach Martin – 6’1”
PTE Golf on No. 13 – $100 VISA Gift Card
Kyle Akins – 2’ 7”
Day 2 Closest-to-the-Pin
PTE Golf on No. 13 – $100 VISA Gift Card
David Moon, PGA – 6’8”
Partners
This event would not be possible without the support of the Presenting Sponsors for this year’s Section Professional Championships.
Cadillac
Cadillac is the Official Vehicle of the PGA of America.
Our mission is to earn our Customer’s loyalty by delivering sales and service experiences with high quality, excellent value, integrity and enthusiasm. We will function as a team, work ethically, and focus on meeting and striving to exceed the expectations of our Customers.
Club Car
Club Car is the Official Golf Car of the PGA of America.
Club Car boasts nearly 60 years of industry-leading innovation and design, initially focused on golf cars and then expanding to commercial utility vehicles and personal-use transportation.
Rolex
Rolex is the Official Timekeeper of the PGA of America.
1. A way of doing things unlike any other. 2. The way we make watches, the only thing we will ever make. 3.‘Precise’ is too imprecise for our attention to detail. 4. ‘Tradition’ is too conventional for the innovation we undertake. 5. We sculpt, paint and explore. But sculptors, painters and explorers we are not. 6. There is no word for what we do. 7. There is only a way. 8. The Rolex Way.
The CPGA expresses its gratitude to the following Supporting Sponsors.
Titleist / FootJoy
We are the steward of two of the most revered brands in golf – Titleist, one of golf’s leading performance equipment brands, and FootJoy, one of golf’s leading performance wear brands.
Nike
Nike’s mission statement is, “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” And as co-founder Bill Bowerman once said, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” Sports is a great business to be in, and an even better business to lead.
TaylorMade
At TaylorMade, we are driven by the pursuit of product innovation and reaching new thresholds of performance.
https://www.taylormadegolf.com
The CPGA expresses its gratitude to the following PGA of America Supporting Partners.
Golf Channel
Co-founded by Arnold Palmer and Joe Gibbs on January 17, 1995, Golf Channel in 2011 became part of the NBC Sports Group and – serving the most-affluent audience in all of television – now is available to nearly 500 million viewers in nearly 80 countries and nine languages around the world.
PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is a Supporting Partner of PGA of America Professional Tournaments.
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, we engage, inspire and positively impact our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
In addition, we thank our Section Supporting Partners for their involvement.
Precise Yardage Books
Our Team at Precise Yardage Books offer our customers unparalleled experience in Professional and Amateur Golf. We have been able to use our combined 50 years of caddying on the PGA, Web.com and LPGA Tours as our guide to making a Professional, quality yardage book that has everything the competitive golfer needs. It is imperative that we provide our clients with a product they are an integral part of designing. A yardage book their members will be proud to hand to their guests as a treasured keepsake. Providing exemplary personal service and Professional, quality yardage books to our clients is our goal!
PTE Golf
By offering custom, top-of-the-line products and excellent customer care, we’re able to help golf courses across the country — and world — hold special events and tournaments with a new level of professionalism. With strong attention to detail and reliability we treat every customer like our only customer. From ice chests, and table covers, to so much more, we can help your tournament look its best.
About The Reserve Club at St. James
If you like highly-playable courses with wide fairways, you’ll love The Members Club Course. With its forgiving layout and big level greens, this 27-hole course features the elevated, exciting designs of three- time US Open Champion Hale Irwin (18-holes) and Tim Cate (9 holes). Visual appeal and upbeat pace of play aside, this course is perfect for families and guests of all skill levels to enjoy.
https://www.theclubsatstjames.com/golf
About Carolinas PGA
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 700 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 Jess Hanson, Director of Marketing, at 336-398-2675 or jhanson@pgahq.com.