Nicholas Lyerly hits a Saturday tee shot
(Carolinas Golf Association Photo)
CHAPEL HILL, NC (June, 18, 2016) -- Saturday is called
"moving day" during golf tournaments because it is the
day where competitors try to set themselves up for the
final push on Sunday. Only four players in the NC
Amateur field would shoot under par Saturday to better
their standing. One such player, 17-year-old Nicholas
Lyerly of Salisbury, made six birdies to move his way up
the leaderboard.
Lyerly's impressive four-under front nine was
punctuated with a birdie on the par-3 ninth (pictured).
His favorite club after Saturday's round could be the 8-
iron. Using that club from 160-yards on No. 9 and on
the 170-yard downhill par-3 14th led to birdies.
Starting his round Saturday tied for ninth, Lyerly's
four-under 68 vaulted him into first place at 7-under
209 for the championship. The 2015 NC Junior Player of
the Year, Lyerly has verbally committed to play golf at
UNC-Greensboro starting in the fall of 2017.
Paired with Lyerly for Sunday's final round will be
36-hole leader Thomas Eldridge of Raleigh and Caleb
Keck of Reidsville. Eldridge, 20, a rising junior at UNC-
Wilmington, had a two-stroke edge on the field to begin
his round. He quickly built on it, hitting a 105-yard gap
wedge to four feet on his opening hole for birdie and
making another birdie on the par-5 third hole to reach
nine-under-par overall. Unfortunately for Eldridge, a
chunked tee shot on his next tee shot landed in a pond,
leading to double bogey. When he tee shot on the par-4
sixth hole found the left woods, Eldridge removed loose
impediments from around his ball. In a great example of
integrity, he called a one-stroke penalty on himself
when his ball moved as a result. His two-over 74 on
Saturday places him two strokes behind Lyerly. "I am
going to try to make as many birdies as I can
tomorrow," said Eldridge when asked about his
approach for the final round.
Keck will also face a two-stroke deficit when he
begins play Sunday. Like Lyerly, Keck has posted three
rounds under par at Governors Club. "My approach
shots have been the strength of my game," said the 22-
year-old Keck. "I played them where I wanted them."
Keck won a tournament when he played collegiately at
Appalachian State University. He is looking forward to
the opportunity to chase down a state championship.
"To have not been in this position before in the state
amateur, I am going to be excited and nervous."
Saturday's lead momentarily belonged to Justin
Tereshko, 26, of Jamestown. Three birdies in his first
seven holes catapulted last year's runner-up into first at
7-under. Three double bogeys on the inward nine
erased his hard work, finishing with a 74. Tereshko, the
golf coach at Guilford College located in Greensboro,
N.C. sits at 2-under 214, five back of the lead.
Tereshko, the golf coach at Guilford College located
in Greensboro, N.C. sits at 2-under 214, five back of the
lead.
Kevin O'Connell of Raleigh also got out to a quick start
on Saturday, converting birdies on his first three holes.
Posting three-under 33 on his front nine put the 27-
year-old O'Connell at 5-under overall. However, an
inward 41 took O'Connell out of contention for the lead.
A third round 74 dropped him back to even par 216 and
T-14.
The top amateur golfers in North Carolina will
compete for the state title Sunday at Governors Club.
Tee times begin at 8am from both the 1st and 10th
tees, with the leaders beginning at 9:40. Scoring will be
provided by the CGA throughout the championship,
offering 9 and 18-hole updates. Live updates will also be
available on the CGA’s official Twitter, @cgagolf1909.
Continue to visit the CGA website throughout this
championship and all year long for complete
championship coverage including scores, interviews,
photos, and recaps.
ROUND TWO RECAP
For the second round of the 56th North Carolina
Amateur Championship players were relieved the
weather had cooled off from yesterday, but were faced
with a challenging breeze throughout the day creating a
new obstacle they had to overcome.
After a second day of play, there has been change
at the top of the leaderboard. Thomas Eldridge of
Raleigh is now the sole leader of the championship with
two rounds to go. He was able to put together another
impressive round of 3-under-par, putting him at 7-
under for the championship. When asked about his
round Friday, he said the key to his success was “Not
thinking about his position in the field, keeping the ball
in play, and making some big par putts.” He went on to
state that he feels “really good” about coming into
tomorrow’s round as the sole leader and that he needs
to “not change anything” as well as “keep making
birdies.”
Eldridge’s co-leaders at the start of the round,
Justin Tereshko of Jamestown and Bryce Hendrix of
Greenville, were unable to keep their momentum going
from the first round. Tereshko finished today at even
par putting him in a four-way tie for fourth, while
Hendrix shot three over par dropping him to a three-
way tie for 17th with Philip Oweida of Charlotte and Uly
Grisette of Winston-Salem.
Stephen Franken of Raleigh and Tim Conover of
Holly Springs were able to post rounds in the red for the
second day in a row, moving them into a tie for second
place at 5-under. Franken was able to play consistent
golf allowing him to have three birdies with one bogey
per side to shoot 4-under on the day (34-34—68).
Conover was able to make it around the course with 14
pars, three birdies, and one bogey to finish at 2-under
for the day.
The round of the day came from the final group as
Joseph Cansler of Clemmons shot a 5-under-par 67 in
high gusty winds. He sits at 4-under par in a tie for 4th.
The championship format is 72 holes of stroke play.
After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scorers and
ties.
ROUND ONE RECAP
On this hot and humid day in mid-June, 145 players
teed it up looking to capture the 56th North Carolina
Amateur Championship. With temperatures reaching
nearly 100 degrees, players had to battle the weather
almost as much as the course.
With the completion of round one, 3 men stand
atop the leaderboard tied at 4-under 68. Thomas
Eldridge of Raleigh had a difficult start to the
championship but caught fire on his second nine to
finish tied for the lead. Eldridge started his day on the
10th tee and was even par after 8 holes before
"shanking" his approach shot on 18 leading to double
bogey. Heading into his second nine, Eldridge said "I
was just trying to hit solid shots." He hit plenty of "solid
shots" making 4 birdies and chipping in for eagle.
Eldridge will look to carry the momentum from the end
of his round into the second round.
Justin Tereshko of Jamestown was runner-up in the
event last year and looks to capture the title this time
around. After his round he felt his "ball striking was
good, and had a lot of looks for birdie." This was evident
by his scorecard that included 5 birdies and an eagle.
Tereshko did say he needs to drive the ball better and
that on two separate occasions, trees saved him from
going out of bounds. Regardless, Tereshko looks to be
in great shape moving forward in the
championship.Bryce Hendrix of Greenville was firing on
all cylinders for most of the day. His round included 7
birdies with three of them coming on par-5s. Hendrix
just finished his freshman year at UNC-Greensboro and
looks to continue his strong play throughout the next
couple days.
Uly Grisette of Winston-Salem is tied with 4 other
players who are only one shot back of the leaders.
Grisette came out firing, shooting 6-under 30 on his
opening nine holes that included 2 eagles and 2 birdies.
In his own words, Grisette said "I got hot" but struggled
on the back nine, shooting 3-over to finish at 3-under
for the day. He was able to finish his round in style by
birding the 18th. Grisette has been competing in the NC
Amateur for many years and says "its great to come out
here and compete against the young kids and see how
far they are hitting it." Grisette won the championship in
1985 when he was 18 years old while competing in his
first NC Amateur. Now 31 years later, he looks to
continue his strong play and capture another.
Defending champion, Carter Jenkins is not in the
field this week as he has turned professional and is
currently playing on the Mackenzie Tour, formerly PGA
Tour Canada.
The championship format is 72 holes of stroke play.
After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scorers and
ties. A tie for the overall championship is decided by an
on-course playoff.
View results for North Carolina Amateur