Michael McGowan
Greensboro, N.C. (May 9, 2013) -- Roy Franz, a PGA Apprentice Assistant Professional at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, SC ran away with the 89th Carolinas Open presented by BB&T. After a few long days of weather delays and rain, the competitors enjoyed a picture perfect day of golf weather at Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center.
Starting out the tournament with a solid 72 (+1), Franz turned on the heat for his second round to take the lead at 135 (-7) after firing a tournament low round of 63 (-8). He did not look back during the final round and cruised to finish at 72-63-66=201 (-12), a comfortable 5 strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
Franz credits a fifty foot putt he sank on the fourth hole as the turning point of his performance. “The putts had to start dropping at some point and when they did during the second round, it was off to the races,” Franz said.
Coming in second place behind Franz was amateur Michael McGowan of Southern Pines, NC who turned in an impressive score of 69-68-69=206 (-7). Taking home the senior PGA Professional bonus purse was Mike Lawrence, PGA Life Member from Anderson, SC.
The Carolinas Open is the oldest running professional golf tournament in the Carolinas, having been conducted annually since 1923 when the Section was first founded in Greensboro, NC. Some of the best players in Carolinas PGA history including, Henry Picard, Johnny Palmer, Bobby Locke, Bob Boyd, and Kelly Mitchum have been champions at the Carolinas Open.
Set along scenic Lake Townsend, the Champions Course at Bryan Park was built to fulfill Mr. Joseph M. Bryan’s vision of having a national level golf course that was accessible to the public. Rees Jones; course design features 97 sand traps, numerous grass bunkers and hollows, and seven holes along Lake Townsend. The Champions Course at Bryan Park was awarded Runner-up best new public golf course by Golf Digest in 1990.
View results for Carolinas Open
ABOUT THE Carolinas Open
54-hole stroke play. The field will be reduced to the
low 60 contestants (or 1/3 of the field if 140 or less)
and ties after 36 holes. Open to CPGA Members and
Apprentices who are otherwise eligible as prescribed
by the CPGA Tournament Rules and Regulations and
Amateurs who reside in North or South Carolina and
have a current USGA Handicap Index of 5.5 or less
at the time of entry deadline, verified by a CPGA
Professional.
View Complete Tournament Information