Azalea Invitational tees off

3/21/2014 | by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com

Austin Langdale

A loaded field filled with the nation's top mid-ams, juniors and collegiate players heads to the Country Club of Charleston. See our preview and follow ongoing coverage »

There’s just something about the Azalea. Perhaps it’s the time of year. Or maybe it’s that hit of southern hospitality you feel. This year, though -- which marks the 66th playing of the event -- it very well could be the field. The Azalea Invitational kicks off Thursday at The Country Club of Charleston, bringing with it, yet another field full of highly-ranked mid-amateur, collegiate and junior golfers. Defending champion Austin Langdale of Clemson will be there, hoping to make it two straight at the prestigious early-spring event calling Webb Simpson, Nathan Smith and D.J. Trahan past winners. Originally a match-play event, the Azalea is now a 72-hole stroke-play tournament with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 54 holes. Leading the mid-amateur contingency will be reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Mike McCoy. Ranked 10th in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com U.S. Rankings, McCoy also won last year’s Coleman and George C. Thomas invitationals. He’ll be joined by South Carolina-native Todd White, who was among two mid-amateurs selected to last year’s U.S. Walker Cup team. North Carolina’s Scott Harvey, Stocker Cup champion John Sawin and three-time (and defending) Azalea Senior champion Brady Exber will also be in the field. The junior field, which has been so successful in recent years, includes a number of players ranked highly in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings, including Andy Zhang (No. 3) and Doug Ghim (No. 6). The event got a boost thanks to scheduling this year as a number of teams in the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference weren’t slated to play in events, leaving much of their rosters to be considered for the Azalea. Among the collegiate players in this year’s field are: 2013 Dogwood Invitational and Alabama State Champion Michael Johnson of Auburn, Alabama’s Tom Lovelady and Robby Prater. Other college-aged stars include recent Arizona State transfer and 2013 U.S. Open participant Grayson Murray, recent Tennessee graduate Rick Lamb and North Florida’s M.J. Maguire. The field will also have an international feel to it with members of the Canadian and Brazilian national teams participating. “We have a strong field,” said tournament director David Humphreys. “The course is in great shape and it will play firm and fast. Just how we like it.” The event begins Thursday and AmateurGolf.com will have full coverage, including results, recaps and more.

Results: Azalea Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Will Murphy	Columbia, SC	1000	72-67-68=207
2	M.J. Maguire	St. Petersburg, FL	700	70-66-71=207
T3	Dylan Meyer	Evansville, IN	500	71-70-68=209
T3	Patrick Christovich	New Orleans, LA	500	72-67-70=209
T3	Grayson Murray	Raleigh, NC	500	70-68-71=209

View full results for Azalea Invitational

About the Azalea Invitational

72-hole stroke play championship with a 54-hole cut on a 1925 Seth Raynor design. Good mix of college players, juniors and mid amateurs. 7 spots available in a qualifier. Impressive list of past champions at this traditional event. Reigning USGA cham...

Most Popular Articles

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced

Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing

2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING

Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners

Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.

Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch

Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory

Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s

Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original

Filters

Related Tournament

Azalea Invitational

View Details

Loading latest news...