Kevin Murray photo
The 53rd edition of the National Father-Son Invitational at The Country Club of North Carolina, with 44 teams from 13 states and the District of Columbia, begins July 22.
Notable past winners of the National Father-Son Invitational, which began in 1970, include Tom and Tom Kite, Jr; Arthur and Scott Hoch; Rod and Steve Spittle; Kelly and Blair Miller; and Doug and Drew Hanzel.
The tournament was conceived by Dale Morey, a CCNC member and a noted amateur player who was also a basketball All-America at LSU. He won the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in 1974 and 1977.
“The Country Club of North Carolina created the National Father-Son Invitational 52 years ago and we have been honored to host the tournament every year since,’’ said CCNC president Mark Reinemann. “It has been a pleasure to welcome these top-level players, many of whom have gone on to become leading professionals and noted career amateurs. It is a treat for the members of The Country Club of North Carolina to welcome the competitors again this year. We wish them all the best!”
Among the 44 teams entered are the champions in each division from 2021: Justin and Jackson Bode of Pinehurst, N.C. and CCNC members (Championship division); John and Jeffrey Long of Murrells Inlet, S.C (Senior division) but who are entered in the Super
Senior division in 2022, and Cliff and Jason Seastrunk of Raleigh, N.C. (Super Senior division). The Seastrunks also won in 2018.
Doug Hanzel and his son, Drew, of Savannah, Ga. are entered in the Senior division and have won six past competitions (Championship division in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011 and Senior division in 2019 and 2020) and are tied with Tim and Chris Miller of New Philadelphia, Ohio, entered in the Super Senior division in 2022, with six divisional wins – most in the event’s history.
The elder Hanzel is the 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion and was the low amateur at the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Senior Open. Both Hanzels played college golf at Kent State University. Doug, a physician, endowed a golf scholarship at their alma mater.
The field consists of players from 13 states: Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia who will play both the Cardinal and Dogwood Courses in the three-day competition.
The format for the 53rd Invitational consists of three flights, all gross – Championship, Senior, Super Senior. The scoring format is better ball of each team for the first two rounds from division-designated tees (July 22-23) and then combined score on the event’s final day (July 24).
The Country Club of North Carolina
The Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC) was established in 1963 and has hosted numerous large-scale golf events including two USGA championships: the 1980 U.S. Amateur won by Hal Sutton, the 2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior won by Doris Chen; and the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur won by Nick Dunlap. In addition, the Club has hosted seven North Carolina Amateurs and seven Southern Amateurs. It will host the Atlantic Coast Conference Golf Championships in 2023, when the club celebrates its 60th anniversary. Since 2003, it has been a certified member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. The Dogwood Course was designed by Ellis Maples and Willard Byrd and renovated by Kris Spence in 2016. The Cardinal Course,
designed by Willard Byrd and Robert Trent Jones Sr., completed a renovation by Arthur Hills in 2002.
by Pete Kowalski, Special to AmateurGolf.com
ABOUT THE National Father-Son Invitational
54-hole tournament with Championship, Senior and
Super Senior divisions. The first and second rounds
are
Better-Ball of Pair, and the final round is Aggregate
Medal Score. A father may compete with more than
one
son.
The tournament was conceived by Dale Morey, a
CCNC member and a noted amateur player who was
also a basketball All-America at LSU. He won the
U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in 1974 and
1977.
View Complete Tournament Information