N.C. State's Spencer Oxendine takes North Carolina Open

In a field full of PGA Professionals representing both North and South Carolina, it was an amateur who emerged victorious after two rounds of the 57th North Carolina Open, held this week at Gaston Country Club in Gastonia, N.C. Fayetteville, N.C. native Spencer Oxendine earned the victory with a two-day total of 133 (-7), three strokes clear of Northwoods Country Club PGA professional Burke Cromer (Columbia, S.C.), who finished in second place.

Following a first round 65 (-5), Oxendine, a rising junior at N.C. State, held a share of the tournament lead with Cedarwood Country Club (Charlotte, N.C.) associate professional Joshua Stockwell, entering Wednesday’s second round. In wet playing conditions, Oxendine’s second round featured three birdies and one bogey on the outward nine, giving him the needed cushion with an even-par 35 on the returning nine for his first CPGA Open Victory.

❤️🏆 Behind every player is a mother that has encouraged them their whole life to play their best, Spencer Oxendine (a) and his mom shared a heartfelt moment after his putt-in on No. 18 that made him the champion #CPGA pic.twitter.com/dVQdQWXkhg

— Carolinas PGA (@CarolinasPGA) June 9, 2021

Oxendine wasn’t the only amateur in the 152-golfer field to finish near the top of the leaderboard. Tennessee Tech rising junior Nick Sutton (Bluffton, S.C.) finished in third place with a two-day total of 137 (-3), and incoming Wake Forest freshman Collin Adams (Charlotte, N.C.) wasn’t far behind, finishing in a tie for fourth at two-under-par with Stockwell and Greg Boyette, head golf professional at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, S.C.

Oxendine becomes the first amateur to win the North Carolina Open since Patrick Cover (Huntington, N.C.) won the title in 2018, and just the 11th amateur overall to claim a victory in the 57-year history of the Championship.