West End, NC – Two previous winners and three first-timers are named Players of the Year by the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA).
The Richard S. Tufts Awards were established in 1997 to honor Carolinas amateur golfers who had exceptional individual tournament performances over the preceding year. Tufts served on the CGA Executive Committee from 1926 to 1964. The awards are given to the number one golfer based on the CGA amateur rankings at the end of the calendar year in each of four categories: Men, Women, Senior Men, Senior Women.
The Junior Boys and Junior Girls awards are based upon a nine week, eleven-event series of junior tournaments run by six associations that are the grassroots of junior golf in the Carolinas. Participating Carolinas associations are the Carolinas Golf Association, Carolinas PGA, North Carolina Independent Insurance Agents, South Carolina Golf Association, Women’s Carolinas Golf Association, and the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association.
Award winners will be honored at Carolinas Golf Night at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, NC on Friday, February 15, 2008.
Dustin Johnson of Myrtle Beach, SC is the 2007 Carolinas Men’s Player of the Year. Johnson was once ranked the number one amateur in the country according to Golfweek. The 23-year-old attended Coastal Carolina University where he finished T9 at the NCAA Division I Championship in June. Other top finishes included victories at the Northeast Amateur and Monroe Invitational, semifinalist at the Western Amateur, T9 at the Porter Cup, T11 at the Jones Cup, T13 at the Dogwood Invitational and qualified for match play at the U.S. Amateur. He was also a member of the victorious United States Walker Cup team that defeated Great Britain and Ireland 12 1/2 to 11 1/2 at Royal County Down Golf Club in Northern Ireland in September. Shortly after the Walker Cup Match, Johnson turned professional and secured his 2008 PGA Tour card by finishing T14 at the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.
Patty Moore of Charlotte, NC sweeps the women’s awards. The 57-year old wins her second Carolinas Women’s Player of the Year title and fourth consecutive Carolinas Senior Women’s Player of the Year honor. Her 2007 season included a remarkable five victories and participation in three USGA national championships. Her five victories were at the Women’s Carolinas Amateur Championship, Carolinas Women’s Senior Championship, North-South Women’s Senior Championship, Carolinas Women’s Match Play Championship and the Eastern Senior Championship. Moore qualified and advanced to the round of 16 at both the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur along with a T11 finish at the USGA State Team Championship. Other top finished included a second place showing at the Southern Women’s Senior Championship and a T5 at the North Carolina Women’s Amateur Championship.
Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC caps his 2007 season with his second consecutive Carolinas Senior Men’s Player of the Year award. Simson, an insurance executive, previously garnered the 1998 and 2005 Carolinas Men’s Player of the Year awards. The 56-year-old had an outstanding year on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean that watched him claim three victories and compete in both the U.S. Senior Open and British Senior Open. A 16-time CGA champion, Simson won the North-South Senior Amateur and swept the CGA senior titles by winning the North Carolina Senior Amateur and Carolinas Senior Amateur. He finished runner-up at the British Mid-Amateur Championship, second at the Eagle Point Amateur Invitational, third at the North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship, fifth at the British Senior Amateur, T5 at the Carolinas Mid-Amateur, T11 at the USGA State Team Championship, T15 at the North Carolina Amateur Championship and a round of 32 finish at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.
Haley Stephens, a 17-year-old high school junior from Greer, SC, captures the Carolinas Junior Girls Player of the Year award. Stephens’ 2007 tournament highlights includes winning the Carolinas Golf Association’s Fall Invitational, finished sixth at both the South Carolina Junior Girls Championship and the Charles Tilghman Junior Championship, reached the semifinals at the Carolinas Junior Girls’ Championship, and finished ninth at the Blade Junior.
Ben Kohles, a 17-year-old high school senior from Cary, NC, is the 2007 Carolinas Junior Boys Player of the Year. Kohles won both the Dogwood State Junior and the CGA Fall Invitational, tied for seventh at the Carolinas Junior Boys Championship and finished tied for eighth at the Charles Tilghman Junior. He has signed a letter of intent with the University of Virginia to play collegiate golf.
Notable past Tufts award winners include: Jonathan Byrd (1999, PGA Tour), D.J. Trahan (2000-2002, PGA Tour), Bill Haas (2003, PGA Tour), Marcy Newton Hart (2000, LPGA) and Beth Bauer (1999, LPGA).
*Photos available at www.carolinasgolf.org.
Richard S. Tufts Award Winners
Men
1997 – Cliff Cunningham, Monroe, NC
1998 – Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC
1999 – Jonathan Byrd, Elgin, SC
2000 – D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC
2001 – D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC
2002 – D.J. Trahan, Inman, SC
2003 – Bill Haas, Greer, SC
2004 – Todd White, Moore, SC
2005 – Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC
2006 – Webb Simpson, Raleigh, NC
2007 – Dustin Johnson, Myrtle Beach, SC
Senior Men
2001 – Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC
2002 – Cliff Cunningham, Monroe, NC
2003 – Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC
2004 – Robert Kulp, Winston-Salem, NC
2005 – David Strawn, Charlotte, NC
2006 – Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC
2007 – Paul Simson, Raleigh, NC
Women
1997 – Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC
1998 – Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC
1999 – Beth Bauer, Cramer Mountain, NC
2000 – Marcy Newton, High Point, NC
2001 – Brenda Corrie Kuehn, Fletcher, NC
2002 – Brandi Jackson, Belton, SC
2003 – Amber Marsh Elliott, Jamestown, NC
2004 – Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC
2005 – Maggie Simons, Raleigh, NC
2006 – Adrienne Millican, Fuquay-Varina, NC
2007 – Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC
Senior Women
2001 – Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC
2002 – Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC
2003 – Karen Ferree, Hilton Head Island, SC
2004 – Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC
2005 – Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC
2006 – Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC
2007 – Patty Moore, Charlotte, NC
Carolinas Association’s Junior Players of the Year Award Winners
Junior Boys
2003 – Vince Hatfield, Greenwood, SC
2004 – Brad Dilen, Cary, NC
2005 – David Chung, Fayetteville, NC
2006 – McCuen Elmore, Cheraw, SC
2007 – Ben Kohles, Cary, NC
Junior Girls
2003 – Mallory Hetzel, Summerfield, SC
2004 – Emily Street, Forest City, NC
2005 – Amber Littman, Stoney Creek, NC
2006 – Rachel Uremovich, Hilton Head Island, SC
2007 – Haley Stephens, Greer, SC
Contact:
Andy Priest, Carolinas Golf Association
apriest@carolinasgolf.org