HAARLOW CLAIMS VICTORY AT OMEGA CPGA MATCH PLAY
(Wallace, NC) – Chris Haarlow, PGA, of Greensboro, NC captured the 2016 OMEGA Carolinas PGA Match Play Championship held on River Landing Country Club’s River Course.
Sixteen of the top-playing CPGA Members competed in the Section's first match play championship in decades. The competitors qualified through their play at CPGA major championships in 2016. At each event, they gained points which went toward the Bob Boyd CPGA Player of the Year List Presented by OMEGA. The top finishers were rewarded with the highest ranked seeds.
Field in order of seed:
1. Kelly Mitchum - Pinehurst No. 1-5
2. Larry George - River Landing CC
3. Steve Isley - Oak Island GC
4. Derek Watson - SC Golf Center
5. Matt Bova - Haig Point
6. Cory Schneider - The Pointe GC
7. Matt Vick - Pinehurst No. 9
8. Michael Hutcheon - Precision Golf School
9. James Stewart - Old North State Club
10. Ray Franz - Charleston National
11. Chris Haarlow - Precision Golf School
12. John Thompson - Carolina Lakes GC
13. Brett Lascara - PGA Member
14. Brooks Blackburn - Palmetto GC
15. Tim Straub - Davidson College
16. Rick Morton - Rock Creek G&CC
There were two rounds of matches played each day, where the field was reduced from 16, to eight, to four, to two, and in the end, one champion stood alone. Results from the all four rounds of matches will appear below, or the bracket can be found online.
In the second day's morning matches of the “final four,” Haarlow, the Director Instructor at Precision Golf School, met Tim Straub, the Head Coach of Davidson College’s golf team. It took two extra holes for the match to be decided. Haarlow won with a birdie on Hole #2 the second time around. Kelly Mitchum, a PGA Teaching Professional at Pinehurst No. 1-5 and co-CPGA Player of the Year, survived a tight match with Derek Watson, PGA, of SC Golf Supply by winning the tough 18th hole with a par.
In the afternoon championship match, Haarlow never trailed. After Haarlow birdied Hole #1, the best that Mitchum could do was to square things up on Hole #3 and maintain that position through #5. Haarlow then won Holes #6, 8, and 9 to go 3 up. Mitchum won two holes on the back nine, but so did Haarlow. Going to #16 tee, Haarlow was dormie at 3 up with 3 holes to play. Mitchum needed to win the hole to extend the match, but both competitors made par.
After the championship match, Haarlow stated, “My first three matches could have gone either way. They were each competitive. In the last match, I was fortunate to get in front of Kelly with a nice 18-footer on the first hole. Kelly had to chase me from then on. He got a really tough break on the par-5 #13 where his fairway wood approach buried in the bunker face. It was all he could do just to get out of the sand. Winning that hole was huge for me. On #15, I never saw the result of my approach, which was apparently no more than a foot away from the hole. Kelly just threw it back to me with a smile.”
Haarlow reflected, “I’ve worked hard over the past three years to improve my game. Any time you can beat the Section’s top players, it certainly validates all the time and effort.” His victory capped an incredible 15 hours for the Chicago Cubs diehard fan. “I rode the adrenaline of our World Series victory – the first in 108 years. Both wins mean so much to my family. Seeing the Cubs celebrating late last night and beating one of the best players in our PGA Section’s history today is simply amazing.”
Thanks to the support of OMEGA, the Official Timekeeper of the PGA of America, and the PGA Tour, each competitor was guaranteed a prize check ranging from $275 for those eliminated after one match to $3,000 to the winner.
The CPGA sends its sincere appreciation to the members and staff and members of River Landing CC for their incredible hospitality.
ABOUT OMEGA
Founded in 1848, the brand has built its reputation on innovative watchmaking and the quality and reliability of its timepieces. OMEGA's pioneering spirit has been demonstrated in its conquests of the oceans' depths and its role in every NASA piloted mission since 1965, including all six lunar missions. OMEGA has long supported the sport of golf internationally, serving as title sponsor of the OMEGA European Masters, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Dubai Ladies Masters, and of the PGA of America since 2011. OMEGA's rich history in sports timekeeping includes its role as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games – a responsibility it has assumed at 26 Olympic Games since 1932.
OMEGA and the Game of Golf
For years, golf sponsorship has been a vital part of OMEGA's strategy, and the brand is proud to be associated with some of the sport’s best events.
OMEGA’s dedication to promoting the game of golf internationally is underscored by its title sponsorship of the European Masters in Switzerland, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Dubai Ladies Masters – two of the most prestigious sporting events in the Middle East – and the brand’s role as Official Timekeeper of the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup when it is contested in the United States.
Some of golf’s most exciting players are on OMEGA’s roster of brand ambassadors including Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Harris English, S.Y. Noh and Kyle Stanley, as well as one of the game’s true legends, Greg Norman. LPGA stars Stacy Lewis, Shanshan Feng and Michelle Wie are also part of the OMEGA family, along with coaches Hank Haney and Michael Breed.
OMEGA's presence in the world of golf continues to grow and the brand will be on hand as Official Timekeeper in 2016, when the sport returns to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a century, underscoring the brand’s commitment to the game of golf, and its role as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, a title it has proudly held since 1932.
ABOUT RIVER LANDING
Astoundingly great golf is just the beginning...
The coastal plains of North Carolina are the beautiful setting of a community where beauty and lifestyle go hand and hand—River Landing.
River Landing is a private, gated, residential golf community covering over 1,700 unspoiled acres on the banks of the northeast Cape Fear River in Wallace, NC. An easy 35 minute drive from historic Wilmington and just an hour and 15 minutes south of Raleigh, NC, we represent the best of North Carolina’s beauty, weather and recreation. And the cost of living here? Very attractive!
Our championship golf courses are world-class, and are complemented by our state-of-the-art Sports and Fitness Center. Here residents enjoy secure surroundings featuring scenic walking, hiking and nature trails, mature, lush landscapes and some of the nation’s best fishing, boating and gardening.
River Landing offers the lifestyle you deserve with the value you demand. Welcome!
ABOUT THE CAROLINAS PGA SECTION
Established in 1923, the Carolinas PGA Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association has grown to be the largest of the PGA’s forty-one sections with almost 2,000 professional members. The Carolinas PGA Section embraces North and South Carolina, as well as a small portion of southern Virginia, with more than 800 golf facilities. The Carolinas PGA is dedicated to nurturing and improving the quality of the game for the thousands of golfers using its member facilities. PGA professionals are responsible for conducting a variety of golf-related functions, which include human resource management, golf shop merchandising, golf instruction, tournament operations, junior golf programs, growth of the game initiatives, golf club repair, administering the rules, public relations and much more. For more information, please visit www.carolinas.pga.com. You can also find the Carolinas PGA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Google+and YouTube.
For more information, contact Liz Muroski, Director of Media and Promotions at 336-398-2742 or lmuroski@pgahq.com.
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| Round of 16 | Round of 8 | Semifinals | The Finals | Match Play | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kelly Mitchum Pinehurst ResortK. Mitchum |
8:30AM | 1. | K. Mitchum | ||||||
| 16. | Rick Morton Rock Creek Golf & Country ClubR. Morton |
5 and 4 | 1. | K. Mitchum | ||||||
| 12:00PM | ||||||||||
| 8. | Michael Hutcheon Colonial Country ClubM. Hutcheon |
8:38AM | 9. | J. Stewart | 6 and 5 | 1. | K. Mitchum | |||
| 9. | James Stewart Old North State ClubJ. Stewart |
6 and 5 | 8:30AM | |||||||
| 4. | Derek Watson Carolina Golf SalesD. Watson |
8:46AM | 4. | D. Watson | 1 up | 11. | C. Haarlow | |||
| 13. | Brett LascaraB. Lascara | 5 and 4 | 4. | D. Watson | ||||||
| 12:08PM | ||||||||||
| 5. | Matt Bova Country Club of CharlestonM. Bova |
8:54AM | 5. | M. Bova | 2 and 1 | 1:00PM | ||||
| 12. | John Thompson Carolina Lakes Golf Club LLCJ. Thompson |
4 and 2 | ||||||||
| 2. | Larry George River Landing Country ClubL. George |
9:02AM | 15. | T. Straub | 3 and 2 | |||||
| 15. | Tim Straub Davidson CollegeT. Straub |
2 and 1 | 15. | T. Straub | ||||||
| 12:16PM | ||||||||||
| 7. | Matt Vick Sandhills RentalsM. Vick |
9:10AM | 7. | M. Vick | 1 up | 11. | C. Haarlow | |||
| 10. | Ray Franz Daniel Island ClubR. Franz |
1 up | 8:40AM | |||||||
| 3. | Steve Isley Oak Island Golf ClubS. Isley |
9:18AM | 14. | B. Blackburn | 20 holes | |||||
| 14. | Brooks Blackburn Palmetto Golf ClubB. Blackburn |
2 and 1 | 11. | C. Haarlow | ||||||
| 12:24PM | ||||||||||
| 6. | Cory Schneider Pointe Golf ClubC. Schneider |
9:26AM | 11. | C. Haarlow | 1 up | |||||
| 11. | Chris Haarlow Precision Golf SchoolC. Haarlow |
5 and 4 | ||||||||
© 2024 Carolinas PGA
