WAGRAM — Will Morgan earned his third county golf title over the weekend, edging out William Carter by five strokes at the Edges “R” Us Scotland County Amateur.
Morgan posted a 3-under-par 69 at Scotch Meadows, the host of the tournament’s opening round on Friday. That gave him a four-stroke lead over Carter, who was trailed closely by Jamie Locklear, Anthony Spivey, Justin Godwin, Nick Thompson and Burns McBride in the Championship Division.
That group formed the first of three Championship Division flights in the second round, which was held on Saturday at Deercroft. Morgan carded a 2-under 70 to seal the win, and Carter shot a 71 to finish as the runner-up.
“It’s just good to get out and compete,” said Morgan, a former UNC-Pembroke golfer. “When you’re going up that’s what you want to do, to win in the county and surrounding counties. It always feels good to win a tournament, no matter what.”
Morgan, a Laurinburg resident, wasn’t fully satisfied with either of his rounds.
“I hit the ball OK (on Friday),” Morgan said. “I didn’t really take advantage of scoring. Today (Saturday), to be honest, I don’t know if I could have scored any better because I hit it all over the place. It was pretty bad today.”
Golfers were treated to sunny weather on both days. The temperature hovered in the mid-80s throughout the second round.
Blake Bathie won the second flight in the Championship Division with a combined score of 156 (79-77). David Locklear won the third flight with a score of 165 (84-81).
Harris wins Senior Division title
Lemark Harris of Robeson County held off Dan Starkey by just one stroke to win the Senior Division championship. The pair finished the first round in a tie for first place after both shot a 73 at Scotch Meadows. Harris carded a 69 at Deercroft, and Starkey turned in a 2-under 70. Greg Dial rounded out the Senior Division’s top three with a combined score of 146 (74-72).
Jim Steed (81-78-159) took top honors in the second flight of the Senior Division. Jay McMillan (87-81-168) won the division’s third flight.
Wright takes home Super Seniors trophy
Two golfers competed in the Super Senior division. Ed Wright was the top finisher, posting scores of 86 and 89.
“It’s a great tournament,” Wright said. “You get to play with people you never see. You don’t know any of them, but you get to know them and have a lot of fun and camaraderie. I enjoy it.”
Wright, a Laurinburg resident who is a month away from his 72nd birthday, said he was confident about his abilities heading into the tournament.
“I’m not a long hitter, but I knew if I could be a little consistent I could win it,” Wright said.
Also competing in the Super Seniors Division was Donald Oxendine, who shot a 90 and 98.
Deese wins Ladies Division
In the Ladies Division, which featured four golfers, Madison Deese carded an 84 in the second round to win the championship. All of the Ladies Division golfers had better rounds at Deercroft than they did at Scotch Meadows. Deese’s 84 was an eight-stroke improvement over her first-round score. Runner-up Sheila Locklear (96-85) and third-place finisher Lauren Locklear (101-90) both improved their scores by 11 strokes. Rachel Locklear (107-102) saw an improvement in her score as well.
Deese is a rising senior at Purnell Swett High School in Pembroke.
“The first round was a 92, which is not my best, but the second day I came here and finished strong,” Deese said.
Deese is a two-time state tournament qualifier for Purnell Swett.
“It feels good, to be honest,” Deese said of winning the county championship. “It’s my first championship.”
