University of North Carolina Athletics
Rams Club Mini-Tour Update: Williams, Younce Lead Team To Victory
July 6, 2004 | General
July 6, 2004
Mother Nature tried again to keep the Mini-Tour from finishing its tournament at the Heritage Club in Wake Forest on June 30th, but a delay of about an hour late in the round was not enough to halt completion of play. Originally scheduled for June 8th, the field again faced lightning, as well as heavy rain. However, the superbly conditioned course drained quickly and the players were able to finish their rounds.
Sam Williams joined his regular playing partner Jay Younce, and 2004 tour newcomers Glen Slaughter and Don Fish to shoot a 14 under 58 to win the team competition by one shot over two other teams. Slaughter also won the Rolex Bag for the proximity winner on the difficult par three fifth, while Fish consistently knocked his short irons tight to give his team excellent opportunities for birdies, and took the proximity prize on the eighth hole.
Finishing second was the threesome of Joe Lee, Art Newnam, and Jim Thompson, winning the playoff with an eagle on the par five 14th that stretched to 554 yards from the blue tees. The group also eagled the par five first hole. Third place went to the team of Clint Gwaltney, Michael Beale, Scott Edwards, and Jeff Jeffrey. They rushed to six under after six holes, led by Gwaltney's five birdie putts, before cooling a bit. Edwards described the putting exhibition as "better than anything Ben Crenshaw had ever done".
Chris Jones recovered from a smothered tee shot on the par three fifth to launch a mammoth drive on the sixth hole to win the men's long drive. Robin Searight found the ladies long drive marker to put her name on it and win the ladies prize. Hayes Hyman almost did not hit his tee shot on the 17th after partner Jonathan Broyles had laced his shot close to the hole, but relented and won the closest-to-the-pin prize. Jim Crawford followed his great performance in Henderson with a proximity winner on the 12th.
The professional staff at the Heritage Club guided the field through a difficult weather day with patience and wisdom, making a very accurate call on the path of the storms. Thanks are extended to David Sykes and his golf staff, Phill Sykes, and Linda Cops for their excellent hospitality and service.
The very popular Mini-Tour site, Old North State Club, is next on the tour schedule on July 12th. With a full field, the competition should be fierce as players start to make their moves in the individual standings. The rest of the regular schedule is as follows: Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro on July 26th, Pinehurst No. 8 on August 2nd, and Championship Weekend on August 13th at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach and August 14th at Rivers Edge Golf Club in Shallotte. The Tournament Players Championship, limited to the top 60 in the points standings and individual prize winners, is September 13th at The Preserve at Jordan Lake Golf Club in Chapel Hill on September 13th.
Space is rapidly filling up at Forest Oaks and Pinehurst. Visit www.ramsclub.com to secure an entry form, email John Cherry at jcherry@unc.edu, or call the Rams Club at 919-945-2000 to secure your place in upcoming tournaments.
The point standings will be updated over the July 4th weekend.
