We’re in the final stretch!
Big things have happened and big things are coming up!
Key Topics:
Tour Update
2023 Survey
RDUgolf Tour Hall of Fame
Ryder Cup Team
Match Play Recap
Golfer Profile: Kurt Hayward
Personal Accomplishments
Tour Update
With 1 regular season event left, a LOT has been happening as we push to the Tour Championship!
Winners:
Devils Ridge – J. Citty
Riverwood – S. Mendez, J. DiRienzo
Mid South Major – E. Wilson
Mill Creek – J. Citty
We also had 3 Hole-In-Ones in the span of 3 events!
Greg Garner – Tobacco Road – Hole 17
Mike Todd – Mid South Club – Hole 3
Wesley Carter – Mil Creek – Hole 17
Reminder:
Keep an eye out; Some important dates will be released soon!
2023 Survey
It’s that time again; I’m planning for next season
I would love your input and feedback to help cater to the needs of our community
Please fill out this survey; your input will help quite a bit if there is a 2023 season
The RDUgolf Tour
Hall of Fame
In an effort to honor and highlight our golfers and their tremendous achievements or contributions to the Tour, we are establishing the
RDUgolf Tour HALL OF FAME!
Please welcome our first class of inductees:
John Gagliano
2021 Net Champion
2022 Indoor Match Play Champion
Tyler Fowler
2021 recipient of the
Spirit of the RDUgolf Tour award
Greg Garner
Hole-In-One
2022 Match Play Invitational
Tobacco Road
Hole 17
Mike Todd
Hole-In-One
Mid South Club – Major
Hole 3
Wesley Carter
Hole-In-One
Mill Creek
Hole 17
RYDER CUP Team
We were challenged by our sister-league in Charlotte, the Queen City Golf Tour and we will compete with them in a Ryder Cup event on October 1st at Bryan Park in Greensboro.
Selections were INCREDIBLY difficult, as we have a LOT of very capable, competitive golfers on the RDU side, but through season-long analytics, I am proud to announce our
2022 RYDER CUP TEAM!
Match Play Invitational Recap
In late July, 24 golfs across 3 brackets were pitted directly against each other!
The annual Match Play Invitational was played at Tobacco Road and the Dogwood course at Country Club of North Carolina
Read the event recap here:
Congrats to our winners on the weekend:
Saturday Bracket (9-15 hdcps): Jonathan Citty
Sunday Bracket (16+ hdcps): Joe Maugeri & Thomas Walsh
Main Bracket (<9 hdcps): Evan Boyer
Golfers Profile
This “Golfers Profile” series will dig deeper into a community member each newsletter!
Introducing:
Kurt Hayward
Directors Notes:
We all know Kurt as the person that demolished the entire field at the Williamsburg 2-Day event.
But after playing with Kurt a few times, I have learned that there is a much more storied background behind his current 4 handicap
About Kurt:
Standard Stuff:
Kurt Hayward, 39 years old. 4.2 handicap
Best score: -7 @ Pine Valley Country Club (the one in Wilmington.. not the other Pine Valley)
Dream Golf Trip & Dream Golf Group:
It would be Augusta my father in lay (in his prime), Tiger, and my dad.
Or Bobby Jones, Seve, and Old Tom Morris at Sawgrass – the last mostly because his mind would be blown, or otherwise we all had to revert back to the default of hickory sticks and featheries.
I wanted to include Hogan, but I don’t think he spoke much – just played great golf.
Who They Are:
Have a lot of random stories, but here is a list of random things about me –
- I have a wife and a dog who like to go on trips and are fantastic.
- First job was detasseling corn; then later taught, bartended, worked through sales and renewals for various companies, and generally tried to find something positive to do in life.
- I need to stretch and do yoga more, but did purchase a bike to go riding with said wife.
- Working my way backwards through the top 500 Rolling Stone albums, and it’s been a fun little journey.
- Enjoy watching F1 and some time in my wooden sim I built, while also trying to maintain the yard.
My Golf Story:
I grew up in the Peoria County (IL) public golf course system and helped start a high school team out in the country, then moved to Wilmington for the junior golf stage of my life.
Lived on the 9th tee of the Cape Golf Club and played competitively up and down the eastern part of the state and got my handicap to a +3.
Around college, I quit playing daily, then began taking years off at a time.
In 2021, started playing more frequently while tracking a handicap, and in 2022 started playing RDUgolf Tour events and whenever else possible.
Goal is to get my handicap low enough to register for some local/national tournaments in some form…but who has time?
The Virginia trip this year was epic!
Played very well and got to build relationships with quite a few awesome people and have really enjoyed hanging around and watching people finish if I have an early time.
My favorite golf memory ever would be the first time I shot under par for 9 holes; Newman Golf Course, back 9 – I drained a double breaker from the front of the green to a back pin position to card a 34.
Personal Achievements
As always, we celebrate with our golfers on and off the course!
Golf Related:
Greg Garner: Hole-in-One @ Tobacco Road
Mike Todd: Hole-in-One @ Mid South Club
Wesley Carter: Hole-in-One @ Mill Creek
Trent Menzer: Hole-in-One @ South Granville CC
Jonathan Citty: New personal best (75) @Mill Creek
Mason Perry: New personal best (77) @ Bentwinds
Sebastian Mendez: New personal best (85) @ Riverwood
Scott Tarcy: New personal best 9 (-5)
Jacob Van Leeuwen: Qualified for the CGA Mid-Am Championship
More Personal:
Kevin Jin: Got Engaged
Kevin Jin: Graduated from Duke with his Doctorate
Molly Vanhoy: Got engaged (to Thomas Walsh)
As always, thank you for being a part of the RDUgolf Tour!
Keep an eye out soon for some dates around the end-of-season party, and off-season events