PINEHURST – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) crowned four teams as state champions today at the conclusion of the Men’s Golf State Championships. At Pinehurst No. 6, Mitchell took home the 1A State Championship. At Longleaf Golf and Family Club East Surry topped the leaderboard in the 2A State Championship. In the 3A State Championship, Terry Sanford took home the top prize and at Pinehurst No. 8, Pinecrest rallied to win the 4A State Championship.
Full results and recaps are available below.
2023 NCHSAA Men’s Golf State Tournament Information & Scoring
1A Championship Tournament Central – Pinehurst No. 6
2A Championship Tournament Central – Longleaf
3A Championship Tournament Central – Foxfire (Red)
4A Championship Tournament Central – Pinehurst No. 8
2023 1A Men’s Golf First Round | Mitchell avenges runner-up finish in 2022
Pinehurst No. 6 (Par 72, 6637 yd., 72.6/134)
In the 2022 1A Men’s Golf State Championship, South Stanly topped Mitchell. In the 2023 Championship, the Mountaineers returned the favor to earn their first Men’s Golf State Championship. Mitchell junior Connor Warren successfully defended his individual title with an impressive 11-under performance. His 36-hole score of 133 is the second-best Championship performance in NCHSAA history, bested only by current PGA Tour professional J.T. Poston, who shot a 131 at Foxfire in 2011.
Mitchell’s Brody Miller and Bryce Miller each posted an 82 on Tuesday, and Colby Garland turned in a 90 to round out the team score.
Eastern Randolph senior Connor Carter followed up his first-round 70 with a 77 on day two to finish alone in second place.
South Stanly senior Reid Smith helped his team finish runner-up as he took third place outright with a 75-76 showing. Teammate Dustin Hurley finished strong as well, with a 78 in round two. The Cherryville Ironmen, led by a T6 finish from Jackson Tedder, claimed third in the team competition.
2023 2A Men’s Golf First Round | East Surry wins second straight
Longleaf Golf & Family Club, Southern Pines, NC (Par 72, 6602 yd., 72.1/131)
The East Surry Cardinals won their second consecutive 2A Men’s Golf Championship, giving them eight total titles, including six 1A crowns. East Surry freshman Pennson Badgett recovered from a bogey on the par-5 16th to birdie the 17th and hold on to a one-stroke victory in the individual championship. Teammate and first-round leader Connor Key finished T2 at three-under for the tournament. Anderson Badgett and Jace Goldbach finished T15 and T17, putting all four Cardinals inside the top 20.
Seaforth, led by Griffin Ching’s 12th-place finish, finished in second place, and Bandys took third place with the help of Atley Gabriel’s 71-79 performance. Polk County and Pine Lake Prep finished tied for fourth at 62-over.
On the individual leaderboard, Beddingfield senior Nate O’Neal and Farmville Central junior Holden Rucker tied for second with Key. Junior Cooper Mizelle of Pine Lake Prep finished in fifth, and Beddingfield’sDrew O’Neal took sixth.
2023 3A Men’s Golf First Round | Terry Sanford wins first title since 1982
Foxfire Resort | Red Fox Course (Par 72, 6756 yd., 73.5/135)
The Terry Sanford Bulldogs captured their first State Championship in 41 years on Tuesday, thanks to stellar performances from juniors Ethan Paschal, Thomas Horne, Parks Helms, and freshman Charlie Horne. All four golfers finished inside the top 20 on the individual leaderboard. The Bulldogs’ 22-over performance landed them 31 shots clear of second place Stuart Cramer.
Paschal capped the team victory by claiming the individual title in a four-hole playoff over Fred T. Foard’s David Gee and Tyler Jones from Jacksonville. Paschal birdied the fourth playoff hole to seal the win.
Stuart Cramer sophomore Aiden Vargosko was the biggest mover on Tuesday as he carded a two-under 70 and moved up 33 spots on the leaderboard to finish T12.
Fred T. Foard edged Oak Grove by one stroke to secure a third-place finish.
2023 4A Men’s Golf First Round | Pinecrest earns 7thstate title
Pinehurst No. 8 (Par 72, 6694 yd., 72.3/131)
The Pinecrest Patriots earned their seventh NCHSAA Men’s Golf State Championship on Tuesday as they overtook round one leaders Green Hope with a strong final round. The Patriots were led by Carson Bertagnole as he carded a one-under 71 on Tuesday and finished the event at even par and in third place on the individual leaderboard. Holland Giles earned a T10 finish as he was three-over for the tournament and one-over on Tuesday. Iszac Bertagnole added a 74 Tuesday and Hudson Griffin posted a 79 to put the Patriots at 21-over for the event.
Green Hope posted 13-over as a team on Tuesday and came up just two strokes shy of Pinecrest. The Shlok Jain carded a 72 in the second round to finish T12 alongside teammate Jake Lewis. Charlotte Catholic took third place in the team competition with a score of 33-over.
Apex Friendship freshman Daniel McBrien won the individual State Championship after outlasting Providence junior Colin Salema in a playoff. Both players finished 36 holes at 4-under as McBrien went 66-74 and Salema posted 69-71. Both players parred the first playoff hole, but McBrien followed up with a par on the second while Salema bogeyed.
Hough’s Jude Carper and Marvin Ridge’s Jack Wieler finished T4 at one-over for the tournament, and Hoggard senior John Logan was the biggest mover on day two as he fired a 70 to move up 25 spots on the leaderboard and finished T6.
The North Carolina Farm Bureau sponsors the NCHSAA’s Sportsmanship Awards for every championship contested in the NCHSAA. Farm Bureau is proud to encourage the characteristic of integrity, honesty, respect, and fair play on the playing fields and contests of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. The following players were awarded Sportsmanship Awards at the Golf Championships.
1A:
- Reid Smith, South Stanley
- Brody Miller, Mitchell
2A:
- Griffin Ching, Seaforth
- Jordan Davis, East Surry
3A:
- Rich Wills, Stuart Cramer
- Charlie Horne, Terry Sanford
4A:
- Isaac Bertagnole, Pinecrest
- Will Mitchell, Green Hope
