Concord, N.C. – An addition to the southern golf landscape arrives this summer with the formation of the Southern Open, an annual championship that will attract a field of professional and amateur golfers to Cabarrus County.
The 2005 Southern Open takes place July 15 through 17 on the championship layouts of Cabarrus Country Club and Kannapolis Country Club. This 54-hole, stroke-play tournament will pay a guaranteed $15,000 for first place, with an expected total purse of $75,000.
Organizers are targeting a field of 250 to 300 participants, which would make it the largest individual professional stroke-play tournament in the Carolinas. About three-fourths of the field will be pros, according to tournament director Paul Wortham, co-owner of the Charlotte-based Tarheel Professional Tour.
“I want this to become the premier open golf championship in the Southland, outside of the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour,” says Wortham. “Our goal is to draw professionals and top-notch amateurs from across the Southeast. We hope this gets circled on the schedule of professional golfers at every level, whether they’re a club pro or play the Nationwide Tour or the PGA Tour. If those guys have a gap in their schedule, we welcome them to tee it up.”
The event has already gained support within the community. The Cabarrus County CVB is a corporate partner for the Open, which will attract hundreds of participants and spectators for three days, resulting in an estimated economic impact of nearly $200,000 to the county. Southwest Cabarrus Rotary will be the charitable beneficiary of the tournament, and will also provide volunteers.
Wortham feels the Open can draw a large field based on several reasons. First, there will be significant spillover from the Tarheel Tour, which is averaging nearly 90 golfers per event this year. Second, the purse is large enough to pique the interest of pros throughout the South. Third, the courses are very good, with Kannapolis Country Club providing an added draw because it hosts the first stage of PGA Tour Q-School this fall. And finally, the tournament provides an option for hundreds of pros who have traditionally played the Crown Royal each July in Williamsburg, Va. After many years, the Crown Royal will not be played this year.
“The formula is in place for success,” said Wortham. “We’ve created a tournament that gives golf professionals the opportunity to earn a very good check for a modest entry fee. Usually, pros expect to pay an entry fee around $1,000 to play for a $15,000 first place prize.”
Format for the Southern Open is 54 holes of stroke play. The field will be split for the first two days, with half playing the first round at Cabarrus Country Club and half at Kannapolis Country Club. That will be flipped for the second round. After two days, the field will be cut to the top 60 and ties for Sunday’s final round at Cabarrus Country Club.
Amateurs with verifiable handicaps of 4.0 are encouraged to enter. They will compete against the full field, but also have their own prize pool. A certain number of amateurs will make the cut, based on their number of entries. Entry fees are $440 for pros and $275 for amateurs.
“Having the opportunity to play with professionals is a big thing for top-notch amateurs, especially if they’re trying to decide to go to the next level,” says Wortham. “With amateurs in the mix, and college guys, and young professionals, it should help the fan base. Down the road, we look to have large galleries. We want to get everybody involved, from the media to local businesses to golf fans. We think Cabarrus County, as the crown jewel of the greater Charlotte region, is a great draw.”
For tournament information, call Wortham at 704-562-4764, or log on to www.tarheeltour.com and click on “Southern Open.”
No more results found. The 2005 Southern Open takes place July 15 through 17 on the championship layouts of Cabarrus Country Club and Kannapolis Country Club. This 54-hole, stroke-play tournament will pay a guaranteed $15,000 for first place, with an expected total purse of $75,000.
Organizers are targeting a field of 250 to 300 participants, which would make it the largest individual professional stroke-play tournament in the Carolinas. About three-fourths of the field will be pros, according to tournament director Paul Wortham, co-owner of the Charlotte-based Tarheel Professional Tour.
“I want this to become the premier open golf championship in the Southland, outside of the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour,” says Wortham. “Our goal is to draw professionals and top-notch amateurs from across the Southeast. We hope this gets circled on the schedule of professional golfers at every level, whether they’re a club pro or play the Nationwide Tour or the PGA Tour. If those guys have a gap in their schedule, we welcome them to tee it up.”
The event has already gained support within the community. The Cabarrus County CVB is a corporate partner for the Open, which will attract hundreds of participants and spectators for three days, resulting in an estimated economic impact of nearly $200,000 to the county. Southwest Cabarrus Rotary will be the charitable beneficiary of the tournament, and will also provide volunteers.
Wortham feels the Open can draw a large field based on several reasons. First, there will be significant spillover from the Tarheel Tour, which is averaging nearly 90 golfers per event this year. Second, the purse is large enough to pique the interest of pros throughout the South. Third, the courses are very good, with Kannapolis Country Club providing an added draw because it hosts the first stage of PGA Tour Q-School this fall. And finally, the tournament provides an option for hundreds of pros who have traditionally played the Crown Royal each July in Williamsburg, Va. After many years, the Crown Royal will not be played this year.
“The formula is in place for success,” said Wortham. “We’ve created a tournament that gives golf professionals the opportunity to earn a very good check for a modest entry fee. Usually, pros expect to pay an entry fee around $1,000 to play for a $15,000 first place prize.”
Format for the Southern Open is 54 holes of stroke play. The field will be split for the first two days, with half playing the first round at Cabarrus Country Club and half at Kannapolis Country Club. That will be flipped for the second round. After two days, the field will be cut to the top 60 and ties for Sunday’s final round at Cabarrus Country Club.
Amateurs with verifiable handicaps of 4.0 are encouraged to enter. They will compete against the full field, but also have their own prize pool. A certain number of amateurs will make the cut, based on their number of entries. Entry fees are $440 for pros and $275 for amateurs.
“Having the opportunity to play with professionals is a big thing for top-notch amateurs, especially if they’re trying to decide to go to the next level,” says Wortham. “With amateurs in the mix, and college guys, and young professionals, it should help the fan base. Down the road, we look to have large galleries. We want to get everybody involved, from the media to local businesses to golf fans. We think Cabarrus County, as the crown jewel of the greater Charlotte region, is a great draw.”
For tournament information, call Wortham at 704-562-4764, or log on to www.tarheeltour.com and click on “Southern Open.”