Carolinians Flash at U.S. Four-Ball

Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

What a week in Charlotte golf! Scottie’s 5-shot victory put an exclamation point on a great weekend at Quail Hollow, but that’s not our lead story today! Didn’t see that coming…

Our headline comes from the U.S. Four-Ball, as multiple teams with Carolina connections balled out at Plainfield Country Club and a local lad took home the trophy. Don’t worry - we saved room for some PGA debrief and other traditional 2DP fare, so let’s dive in to this week’s newsletter. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINE

Charlotte Catholic’s Hartman and Future Vanderbilt Teammate Win U.S. Four-Ball

Charlotte’s Will Hartman and Fleming Island, Florida’s Tyler Mawhinney prevailed in Wednesday’s final to win the 10th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey. Hartman and Mawhinney, both members of the USGA’s inaugural U.S. National Junior Team and Vanderbilt golf commits, became the first male participants in the nascent national team program to capture a USGA title.

They overcame some serious mid-am competition in the final match, capturing a 3&1 victory over Dan Walters and 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Evan Beck. Beck, who will likely feature in this year’s Walker Cup at Cypress Point, played golf at Wake Forest and is ranked 31st in WAGR. Walters, who lives in Winston-Salem, was an assistant coach at Wake during Beck’s stint with the Demon Deacons - tons of local ties in this championship match.

Something in the water: I didn’t have a preferred outcome in this event - I was just pulling for a Carolinas golf story! Luckily the odds were in my favor with the Quarterfinals over-indexed on Carolinians, as 2022 U.S. Four-Ball Champions Chad Wilfong (Charlotte) and Davis Womble (Winston-Salem) were also in the mix. Strong showing from our region’s best.

2 on 1: Florida’s Marc Dull made history on Tuesday by becoming the first player to ever win a USGA Four-Ball match as a single. Nuts! Dull was -2 on his own ball when his Round of 16 match concluded on the 17th hole. He then managed to take his Quarterfinal match to the final hole, losing out in his second solo match to a birdie at the last.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

3 Takeaways from the 2025 PGA Championship

#1. The Best Possible Outcome

Scottie Scheffler’s win brings historical significance and memorability to an event whose leaderboard was looking a bit dicey after Thursday. As time goes on and fans forget the details of the week, having a multiple major winner as champion will go a long way to elevating the way the 2025 PGA is remembered. It’s often as simple as great winner = great tournament 10+ years down the road.

#2. Firm Greens are THE Thing

For me, there is no course setup detail that makes the viewing experience more exciting than firm greens. It’s easy to see and understand on TV, gives missing the fairway consequence, and brings big numbers into play for the best players in the world. It’s a major championship must - kudos to Keith Wood and team for keeping the putting surfaces in good nick despite the wet week.

#3. All Quail Takes Came True

Quail Hollow yielded a great winner and saw some of the best players in the world (including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau) in contention on the weekend. It also produced a bunched leaderboard, an outcome often criticized as a sign of a course failing to separate good shots from great. Whether you are a Quail skeptic or supporter, you probably saw something last week that confirmed your position, but remember that two things can be true!

FATHER’S DAY

I’m sure most of you knocked out Father’s Day shopping weeks ago, but for the minority still looking for a gift for Dad, check out our friends at Great Golf Memories. Based in Charlotte, GGM specializes in personalized golf gifts and memorabilia, and just added a curated selection of personalized Father’s Day gift ideas to their website.

All orders come with free shipping and leave the warehouse either same day or next day, so they’re a great option for those of you opting to shop last minute! Use code “2DP10” at checkout for 10% off your order now through Father’s Day.

STORIES TO TRACK

Brett McLamb Wins 2nd CGA Title at Carolinian Amateur: McLamb, who also won last month’s Carolinas Mid-Am, entered the final round at Keith Hills Golf Club with a big lead after a second round 64 (-8). An even par score of 72 on the final day was enough to preserve a 3-shot margin of victory on his home course.

Wake Forest, South Carolina Set to Compete at NCAA Golf Championships Starting Friday: The Demon Deacons and Gamecocks will be 2 of the 30 teams teeing it up this weekend at Gil Hanse’s renovated Omni La Costa. Notably absent from the field are UNC and Duke, who missed out at Regionals after spending much of the season in the top 25. Great prime time viewing on Golf Channel!

QUICK LINKS

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