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We survived another scorching hot day at the Charlotte City Amateur! There was plenty of action on Moving Day at Cedarwood Country Club, with drama and intrigue at both the top and bottom of the leaderboard. Catch up on all the latest below and tune in tomorrow for our coverage of the final round of the 2026 Charlotte City Amateur.

CHARLOTTE CITY AM

Full Leaderboard (GGID TBYGGM) | Round 1 Recap | Round 3 Tee Times

Luke Thalman backed up his opening 68 (-3) with another solid round on Saturday at Cedarwood Country Club. Thalman got off to a red-hot start, shooting 33 (-3) on the front 9, and despite a few mistakes on the home stretch, he got it into the house at 70 (-1) to finish at -4 for the tournament through 36 holes.

Day 1 leader David Yowell’s second round 72 (+1) saw him flip spots with Thalman. He had a 1-shot lead after the first round at Pine Lake Country Club but now trails Thalman after Saturday’s 2-shot swing.

Thalman and Yowell were paired together for Saturday’s round, and at one point on the back 9, it looked like they might lift and separate from the field. Yowell hit a fantastic low wedge shot into a back-left pin on the par 5 12th to make birdie and reach -6 for the championship, while Thalman’s birdie on the 13th saw him reach the -7 mark. Both players fought valiantly all day and played some outstanding golf, but each gave a few shots back down the stretch - Thalman notably making double bogey at 17 after missing left on the long par 3, while Yowell was unable to get up-and-down on 18 after flying his approach shot from the left rough just long of the green.

From a neutral’s perspective, the finish from the leaders sets us up for an extremely interesting final day, as several prominent challengers were able to jump up the board and narrow in on the lead duo.

Round-of-the-day honors on Saturday went to Sam Jenkins, who fired a 67 (-4) that included 5 birdies and an eagle. After making birdies on the 4th and 5th holes, a gettable par 5 and a short par 4, Jenkins rolled in a long eagle putt from the front of the green on the 8th to go out with a bogey-free 32 (-4). The back 9 saw a bit more action in each direction with 3 birdies and 3 bogeys, but a closing 35 was good enough to shoot him up into a T3 position (-2 overall) heading into the final round. He’ll join Yowell and Thalman in the final group, which tees off this morning at 8:45.

Tied with Jenkins at -2 through 36 holes is Brinson Paolini. The former Duke golfer has played a pair of solid, unflashy rounds thus far, shooting 70 (-1) in each and only making 4 bogeys for the tournament. Paolini is one of the most decorated players in the field with 4 Virginia State Amateur championships on his resume - we’ll be tracking his round closely today out at Carmel Country Club.

There is a 4-shot gap between T3 and T5, but huge group of well-known and talented chasers currently sits at +1/+2 on the leaderboard. Names like Chad Fultz, Matt Kilgo, Jake McGlone, and Scott Hamel are one great round away from snatching the Ron Green Sr. trophy should the lead pack falter. As the tournament heads to Carmel Country Club’s North Course, it truly feels like it’s anyone’s ball game.

Further down the leaderboard, the biggest story of Saturday at the Charlotte City Am is always the 36-hole cut, which pares the field down to 24 players for the final day. This year, a 4-for-2 playoff was required for those finishing at +7, with David Sargent, Sean Snell, William Bryant, and Wil Myers competing for the final spots.

On the first playoff hole, Sargent and Bryant secured 2-putt pars, while Myers executed a touchy chip from left of the green to get up-and-down. Snell was unable to match Myers’s effort and was eliminated on the first playoff hole.

Returning to the 18th tee, Bryant hit his drive off the toe and saw it end up left of the fairway on the driving range - out of bounds on Cedarwood’s finishing hole. Despite a great second tee shot and an approach that gave him a look at bogey, Bryant was eliminated after a tap-in bogey by Sargent and another up-and-in from Myers. Sargent, a former Davidson golfer, and Myers, a former MLB All-Star who played 11 seasons for the Rays, Padres, and Reds, will be off in the first group Sunday at 7:35.

PRESENTED BY THE CHARLOTTE CITY AMATEUR

The Charlotte City Amateur is one of the most competitive city tournaments in the country and is contested annually at the best courses in town. This year, 90+ of Charlotte’s top players will compete in the unique 54-hole format, with a daily cut and only the top 24 players advancing to Sunday’s round at Carmel County Club.

Qualifiers are held annually in June/July for players looking to earn a spot in the field. Registration is open to any resident of Mecklenburg County with a handicap index of 6.4 or below. Visit the tournament website to learn more.

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