Welcome to the 2025 Charlotte City Amateur!

Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

The 67th Charlotte City Amateur begins this morning at Raintree Country Club’s South Course, with the first group going off at 7:30 AM. This is a major championship in our book, so we’re dedicating 100% of this week’s 2DP to the biggest event in Charlotte golf!

In today’s newsletter, we have a Q&A with Tournament Director Braxton McLennan, who has been influential in shaping the event into what it is today. We also have a full Round 1 preview, including course notes, featured tee times, and our pick to win! Enjoy the golf and I hope to see you out at Raintree, Myers Park, or Quail Hollow this weekend.

TWO DOWN PRESS Q&A

Tournament Director Braxton McLennan on the Charlotte City Amateur’s Past, Present, and Future

Braxton McLennan has typically operated as a man behind the scenes, but his fingerprints are all over the modern iteration of the Charlotte City Amateur. Serving as Tournament Director since 2008, McLennan has been instrumental in reviving the event and turning it into the preeminent city golf championships in the region.

A Charlotte native, McLennan grew up around the game and worked in golf for a significant chunk of his professional career. His first job was as an Assistant Professional at Quail Hollow, and he spent 8 years working for the Carolinas Golf Foundation. Despite his focus on the administrative side today, McLennan is no slouch as a player, having qualified for multiple U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships and frequently doing double-duty by running and competing in the City Am.

I recently spoke with Braxton to learn more about the event’s history, the 2025 tournament, and his perspectives on the tournament’s future. This conversation has been edited for brevity and readability.

2DP: How did you originally get involved with the Charlotte City Amateur?

BM: In 2007 they didn't have a tournament, and Ron Green Jr. put out an article saying it was a shame since it had been going on since 1958. I had a good friend named Xan Law, who has since passed away, who won it in 1969. A group got together and said we needed to do something, so we put together a committee and started brainstorming ideas of how to do it and what format to use.

We started at Charlotte Country Club, and once they got behind it, everybody else went along with it. 2008 was our first year - we played at Cedarwood, Carolina, and Charlotte. Interestingly, those were the same 3 courses they played in the 1st Charlotte City Amateur in 1958.

The committee has faded away, so now it’s really a 2-man operation.

2DP: What does the process look like for securing host courses, and how has that evolved over the years?

BM: Since COVID it's been getting harder. All the courses are [extremely busy] and a lot of clubs are under construction, so it's been challenging. [The clubs] are just very protective of giving up their course for a day and very focused on keeping members happy.

We've always sold [hosting] as something that’s good for the community, good for the game of golf, and ultimately good for the clubs, because you get the best players in Charlotte coming to your facilities.

The best way to do it is to get somebody from the club that's on board - someone that's connected, who's on the board or on a committee - and then we can work hand-in-hand with that person. This year was touch-and-go for a while - I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to pull it off!

2DP: I’d say you pulled it off in a big way with this year’s lineup (Raintree, Myers Park, and Quail Hollow)! The tournament sold out in just 2 days this year, which seems unprecedented. Has there always been strong interest in the tournament?

BM: I've never seen anything like it. We've always filled it up, but it's usually taken a month or so to do it. This time we sold out in 2 days and had a massive waiting list - I've never seen that before. All the qualifiers have always filled up, but I used to know everybody in the field - now I'm lucky if I know a quarter of them! It's a lot of new guys and a lot of young guys.

We have a great lineup this year. We haven't been to Quail in a while, so we’re excited to go back. Myers Park also stepped up, and we added Raintree, which we've never played in the rotation before. We've pretty much played at every club in town at one point or another.

2DP: After nearly 20 years of running this tournament, what are some of the most memorable moments that stick out?

BM: I remember my buddy Nolan Mills won at Quail [in 2009], and he birdied 16, 17, and 18 - that was pretty cool to have a friend win. We also had John Eades and Chad Wilfong going at it in playoffs 2 years in a row.

It's been fun to watch the new guys come in. [2023 Champion] Will Register from UNC Chapel Hill played with a lot of those guys that are on tour now, like Ben Griffin and Ryan Gerard. Pierce Lucas won last year, and he's almost like a clone of Will - left-handed and just crushes it. We're seeing a whole new game out there now.

2DP: I’ve heard you mention potentially revising the format for the event. What changes are you considering?

BM: Our format is a challenge - moving clubs, having a cut every day. I want to revisit that because it's just a ticking time bomb before we get nailed by weather. The qualifier got cut 1 year - we had to cut it to 9 holes and I got a lot of flack for that.

I've heard feedback from players saying it would be nice if you could be guaranteed 2 rounds, so we might kick around having the cut after the second round, but I'm open to some new ideas.

2DP: The tournament has inspired similar events in other areas. Tell me about that.

BM: Kelly Miller [President of Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club] is a good friend of mine, and his son-in-law Jack McLean started the Moore County Amateur, which is modeled after ours. The Forsyth Championship modeled their event after ours too, so it’s cool to see some other areas embracing it and helping it grow. I try to help them when they ask questions and get stressed out about weather and logistics.

2DP: Looking ahead, what are your plans for the tournament's future?

BM: We're going to try to put a group back together after this year's tournament that could help secure the courses, which is the hardest part. I think we've got a plan moving forward that's not going to be me flying by the seat of my pants trying to figure it out at the 11th hour. I'll try to have a little better process and have a 3-to-5-year plan to get a rotation going where clubs commit earlier.

CHARLOTTE CITY AM

Round 1 Preview with Course Insights from 2023 Raintree Club Champion Jerell Fields

100 players enter today’s first round, with the field set to be cut to low 50 and ties after 18 holes. The forecast shows morning storms that will (hopefully) clear out by midday, so fingers crossed that Round 1 will be completed without interruption. Here are a few things to look for as you follow today’s action:

Course: Raintree Country Club - South Course

First-time City Am host Raintree South stretches to just over 7,000 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 72. Despite those conventional measurements, the layout consisting of 5 par 5’s and 5 par 3’s does provide a unique first test. I spoke with Jerell Fields, 2023 Raintree Club Champion and budding golf YouTube star, about the course to get his top 3 tips for playing the course well - hope the 2DP subscribers competing today are checking their email!

1. Don’t let 5 par 5s fool you. The course is tough. You see 5 par 5’s and think that means 5 birdie opportunities, but really only 2 of them are reachable. Play them smart.

2. You don’t need driver off of every hole. People often ask me why I hit less than driver off the tee so often. It’s because I’m used to it from playing at Raintree!

3. Putt what you see. The South Course features the best greens at Raintree. They roll true, so trust your read.

Featured tee times: The committee served us up some featured groups for Friday! Here are 2 I have my eye on (full tee time list here):

8:20: Philip Oweida, Chad Fultz, Paul Fitzgerald, Cameron Warner III

Oweida recently qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, taking the medalist spot at Solina Golf Club. Fultz and Warner III both made Day 3 of the 2024 City Am, with Warner III finishing as co-runner-up. Fitzgerald has competed in the U.S. Amateur and as a member of the CGA Captain’s Putter state team.

10:40: Will Register, Will Stewart, Chad Wilfong, Pease Lucas

The mega group! 4 former City Am champions, including defending champion Lucas and 2024 co-runner-up Register. Wilfong, maybe the most decorated of the group, is looking to win his first City Am since 2020.

My pick: I’m going with Will Register as my pick to win. Too much fire power, and I think a player of his caliber will be able to separate on Sunday at Quail Hollow.

Live scoring: Follow through the Golf Genius app and use GGID 2025CITYAM

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