Area Golf Notes - Full fall schedule moves City Amateur up to August

Published: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 4:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 4:11 p.m.

This year's Wilmington City Amateur should be a hot one.

Municipal Course pro David Donovan has moved the annual tournament to Aug. 17-18, approximately one month earlier than it's been held for at least the past 20 years.

Donovan said the move will avoid conflicts with other area tournaments, such as the Pine Valley Member-Guest and North Carolina Mid-Amateur, which is scheduled for Porters Neck the first weekend in September.

The additional daylight should also enable all golfers to complete their rounds, Donovan feels.

The City Amateur is a 36-hole stroke play tournament contested every year since World War II.

Entry fee is $80 and includes greens fees, lunch, a tee gift and the opportunity to play for prizes within the golfer's flight. Carts are an additional $12 per day. For more information, contact Donovan in the pro shop at 791-0558.

Dickens playing with touring pros

Former River Landing assistant Paul Dickens tees it up this week in the Rex Hospital Open, the annual Web.com Tour stop in Raleigh.

The long-hitting Dickens should be comfortable on the TPC Wakefield layout. He's the head pro.

A former N.C. State golfer, Dickens earned his spot via a qualifier for members of the Carolinas PGA section. He's in good form, having tied for third in the N.C. Open earlier this month, and will aim for a share of the $625,000 purse that pays $99,000 to the winner.

Dickens also played in the Rex Hospital Open in 2009, shooting 73-73 and missing the cut.

Several other pros with area ties attempted open qualifying Monday. There were 275 golfers vying for 12 total at Finley GC in Chapel Hill and Lonnie Poole GC in Raleigh.

East Carolina golfer Harold Varner, who competed in the U.S. Open at Merion last week, shot 67 at Finley, but lost in an eight-golfers-for-one-spot playoff for the sixth and final berth. Josh Brock (69), Jack Fields (71) and David Kostyal (80) also failed to qualify.

At Finley GC, Varner's former teammate Adam Stephenson shot 66 to snag a spot. Former UNCW golfers Ryan Sullivan (73) and Thomas Bass (74) finished eight shots outside the cutline.

Also failing to qualify was actor Lucas Black, who turned pro earlier this month. Black starred as a struggling pro golfer in the 2011 film ?Seven Days in Utopia,? and also had roles in ?Slingblade,? ?Jarhead? and ?All the Pretty Horses.? He shot 74 at Lonnie Poole despite playing the first four holes in 5-over. Black is competing this week in the NGA Hooters Tour Cutter Creek Classic in Snow Hill.

WJGA Fundraiser

The Wilmington Junior Golf Academy will hold a fundraiser golf tournament on Aug. 10 at the Wilmington Municipal Golf Course. The entry fee for the captain's choice event is $90 per person, which includes greens fees, cart, breakfast and lunch.

All proceeds support the programming and children of Wilmington Junior Golf Academy.

For more information about the tournament, contact Jake Hunt at 622-5253.

Brian Mull: 343-2034

On Twitter: @BGMull

Source: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130619/articles/130619567

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