2024 Cherokee Valley Golf Tournament Results

The sights, sounds, and feel of spring were in the air on Saturday as the Upstate Amateur Players Tour hosted a sold-out field of 88 golfers for a beautiful day of golf at Cherokee Valley Golf Club in Travelers Rest. After Friday’s storms, the sun was out early on Saturday, making for a perfect day of golf in the Upstate of South Carolina.  

Throughout the year, the Upstate Amateur Players Tour travels the Upstate of South Carolina, and portions of North Carolina, giving golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete across 10 different divisions. During Saturday’s tournament at Cherokee Valley, players competed for over $5,400 in cash and VISA prizes.  

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cherokee Valley is a golfers paradise, featuring scenic views with a challenging, yet rewarding, 18-hole layout. The competition was strong throughout the day, as most divisions were decided by less than a few strokes.  

Here’s a breakdown of the results from Saturday’s round: 

Division 1 – Ben Palmer’s red-hot start proved to be enough as he took the top honors in Division 1 on Saturday with a round of 70. Palmer birdied his first two holes before eagling the third hole. A birdie on the par-five fourth hole moved the Parkersburg, WV native to five under par through as many holes. After turning at 30, Palmer shot 40 on the back nine to finish at two under par.  

Brandon Pearson kept pace on the front nine, as he finished second, two shots back of Palmer after shooting even par, 72. Pearson made three straight birdies to pull within two strokes of the leader on the front nine. Pearson closed his round with four straight pars.  

Dawson Thornton, Greg Moore, and Shayne Burger finished in a tie for third as all three competitors shot 73. Thornton and Moore each made three birdies and Burger’s round featured four birdies.  

Senior Division 1 – A playoff was needed to determine a winner in Senior Division 1 on Saturday, as Greg Moore prevailed after he and Shayne Burger tied with rounds of 73. Moore made two back nine birdies to reach the playoff as Burger turned his round in the right direction on the inward stretch.  

Burger made four birdies on the back nine, including three in his final six holes, to shoot 73. A steady stretch on the front included seven pars for Burger to begin the day.  

Brandt Howard and Mark Blakenship rounded out the division with rounds of 81 and 85, respectively.  

Division 2 – Scott Weber’s birdie on the par-five 16^th hole proved to be the difference as the Greenville, SC native reached a playoff and won Division 2 over Carlos Mojica after post players carded rounds of 78. 

Weber shot two over on the back nine, including his birdie on No. 16. Mojica shot just two over on the front nine as he made birdie on the par-five fifth hole. Bob Grove finished in third place, just one shot out of the playoff with a round of 79. 

A three-way tie for fourth place rounded out the top-five in the division as Joe Hamacher, Jeremy Key, and Carlos Santana all shot 80.  

Senior Division 2 – While his round of 78 was not good enough to win the top spot in Division 2 on Saturday, Carlos Mojica did win Senior Division 2, clearing challenger Bob Grove by just one shot.  

Mojica closed his round off in solid form, adding three straight pars to maintain his one-shot advantage over Grove. Two bogeys on the closing holes knocked Grove from atop the leaderboard. Joe Hamacher finished third with a round of 80. 

Division 3 – Jim Wiginton found his groove at just the right time, making two birdies in his final five holes to win Division 3 with a round of 78. Wiginton pared five of his first six holes on the front nine to settle into the round.  

Myron Samuels finished in second place with a round of 82. Samuels battled his round back to even par with a birdie on the par-three sixth hole before three straight bogeys to close the outward nine.  

Travis Blackwell finished third with an 83, followed by Matt Houser in fourth place with an 84. Darrell Johnson rounded out the top-five with rounds of 84 and 85, respectively.  

Senior Division 3 – Jim Wiginton doubled up on Saturday as he also won Senior Division 3 with his six over round of 78. Wiginton defeated Myron Samuels by four strokes in the division. Travis Blackwell finished third, just one shot behind Samuels. Darrell Johnson came home fourth with a round of 85. 

Tommy Boyter and Ronnie Strange tied for fifth place with rounds of 86. Boyter birdied the par-five 16^th hole as Strange’s highlight of the day came on the par-five fifth hole.  

Division 4 – Kyle Trammell added the exclamation point to his round on Saturday when he eagled the par-five 16^th hole, helping him clear his competitors in Division 4 by two strokes. Trammell carded a round of 84 to win by two over Charlie Warstler, who shot 86. 

Warstler birdied his final hole of the day, his fourth birdie of the round, to finish runner-up. Three birdies on the front nine helped Warstler shoot just three over par on the outward nine.  

Justin Sartain shot 87 to finish third, followed by Maurice Sherman in fourth place. Mike Meetze and Gene Mason tied for fifth place with rounds of 90. 

Senior Division 4 – Locked in a tight battle down the stretch, Maurice Sherman emerged victorious with his round of 89 in Senior Division 4 on Saturday. Sherman’s highlight of the day came on the par-five 11^th hole where he made birdie.  

Gene Mason finished runner-up after shooting 90. Mason got his round off to a hot start with a birdie on his opening hole. Scott Bryant and Billy Odom tied for third place with rounds of 96. Marvin Jackson rounded out the top five with a round of 97. 

Division 5 – Michael Shirley got off to the best start of the day, helping him gain position to hold on for the victory in Division 5 on Saturday. Shirley birdied his first two holes before eagling his third hole. He sat at four under par through just three holes before shooting 91 to win the division.  

Danny Sullivan’s comeback effort on the back nine fell just short as he finished runner-up after posting a round of 93. Sullivan played his final five holes on the front nine in just one over par.  

Kyle Macklin finished in third place with a round of 95. Kenneth Tadlock shot 97, finishing fourth as Eric Barnes rounded out the top five with a 98. 

Senior Division 5 – While Danny Sullivan came up just short of the top prize in Division 5, his round of 93 proved to be enough to take the top honors in Senior Division 5 on Saturday. Sullivan’s steady play towards the end of the front nine carried over to the back nine as well with two pars to start the inward stretch.  

Dick Jenkins finished runner-up after carding a round of 99. Tim Kunkel shot 103 as Terry Bollenbecker and Thomas Lanford rounded out the top-five with rounds of 109.