Ready made threesome; Wilmington Christian connection at the NC Amateur Championship

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Not many high school golfers qualified for this week’s NC Amateur at the Country Club of Landfall. Of those that did, two attend Wilmington Christian Academy. Plus, a WCA recent grad is in the field too.

Click the icon above to see our feature on Austin Inman, Joey Funderburg and Blake Taylor. Note: Inman will be playing golf for UNCW starting this fall after attending Liberty his freshman year. 

The secret is out. Wilmington Christian Academy is building a dynasty when it comes to golf.
The Patriots have captured 3 consecutive state championships. Recent WCA grad Austin Inman has 2 state titles under his belt.
Blake Taylor and Joey Funderburg have 3. There are not many high school students in this week’s North Carolina Amateur, regardless, Wilmington Christian is leading the way with 2 rising seniors.

“It looks great for the school,” Joey Funderburg said. “We have a tiny student body and it shows that we have the players to come out here and play at this level, I think it’s pretty cool.”

Of the WCA 3, Blake Taylor is currently in the best shape to make the cut and possibly make a move to the leaderboard. Taylor is 3 over par heading into Saturday’s play.

“I’m gonna try to go out and try to get it around par after 2 rounds.” Taylor told WWAY on Friday. “We’re expected to play 36 on Saturday and if I get off to a good start I hope to keep it going and see how low I can go on the weekend. You’ve had a good run here recently, you nearly qualified for the US Open and here you are this week at the NC Am. Yeah, the US Open was a great experience. I played with a lot of strong players that I normally watch on tv and I guess ten of em are at Chambers Bay this week.”

Austin Inman is no longer a Wilmington Christian student. He graduated in 2014. Inman just finished his freshman season at Liberty, but Inman will not be heading back. The paperwork is all done, Inman will be transferring to UNCW, and he’ll be eligible to play in the fall.

“I’m proud to be a Seahawk,” Austin exclaimed on Friday. “It’s good to be back at home, good to be back here at Landfall, our home course, it’s in great shape and I want to thank everyone at the North Carolina Am for holding it this week at Landfall, so I’m excited to be a Seahawk.”

Click here to see scores from the entire field from the 2015 North Carolina Amateur

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WILMINGTON, NC (CGA RELEASE) —  Second day recap of the 55th North Carolina Amateur Championship hosted by The Country Club of Landfall (Nicklaus Course) in Wilmington, NC on Friday, June 19, 2015 (6930 yards, Par 36-36—72, Rating: 74.3/142).

After violent winds on Thursday left trees and debris scattered across the Country Club of Landfall property, early Friday morning hundreds of club staff and members helped clear the grounds for play.

Half the field attempted to complete their first round before the championship was halted at 5:30pm Friday due to weather as more lighting and rained moved into the Wilmington area.

Saturday’s Schedule:
Players who have not started their second round will tee off according to their pairing assignment. Nine groups still on the course are scheduled to resume their second round Saturday morning at 8:30am. After the completion of the round, the cut to low 60 players and ties will be made. The third round will begin with a shotgun start at approximately 2:30pm.

The CGA will post any tournament delays or cancellations via our Twitter account at @cgagolf1909.

The North Carolina Amateur Championship is 72 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties. Entry is open to any male golfer who has reached his 13th birthday by June 18, 2015, is a legal resident of North Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has a current USGA Handicap Index^® at a member club that does not exceed 5.4.

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

Now in its 106th year, the CGA annually conducts 43 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 140 One-Day (net and gross) events and qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas GolfMagazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls’ Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed more than $1,500,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas’ golf initiatives including junior and women’s programs.

For more information about the CGA, visit www.carolinasgolf.org

Click here to see scores from the entire field from the 2015 North Carolina Amateur