Some of the top amateur golfers from around the globe are at Pinehurst this week for the 114th North and South Women’s Amateur Championship. Held at the Pinehurst Resort since 1903, the invitational tournament features participants chosen for their performance in national amateur championships and overall competitive record.
Southport native Ashley Sloup was the only individual from the area to qualify for the event this year, as the rising junior at Winthrop University looked to build off a successful couple of weeks following a second place performance at the 67th North Carolina Women’s Amateur Championship in mid-June. She also took home the title at the 90th Carolinas Women’s Amateur Championship at The Reserve Club in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina earlier this summer.
Playing on the No. 2 course, which hosted the 2013 U.S. Open on the men’s side, the North and South Championship featured three rounds of stroke play Monday-Wednesday as the 90-player field was cut to a 16-player tournament, with four rounds of match play set for Thursday-Sunday to determine the champion.
While Sloup failed to make the final 16, the South Brunswick High School alum improved her scoring during her two days on the golf course, but was disqualified from the event early Wednesday morning. After posting an 84 during the opening round, Sloup posted 80 on the scorecard during round two, as she now turns to the rest of her summer schedule in preparation for school this fall.
As a sophomore this past season at Winthrop, Sloup led the Eagles to three tournament wins and earned All-Big South Conference honors. She was also recently named to the All-American Scholars Team by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). Sloup was among a total of 828 women’s collegiate golfers recognized with this prestigious honor. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50. Sloup has achieved a 3.61 grade point average.
Area golfers tee off at 102nd Carolinas Amateur Championship
The 102nd edition of the Carolinas Amateur Championship will be contested July 14-17 at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.
Among the 147 golfers in the field this week, five individuals from the Wilmington area qualified for the event. Exempt players were automatically accepted, while others were required to qualify through one of seven 18-hole qualifiers.
Three local golfers are representing Country Club of Landfall as their home course, including David Kostyal II, who qualified for the event by hitting a 67 for low medalist honors at Golf Club at Stoney Creek in Whitsett.
Ujang Zarems (Wilmington), Matthew Latham (Wrightsville Beach), David Donovan IV (Hampstead) and Price Parks (Calabash) are also scheduled to compete from the area.
