By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Walker Isley, who has deep family ties to golf in Graham, won the North Carolina Amateur on Sunday.
Isley, who lives in Oak Island, shot a four-round total of 281 for a two-shot victory at Jefferson Landing in Jefferson. Isley led or shared the lead all the way since an opening-round 64, which gave him a four-shot advantage.
His father is Steve Isley, Jr., who’s a member of the Graham Sports Hall of Fame. Steve Isley, a former North Carolina State golfer, played in the 2007 PGA Tour event (then called Wachovia Championship) in Charlotte and more recently was in the 2021 U.S. Senior Open.
The 52-year-old is general manager and head pro at Oak Island Golf Club.
Walker Isley is a rising senior at UNC Wilmington.
Asheboro’s Sam Davidson, a rising senior at Guilford College, and Winston-Salem’s Davis Womble, a former Wake Forest golfer, shared second place at 1-under.
Sam Mace of Connelly Springs was tied with Isley entering Sunday’s round but finished fourth after shooting 75. Womble and Isley were tied through 16 holes Sunday.
Several entrants based in Alamance County were on the upper portion of the leaderboard in the 140-golfer field.
Elon University rising senior golfer Garrett Risner of Holly Springs tied for 10th at 6-over.
Mebane’s Nick Mathews, the 2021 North Carolina Amateur champion, tied for 12th at 7 over. Matthews, an N.C. State golfer, shot 73 in the final round.
Mebane’s Caden Baker, who shot 70 in the first round, had a rough weekend with a pair of 76s and ended up tied for 17th at 10-over. Baker is a rising junior on Charlotte’s golf team.
Wade Boteler of Burlington ended up tied for 24th at 12-over.
Burlington’s Zachary Corbett missed the cut after shooting 80s in each of the first two rounds.
Mill Creek event produces U.S. Senior Open entrants
Mill Creek Golf Club in Mebane was the site of U.S. Senior Open qualifying June 8.
Jason Widener of Chapel Hill with 67 and Roger Rowland of Brandon, Florida, with 68 claimed the qualifying spots. Burke Cromer of Irmo, South Carolina, lost a playoff with Rowland and took one of the alternate spots. Greensboro’s Mikael Hogberg with 69 is the other alternate for next week’s U.S. Senior Open in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Among the entrants in the Mill Creek qualifier were Mebane’s Bradley Deal (77), Hillsborough’s Melvin Barnes (79), who was the runner-up for the 2022 Mill Creek club championship, and Burlington’s Mike Long (86).
Alamance CC holds girls’ qualifier
Macy Pate of Winston-Salem shot 7-under-par 64 on Monday at Alamance Country Club in Burlington to secure the medalist spot in U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifier conducted by the U.S. Golf Association. Ella June Hannant of Pikeville with 66 and Anna Howerton of Winston-Salem with 68 also secured spots in the field. Alternates from the site will be Nicole Nash of Charlotte and Ella Perna of Durham as they each posted 69s. There were 39 entrants aiming for spots in the U.S. Girls’ Junior next month in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
