Davidson finishes 2nd in NC Amateur

ASHEBORO — It’s been quite a stretch for Asheboro High School graduate and current Guilford College golfer Sam Davidson.

First, he finished fourth at the NCAA Division III National Championships in mid-May. In the 4-day NCAA DIII event played in Nicholasville, Kentucky, from May 16-19, Davidson’s four-round total was a 5-under-par 73-69-72-69 — 283.

Then, he finished second at the Asheboro City-Amateur Golf Tournament in the first week of June. His three-day total was a 10-under 69-65-69 — 203 over three courses, the last one Pinewood Country Club.

And last week, he capped a very impressive run of golf with a second-place finish at the North Carolina Amateur Championship at Jefferson Landing Club in Jefferson.

Davidson fired rounds of 68, 72, 74 and 69 for a four-day total of 283 (one-under-par), just two shots behind Oak Island’s and UNC Wilmington golfer Walker Isley, who led from start to finish. Isley fired rounds of 64 ,71, 74 and 72 for a 281.

Davidson’s final-round total of 69 was three-under-par and the lowest score of any golfer that day.

“It was a fun time,” Davidson said. “I came up a couple shots short at the end of the day, but played pretty well. The course was playing tough.”

Winston-Salem’s David Womble also tied for second with a 283.

Davidson, a 6-2, 140-pound rising senior and all-Region performer at Guilford College, trailed by four shots after the first round, and entered the final round tied for fifth before making a last-round charge.

“It was a grind,” Davidson said of his final 18 holes. “The greens were getting pretty firm and I didn’t check my score until hole number 17. I was just playing. I couldn’t control what Walker was doing.”

The North Carolina Amateur Championship began in 1961 and is the state championship for men ages 13 and over. The championship is conducted at 72 holes of stroke play. After 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 60 scores and ties for the final two rounds. Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached their 13th birthday by the first round, who 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 and has an active Handicap Index that does not exceed 9.9.

After the NC Amateur, Davidson competed in the very prestigious Rice Planters Amateur at Snee Farm Country Club in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. There, he fired a four-day total of 4-under-par to finish tied for 16th in the talented field.

“It’s been a good couple of months lately,” Davidson said. “The strength of the field at the Rice Planters was a little better than the NC Amateur. The past three or four months have been good.”

Davidson, who will attempt to qualify for the US Amateur in late July, will compete in the NC Match Play Tournament in Charlotte Aug. 2-5.