Queen City Golf Tour + Charlotte W at Pine Needles

Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

March marks a major milestone for most members of the golf community - daylight savings! Alliteration aside, I’m pumped for the return of true twilight golf and the possibility of sneaking in a few holes after the kids go to bed.

March also means the early days of tournament season, so we’re going heavy on amateur golf in this week’s 2DP. We have news about a local tour for those looking to get started with tournament golf, plus results from a couple prominent events at two of our region’s best courses. Let’s get to it.

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINE

Queen City Golf Tour Announces Schedule for 4th Season

The Queen City Golf Tour, an amateur tournament series hosted at courses across Greater Charlotte, was founded in 2022 out of a desire to create an inviting entry point to the world of competitive golf. “The purpose is building a competitive atmosphere for the everyday golfer,” said Greg Piedmont, co-founder of the QCGT. “We want to give players a taste of tournament golf so they’re not intimidated by higher level tournaments [like CGA events].”

The QCGT has surged in popularity in recent years, spreading primarily via word-of-mouth. Piedmont credits the tour’s end-of-season team event as the main reason for success. “We always knew we wanted to do a Ryder Cup. That has been the main pull - if you play in our events, you can qualify. The top 16 players in the season gross standings make the team for the match, where we have played against similar tours at courses like Tot Hill Farm and Bryan Park.”

The schedule: The 2025 season kicks off at Warrior Golf Club on April 5th. Registration for the first two events opens this Friday, and the full schedule is available on the tour’s Instagram. The season-ending Tour Championship (Top 30 net players) and Ryder Cup (Top 16 gross players) will be held in September and October - locations TBA.

The details: Tournaments are 18-hole stroke play events. They are co-ed and open to players of all skill levels (so long as you have a USGA handicap). Field size is typically 40-50 players, and prizes are awarded for top gross and net finishers. Cost to enter is typically $100-120.

The difference: Tournament golf can be scary, and it can be hard to know where to start. I love the idea of creating highly accessible avenues for players of all experience levels and abilities to get a taste of “competitive” golf, even when the stakes are relatively low. Having season-long carrots for both gross and net participants is also a great way to keep folks coming back.

TOURNAMENTS

Charlotteans Varol and Register Win Pine Needles Invitational

John Varol and Will Register shot -15 at the early season four-ball event to win by 3 over runners-up Kyle Harman and Brandon Grzywacz. The pair got off to a hot start with best ball scores of 64 and 65 in the first two rounds at Pine Needles and Mid Pines, and a closing 70 was more than enough to seal the deal on Sunday.

Creds: Varol and Register are both Charlotte-based real estate professionals with serious golf pedigrees. Varol played at Wake Forest and on numerous mini tours before returning to the working world. Register was an all-region player at UNC, played multiple seasons on PGA TOUR Canada, and, most notably, won the 2023 Charlotte City Am.

Hole by hole results: View full scoring

TOURNAMENTS

70 (-1) Gets Through at Azalea Invitational Monday Qualifier

The Monday Q for the prestigious Azalea Invitational took place earlier this week at Country Club of Charleston (host of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open). 7 players advanced with scores of -1 or better on the challenging Seth Raynor layout - reports from the ground described the greens as “glass” and rolling 12+ on the stimpmeter. The tournament proper takes place March 27th-30th.

Kudos: While getting into the qualifier is no easy feat (tons of demand and slots are allocated based on handicap), I appreciate big-time amateur events reserving spots in the field for qualifiers. Good on the organizers for making the extra effort to host a one-day shootout - it helps keep the hope alive!

Deuce: Shoutout to 2DP subscriber Keith Kepley for making a birdie on the reverse redan 11th hole during the qualifier! There were only 2 birdies from the field at the 177 yard par 3, which played as the most difficult hole on the day (in terms of score vs. par).

Hole by hole results: View full scoring

QUICK LINKS

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