Patrick Stephenson isn’t willing to declare his latest victory at the Country Club of North Carolina his last. The fifth-year senior at East Carolina University has been competing at the private gem in Pinehurst, North Carolina, since the seventh grade.
“I played here a ton ever since I was a little kid,” he said. “It’s just one of those courses that always looks good to me. The greens are always light and fast this time of year, which kind of suits my putting because that’s kind of what I prefer.”
Stephenson, from Four Oaks, North Carolina, won his second CCNC Amateur title on Friday. He also won in 2017. But now, with one semester of college golf left and a Master of Business Administration in sight, he’s not quite sure what the future holds.
“I’m not going to say I’m the last time I’ll play in this,” said Stephenson.
SCORES: CCNC Amateur
The thought crossed his mind, but Stephenson said he wasn’t particularly preoccupied by it. Regardless, this would be a good way to go out.
Stephenson bookended rounds of even-par 72 with a second-round 70 at CCNC’s Dogwood Course, where the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur will be played. He narrowly edged West Virginia’s Kurtis Grant and Wayne State’s Grant Haefner, who finished tied for second at 1 under.
Stephenson’s record is this event has been remarkably consistent. In addition to winning in 2020 and 2017, he finished T-3 in 2018, T-5 in 2019 and T-10 in 2016. In those five appearances, he has posted only one over-par round, which came in the first round in 2015.
The CCNC Amateur has been played since 2012. Cold wind and rain wiped out Wednesday’s second round this year, reducing the tournament to a 54-hole event.
“My short game kind of helped me through, I putted really well,” Stephenson said of his play. “I didn’t hit it as well as I’d like to but I kind of kept it in front of me. Didn’t have any huge misses, didn’t really make any big mistakes. I just played really consistent, made a lot of pars. On cold, windy days like these that’s kind of what it takes.”
Stephenson found out mid-summer that he’d have the opportunity to return to East Carolina’s golf team for a final year. Four other senior teammates moved on. Stephenson has never made the postseason as part of the Pirates team and eagerly awaits postseason. Still on his college-golf to-do list is advancing to NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championship.
“I think we have a really good chance this year,” he said.
East Carolina competes in the American Athletic Conference, which canceled fall golf. Stephenson teed it up at a handful of events over the summer – logging top-3 finishes at the Carolinian and the North Carolina Amateur. He’s played two Golf Coaches Association events inside states lines this fall.
It’s hard to keep your game sharp without competition.
“It’s more of the scoring,” Stephenson explained. “You kind of hit some shots you wouldn’t normally hit, hit some wayward shots you wouldn’t normally hit. It’s just a little sloppy when you don’t compete a lot.”
Stephenson was one of six East Carolina players who teed it up this week. A teammate lives off the driving range. Two others hail from Pinehurst. It’s been a relaxing week for Stephenson with his teammates.
A win makes it that much sweeter.
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