Georgia commitment Phillips first player to defend S.C. Junior since 1991

Trent Phillips of Inman became the first back-to-back champion in the South Carolina Junior Golf Championship since Tommy Biershenk Jr. in 1990-91 with a four-stroke victory at Columbia Country Club.

Phillips, who is committed to Georgia, is the reigning Dustin Johnson World Junior champion and is a two-time S.C. Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, shot a 5-under 67 Thursday for an 11-under 205 total in the 59th annual S.C. Junior. Ryan Marter of Columbia finished second.

Holden Grigg of Myrtle Beach finished in a three-way tie for seventh at 3-over 72-72-75–219, Kevin Burris of Conway tied for 13th at 223 and Keegan Vaugh of Myrtle Beach tied for 17th at 225.

The low eight scores qualify for the 42nd Georgia-S.C. Junior Team Matches from July 22-23 at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw and Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational and Junior Heritage tournaments.

N.C. Open

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. Amateur and defending champion David Kocher of Charlotte, N.C., won the 53rd SignArt North Carolina Open in a four-person playoff at The Club at Irish Creek.

Kocher and fellow amateurs Eric Bae, Thomas Eldridge and Aman Gupta finished 54 holes tied at 6-under 206 and Kocher drained an 8-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole for the repeat victory in the Carolinas PGA major. The senior on the University of Maryland golf team began the final round three shots out of the lead and shot 71 Thursday.

Amateur Johnson Holliday of Galivants Ferry and USC Aiken, and Derek Watson of Myrtle Beach tied for 21st at even-par 213, Samantha Swinehart of North Myrtle Beach tied for 28th at 215, and Dale Ketola of Little River and Ryan Tyndall of Murrells Inlet tied for 33rd at 216.

Carolinas Women’s Am

WILMINGTON, N.C. Brenda Corrie Kuehn of Asheville, N.C., won her second Carolinas Women’s Amateur Championship in 2001 while eight months pregnant with her daughter, Rachel Kuehn.

Corrie Kuehn finished tied for 13th and 12 shots behind her daughter Sunday, as the rising high school junior who turns 16 on Saturday earned the victory in the 91st Carolinas Women’s Amateur at Porter’s Neck Country Club with a final-round 69 for a 1-over 217 total.

Kuehn finished a shot ahead of four players and two shots ahead of three others, including 2016 champion Ashley Sloup of Southport, N.C., and Winthrop University.

Carolinas Sr. Four-Ball

JOHN’S ISLAND Robby Kirby and Nolan Mills III of Charlotte, N.C., jumped into a tie for first with an 11-under 61 in the second round of the 49th Carolinas Senior Four-Ball Championship at Seabrook Island Club for a 14-under 130 total.

They are tied with Walter Todd Sr. of Laurens and Todd Hendley of Greer entering Friday’s final round of the Carolinas Golf Association event.

John Long of Murrells Inlet and partner Bob Albus of Kiawah Island are tied for eighth at 9-under 135 while Jim Burgess of Murrells Inlet and Frank Ford III of Charleston are tied for 13th at 138.

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Georgia commitment Phillips first player to defend S.C. Junior since 1991."