A sporting tradition that continued at Stanly on Saturday was the annual disc golf tournament at Fox Chase Course at Chuck Morehead Park in Albemarle.
The 12th annual Fox Chase Ice Bowl of the 2021 Albemarle Disc Golf Association broke records, despite the usual freezing temperatures and existing social distance and masking policies in the current COVID pandemic.
An annual charity event, this year’s Ice Bowl raised $ 1,031.54 and 542 pounds of food, both donated to the Stanly Community Christian Ministry.
Of the 89 players who participated in seven age and skill categories, tournament director Bryon Carter said that approximately 80 were outside the county’s borders.
“It was personally my first event and the first for many players. The Ice Bowl series, along with our performance as a PDGA-sanctioned event, is a great way to introduce people to the next level of competitive gaming without ‘normal’ stress, ”said Carter.
“I organized the last seven events and we love to give back to the disc golf community.”
The reason the event was so successful, he said, is that disc golfers love to play disc golf.
“Disc golfers understand that sacrifice and unique ways are needed to draw attention to our sport. I have found that most disc golfers are kind souls who really want to help charity and support other clubs. We do big tournaments on big fields, ”said Carter.
In the professional open division, Ryan Kenney, a Stanly native living in Concord, finished with a score of -19 in two rounds, six strokes better than runner-up Brandon Robertson of Winston-Salem. He also set the course record for the lowest round with a round of -13 out of 43.
Dakota Patterson of Trinity won in the advanced division, shooting -7 on the day, three strokes less than Rock Hill, Robert Hayner of South Carolina.
John Hornburger of Waxhaw won the Amateur Masters (AM) 40+ division with a +3, while Brian Spencer of Raleigh won first place by finishing in par in the AM 50+ division. Phillip Watson, also from Raleigh, won the 60+ division crown with +2.
Ted Mosher IV of Indian Land, South Carolina, won the 23-man intermediate division by one stroke, ending with -1 on the day.
Ryan Rhodes of Concord and Brent Thompson of Troy tied for first place in the recreational division and Owen Rice of Holly Springs won the Junior division under 18 ending in +6.
About Charles Curcio
Charles Curcio was the sports editor for Stanly News & Press from 1999 to 2001 and currently holds the same role since 2008. He was awarded NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He was also honored twice by the North Carolina Press Association.
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