At CCNC & Pinehurst Resort, Carolina Cup raises $177,500

The 2021 Carolina Cup, a Ryder Cup-style golf event with 32 players from the neighboring states of North and South Carolina, recently raised a record-breaking $177,500 for three organizations.

The three recipient organizations are the Harold Varner III Foundation (HV3) established by North Carolina native PGA Tour player Harold Varner, who qualified for his sixth consecutive FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2021, advanced to the BMW Championship (T12) and finished the season No. 44 in the FedEx Cup standings, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, founded in 2004 by Barbara and Jack Nicklaus, and the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) grant program of the American Junior Golf Association, which provides financial assistance program for juniors with high-level ability but lack the financial resources.

“The Carolinas Cup is a great event and a special experience for the juniors,” said Varner, who is a County Club of North Carolina (CCNC) Ambassador. “It teaches these young men the importance of giving back and helping others. It is remarkable that the money they have raised to help the Ace Grant, the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the HV3 Foundation. Also, to have two facilities like The Country Club of North Carolina and Pinehurst host the event is just an all-around win for golf. It shows that golfers are probably the most giving group of people.”

Played this year at The Country Club of North Carolina’s Dogwood Course and Pinehurst’s No. 2 and The Cradle on Oct. 16-17, the Carolina Cup has raised $715,000 in 12 years. The co-hosts were Jackson Bode, a member of The Country Club of North Carolina, and Turner Edwards. Bode, who was the 2021 North and South Junior Amateur champion and was a member of Pinecrest High School’s state championship team in the spring, participated for the fifth year. The event is part of the AJGA’s Leadership Links Program called the State Cup Series.

To participate, each junior golfer is required to raise at least $1,000 for charity as their entry fee into the event. The event is part of the American Junior Golf Association’s Leadership Links Program.

The top fundraisers were Turner and Mack Edwards of Charlotte ($56,251), Eli Schmidly also of Charlotte, ($21,050), Jackson Bode of Pinehurst ($13,347), and Wilson Thrift of Charlotte ($10,500).

“Being part of the Carolina Cup is something I will never forget,” Bode said. “It brings everyone together to play golf for something bigger than them. This tournament has shown me that the impact I can have on others through golf and supporting these causes and playing the sport I love is something I have looked forward to every year. Being in charge and captaining a team this year was a lot of fun.”

Feature photo via Al Van Vliet.

 

Contributed.

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