Greg Newport Wins His Second Carolinas' Open Title in Playoff Over Robert Johnson
22 April 2001 - Anderson, SC - For the first time since 1985, the Carolinas' Open returned to Anderson, South Carolina with an excellent participation of 43 professionals and 15 amateurs. In one of the most exciting finishes ever recorded in a major, the Open was decided by a playoff for the first time since 1988. Greg Newport and Robert Johnson were two players who always took control of the one of the most challenging courses across the country. Newport had won three times in the past two years, while Johnson had not won there since September, 1999 when he made the last four holes to edge out Tony Jackson by one. 
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Hole 16 (Course 2) in Anderson, South Carolina. |
It would be Johnson taking command early on this bright, sunny morning with an opening round of 24 (low round of the entire tournament). Johnson capped the round off with a 10 on the back and barely missed 18 for a perfect nine. With that, Johnson held a three-shot lead on Randy Reeves. An interesting thing happened in the first round when Mike Brown was 8-under through 15 holes and went to 16 and took a 15 on it. Afterwards, Brown took full control and recovered nicely with the next four rounds of a combined score of 116, and moved to third after five rounds before running out of gas. The 15 recorded on the hole set a new South Carolina record for most strokes on a single hole in the Pro Division.

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Greg Newport, 2001 Carolinas' Open Champion. |
Johnson maintained the lead of three after the second round, but would temporarily lose it at the halfway point with a 33 in the third round to fall two back of Reeves. Reeves fired a 28 to go in the clubhouse at 85 with three grueling rounds remaining and had a two shot lead on Johnson. Newport completed the final three-some of the afternoon with a third round 27 to move to within three shots of the lead. These three would be the only ones under 90 after the third round.
While the Pros rested between the third and fourth rounds, the APA were completing their fourth and final round themselves. After three rounds of play, Todd Trent held a one-shot lead on Chris Hudson and Brian Hutchins, and seven players were within six shots of the lead. Jimmy Comer was three shots in back of Trent and in fourth with three consecutive 34's. Comer said before the fourth round that he would fire a 24 and win it. That did not happen, but the two-time North Carolina State Champion shot 25 in the final round and avenged last year's disappointing final round woes in the Open. Comer won his first ever Carolinas' Open title with a final score of 137, good enough for a four-shot victory over Hutchins and Trent.
As afternoon play began in the Pro Division around 6 1/2 hours after it started, Reeves found trouble to start as he recorded four double-bogey fours in that round and fell out of the top five. Reeves shot 39 that round and lost 11 strokes to Johnson. Johnson regained his opening round form with a final round 28 to take the lead at 115 and up by five on Newport. Newport, who won the 1992 event in Gastonia, mounted his own comeback, besting Johnson by two shots to move to within three after the fifth round and then the drama began.
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Hole 13 (Course 2) in Anderson, South Carolina. |
With six holes left to play between the two combatants, Newport was leading by only one on Johnson and Greg Ward, after Ward finished the tournament with a 25 to go in at 181. On 13, Newport lagged the drop-off area and came back to the tee mat and hit his deuce putt, where it lipped off the right side and dove over to the left rail. Newport settled for three and Johnson made 13 to lead by one on Newport and Ward. After both missed 14, Johnson's putt on 15 was on-line and curled away to the right at the last second. Newport made it to even the tournament with only three holes to play in regulation.
Robert Johnson was going for his first tour victory since winning in Anderson in 1999 and in North Carolina since 1997. His chances came up short in the playoff against Newport.
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Hole 18 (Course 2) in Anderson, South Carolina. |
Both players laid up 16 to remain tied. Newport made 17 and Johnson's putt missed to the right and settled for the deuce. Newport had a chance to win it outright on 18, but his ball caught the right lip and rolled left of the hole and down into the corner. After his spacing, he tapped in his deuce and Johnson had to make 18 to stay alive. Johnson crushed his tee shot and rolled all the way to the back rail and almost stopped at the hill on the return. His ball had enough momentum to roll back down and fall in for the ace to finish regulation play tied with Newport. After nearly 11 hours of extensive and tiring play, there still had to be a winner to decide.
In the 18-hole playoff, Newport jumped out early with three consecutive aces to start the round and led by two on Johnson. From there, it was a deuces race until hole 9, where Johnson made it to pull to within one of Newport. Newport made 10 to regain a two shot lead (4-under to 2-under), and the outcome was virtually decided when Johnson missed a costly three foot deuce putt on 11. Newport smelled the win when he made 15 and won the playoff by four on Johnson. Newport took home $300 for his second win on both the North and South Carolina tours this season. The playoff was the first in the Open since 1988 when Jerry Campbell won it in Durham.
Ward finished third at 181, while Reeves shot 184 to finish fourth, and Brown finished in fifth at 186. Four players ended up tied for sixth at 188, including two-time National Champion and the PPA's first-ever Hall of Fame Player Vance Randall, two-time National Champion Lewis Burton, 1997 South Carolina champion Todd Fowler, and North and South Carolina APA Champion of 1998 Billy Caudle. Rick Baird and Cincinnati player Kevin Lacey rounded out the top 10 at 189.
The 11 hour and 20 minute marathon in Anderson was the longest Carolinas' Open in history. There were 21 money spots for the Pro Division with the score of 195 receiving a five-way split for four. Three spots were awarded for the APA Division as 131 was the cash line there.
After the weekend of play, Newport retains his lead in North Carolina's points race, while Ward leads in South Carolina. Comer has the lead in the APA for North Carolina while Tommy Hutchinson has the lead in the South Carolina APA race.
The South Carolina will return to action this coming weekend in Rock Hill on April 28 & 29 on Course 2. The action gets underway at 12:00pm on Saturday. North Carolina will then have the following weekend, May 5 & 6 in White Lake and Lumberton.
Recap and scores provided by Opie Roberts and Rick Baird.
Professional Division of the 2001 Carolinas' Open
Anderson, SC (22 April 2001)
| | Round | | Prize |
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total | Money |
| 1 | Greg Newport** | 30 | 31 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 178 | $300.00 |
| 2 | Robert Johnson | 24 | 30 | 33 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 179 | $200.00 |
| 3 | Greg Ward | 34 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 181 | $170.00 |
| 4 | Randy Reeves | 27 | 30 | 28 | 39 | 31 | 29 | 184 | $150.00 |
| 5 | Mike Brown | 40 | 31 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 186 | $125.00 |
| 6 | Lewis Burton | 32 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 36 | 31 | 188 | $103.00 |
| Billy Caudle | 34 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 188 | $103.00 |
| Todd Fowler | 30 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 188 | $103.00 |
| Vance Randall | 34 | 29 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 188 | $103.00 |
| 10 | Rick Baird | 31 | 33 | 30 | 36 | 29 | 30 | 189 | $88.00 |
| Kevin Lacey | 30 | 29 | 37 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 189 | $88.00 |
| 12 | Darrell Britt | 30 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 190 | $78.00 |
| Randal Smith | 35 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 190 | $78.00 |
| 14 | Bart Bason | 35 | 32 | 29 | 35 | 33 | 28 | 192 | $65.00 |
| Andy Coradini | 35 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 192 | $65.00 |
| Gary Hester | 31 | 35 | 31 | 35 | 30 | 30 | 192 | $65.00 |
| 17 | Bob Haizlip | 38 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 193 | $60.00 |
| 18 | Tony Jackson | 35 | 33 | 35 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 195 | $48.00 |
| Jay Klapper | 32 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 36 | 33 | 195 | $48.00 |
| Brad Lebo | 32 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 195 | $48.00 |
| Jimmy Mott | 31 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 30 | 195 | $48.00 |
| Allen Wall | 32 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 36 | 33 | 195 | $48.00 |
| 23 | Daryl Freeman | 33 | 34 | 30 | 28 | 38 | 34 | 197 | |
| Thomas Rawles | 31 | 33 | 31 | 37 | 35 | 30 | 197 | |
| Frank Warren | 30 | 31 | 33 | 37 | 31 | 35 | 197 | |
| 26 | Mike Flavin | 35 | 32 | 35 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 198 | |
| Alan Quinnelly | 31 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 33 | 198 | |
| 28 | Tony Pack | 31 | 36 | 30 | 36 | 30 | 36 | 199 | |
| Tony Varnadore | 32 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 34 | 36 | 199 | |
| 30 | Robby Bryant | 32 | 35 | 34 | 36 | 29 | 34 | 200 | |
| 31 | Edgar Hollifield | 36 | 34 | 35 | 29 | 36 | 32 | 202 | |
| 32 | Michael Hitt | 39 | 42 | 31 | 28 | 33 | 31 | 204 | |
| Rick Rybaczek | 36 | 28 | 34 | 30 | 38 | 38 | 204 | |
| 34 | Jonathan Reid | 36 | 33 | 32 | 40 | 31 | 33 | 205 | |
| 35 | Ray Guthrie | 33 | 36 | 33 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 206 | |
| Tommy Hollifield | 34 | 35 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 40 | 206 | |
| Larry Simpson | 34 | 32 | 40 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 206 | |
| 38 | Tommy Barbour | 34 | 35 | 36 | 44 | 29 | 30 | 208 | |
| Peter Neumann | 34 | 32 | 39 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 208 | |
| Randy Orr | 42 | 30 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 208 | |
| 41 | Brian Martin | 38 | 37 | 33 | 37 | 34 | 30 | 209 | |
| 42 | Bob Jackson | 35 | 36 | 34 | 39 | 33 | 37 | 214 | |
| 43 | Robert Ward | 35 | 35 | 41 | 36 | 34 | 37 | 218 | |