Originally scheduled as a 54-hole championship on Pinehurst No. 5 and No. 6, the tournament was shortened after severe weather repeatedly interrupted play Sunday and Monday, forcing officials to determine the champions after 36 holes.
For North Carolina (TSF), the shortened event didn’t diminish the accomplishment.
North Carolina (TSF) led from the opening round with a 14-under-par 274, building an eight-shot advantage before backing it up with an 8-under-par 280 in the second round to finish at 22-under-par 554 (274-280). Georgia (RVA) claimed runner-up honors at 10-under-par 566 (282-284), followed by North Carolina (CLT) at 8-under 568 (284-284), Ohio (DUB) at 4-under 572 (294-278) and Florida (OXB) at 2-under 574 (283-291).
“We prepared for this all season, and we knew what we had to do,” saidCharlie Horne of North Carolina (TSF). “Our chemistry was great, we hit the ball well, and we did what we came to do.”
While the weather created uncertainty throughout the weekend, Horne said his team never lost focus.
“The weather was definitely a challenge,” he said. “Playing Saturday morning helped a lot because the wind was down. Sunday was difficult with the rain delays, but we came back out, continued doing what we were doing and won.”
The championship marks the first PGA High School Boys Golf National Invitational title for a North Carolina team. The winning roster included Nate Horne, Hughes McCarthy, Walker Worth IV, Charlie Horne and Ryan Hedgecoe.
Klein’s path to the individual title was anything but routine. After two weather evacuations interrupted second round play Sunday, he returned Monday morning to finish his final nine holes. A few hours later, another round of storms ended the championship and Klein’s 10-under-par 134 (67-67) was enough to secure individual medalist honors by one stroke over Tate Nichols of Wyoming (IND), who finished at 9-under 135 (67-68). Aston Lee of North Carolina (CLT) and Cole Powell of Pennsylvania (SCP) tied for third at 8-under-par 136 (67-69), while North Carolina (TSF)’s Nate Horne finished fifth at 7-under 137 (65-72).
“I played overall pretty well off the tee,” Klein said. “Pinehurst is a tough course, but I kept the ball in play with no penalty shots. My wedges were pretty good, I hit a lot of tight shots and played the par-5s very well.”
Thunderstorms delayed play for approximately two hours Sunday before another round of severe weather halted competition again, leaving many players, including Klein, with portions of their second rounds still to complete. Thanks to extensive work by the Pinehurst grounds crew, players returned Monday morning to finish their rounds before additional storms forced officials to shorten the championship to 36 holes.
The Boys National Invitational is part of the eighth PGA High School Golf National Invitational presented by Titleist & FootJoy, bringing together more than 500 state champion golfers from across the country to compete for national team and individual titles.
The Girls National Invitational was contested July 11-13, with California (SMC) winning the team title and Oklahoma’s Lisa Herman (JNK) claiming medalist honors after a wire-to-wire victory.
Golfers qualified for the Invitational by winning their respective state championships as either individuals or teams in public and private school divisions. The PGA High School Golf National Invitational has become one of the nation’s premier championships for high school golfers, providing state champions the opportunity to compete against the best from across the country. This year marked the second of a three-year return to Pinehurst, which previously hosted the event from 2020-22.
For more information on the PGA High School Golf National Invitational, visit the championship website.