The Upstate Amateur Championship has become both the end of the summer golf season and the start of the college golf season.

This year’s tournament, played at The Preserve at Verdae, began as a late-summer contest to cap a strong year of Upstate events. But over the past decade, the dynamic has shifted.

“We started to see a lot of college players enter the tournament,” said Robbie Gravley, Director of the Greenville County Golf Association and founder of the Upstate Amateur. “At first there were just a few, then more, and while the tournament is open to all amateurs, the college golfers have dominated the event.”

College Golfers Take Over

Before college players and coaches began circling the Upstate Amateur, the champions tended to be established mid-amateurs from the region. The inaugural winner was SCGA Hall of Fame golfer Walter Todd of Laurens. The second edition went to Chesnee’s Kevin Roberts, a three-time Spartanburg County Amateur champion.

But by the third year, college golfers began making their mark. North Greenville University’s Christian Constance became the first to break through, edging accomplished Upstate mid-am Raymond Wooten for the title.

Since then, players from North Greenville, Presbyterian, Wofford, and USC Upstate have claimed the trophy. Only once in the past dozen years has a mid-am broken the streak—Spartanburg’s Brad Sill in 2024.

Wright Pulls Away

Sill was again the main challenger this year, but USC Upstate sophomore Ross Wright came out firing. Wright shot a 6-under-par 66 in the opening round to build a four-shot lead.

“I just did a really good job of keeping the ball in play, focusing on each shot, and making sure that even if I made a mistake, I didn’t make two in a row,” Wright said. “I wanted to keep the golf course in front of me, not overthink things, and just be grateful I was out there playing.”

The second round proved more difficult. Wright briefly lost his grip on the lead as Sill made a determined charge.

“We were tied through 10 holes,” Wright recalled. “Then on 11, I told myself I was going to commit to every shot and trust the work I’ve put in. That made the difference.”

Almost as quickly as the competition closed the gap, Wright pulled away again. He steadied himself with a clutch birdie on the back nine and cruised home with rounds of 66-74—140 total—to win by four shots.

“The pin was front-left, and I hit it to about 10 feet,” Wright said. “I hadn’t made a birdie yet, but that one went in and settled me down. From there, I just kept making solid pars, a couple of good putts, and then birdied 18 to finish it out.”

A Confidence Builder

While Sill fell short of a repeat, his charge may have sparked Wright to push through the pressure. The USC Upstate sophomore capped his win with a birdie on the final hole, validating his preparation for the upcoming college season.

Wright was part of the Spartans team that reached the NCAA Regionals for the first time in school history last spring. Now, with an individual win against a strong field of college players, he hopes to carry that momentum into the fall. 

“So, last spring, our team won conference, I finished tied for fifth individually, and then, in the summer, won a collegiate amateur event and  both of them helped me get my confidence going into this event,” concluded the new Upstate champion.

Scores from the Upstate Amateur at The Preserve at Verdae. https://greenvillecga.bluegolf.com/bluegolfw/greenvillecga25/event/greenvillecga255/contest/5/leaderboard.htm