Steve Hamby Wins the 50th Annual Brick Capital Classic in Playoff

WFJA Staff Report

Steve Hamby of Coats, NC rolled in a 4-footer for par on the first playoff hole to beat overnight leader Carson Lanier and become the 31st different winner in the 50-year history of the Brick Capital Classic. Hamby shot 66-73 to finish at 139 — 3 under par — and then headed to a playoff with Lanier, who also finished at 139 after rounds of 65-74.

Both players missed the fairway on the playoff hole. Hamby was able to reach the front-right fringe from the right rough, while Lanier found the right greenside bunker from the left rough. Lanier’s bunker shot came out long and just across the green, leading to a bogey. Hamby putted from the far-right front fringe, left his birdie attempt 4 feet short, and rolled in the winning par putt.

How It Unfolded

Lanier set the pace with a first-round 65 on Saturday and parred his opening 5 holes on Sunday. Hamby pulled even with a birdie at the 3rd from 15 feet, and the battle was on. Lanier ran into trouble at the par-3 6th — a pulled wedge led to a double bogey — and followed that with a bogey at 7. Hamby’s own bogey at 7 left him 2 ahead, before a bogey at 8 dropped him to 4 under.

Lanier lost a stroke at 9 with a wayward tee shot but pulled even at 3 under with a birdie at 15 after a Hamby bogey at 14. Both players birdied 16 and bogeyed 17, heading to 18 tied at 3 under — one ahead of Matt Moot, who had already finished at 2 under. Jordan Pomeranz then birdied 18 to join Moot at 2 under. With both Hamby and Lanier making pars at 18, the playoff was set.

Defending champion Jonathan Hockaday shot 73-69-142 to finish 5th, behind Pomeranz and Moot.

Championship Flight Results

*Hamby won on 1st playoff hole with a par

Brick Dust — Notes from the 50th

• Carson Lanier and Jordan Pomeranz both played Saturday’s first round without a single mistake. Pomeranz posted 14 pars and 4 birdies, while Lanier carded 2 eagles, 2 birdies, and 14 pars.
• Matt Moot, assistant golf coach at Campbell University, has now played the BCC twice — and made a mark both times. Last year he finished in a 3-way tie for the title before losing in a sudden-death playoff to Jonathan Hockaday. This year, Moot fired the low round of Sunday with a 68 to finish T-3.
• The putt Steve Hamby will remember most from this weekend wasn’t the winner — it was a 10-footer for bogey at the par-4 17th. After hitting his second shot into the hazard left of the green and taking a drop, Hamby converted the bogey putt to stay alive. A miss there could have ended his day.
• Long-time Sanford Golf Professional Bobby Powell addressed players before Sunday’s round, reflecting on 50 years of the Brick Capital and what it has meant to local golfers. Jim Love and Bill Huggins are the only two players to have competed in both the inaugural 1977 tournament and the 50th Annual this past weekend.
• The Annual Champions Dinner was held Friday night to celebrate the milestone. All 30 previous champions were honored, and five golfers were named WFJA Player of the Decade: Danny Brown (1970s), Joe Gay (1980s), Gerald Harrington (1990s), Press McPhaul (2000s), and David Wicker (2010s).
• Carson Lanier earned the Jon Hockaday Medalist Award for Saturday’s low round (65), and Matt Moot took the Bobby Powell Medalist Award for Sunday’s low round (68).
• Saturday’s afternoon round was interrupted by a storm just two holes in. Play was halted at 2:18 PM after a 1:40 start and didn’t resume until 3:23, following heavy rain, high winds, and lightning. Course staff cleared all players safely before the weather arrived. The worst of it lasted about 15 minutes, but lightning lingered — and once it cleared, staff found 7 greens needing debris removal from the wind. Players returned around 3:15 and finished the round at approximately 7:15 PM. David Von Canon and his staff were praised for their handling of the delay.
• WFJA Sports debuted a new broadcast approach for the 50th Classic. For the first time, live Sunday updates were delivered from a golf cart following the action on the course, allowing for shot-by-shot descriptions, on-location interviews, and greater flexibility. This marked the 31st consecutive year WFJA Sports has broadcast the Brick Capital Classic.
• Players once again raved about the course conditions. Greens were described as perfect and every detail of the course was at its best. Credit goes to Superintendent Keith Thomas and his entire staff.
• In an interesting footnote from Friday’s Champions Dinner video, Carson Lanier was asked what it takes to win the Brick Capital — he said players needed to take care of the par 5s and eliminate 3-putts. Lanier then went out Saturday and shot 65 with zero 3-putts and a 5-under performance on the par 5s, including two eagles and a birdie.
• Kevin McDougald won the Senior Division for the second straight year, posting rounds of 73-72-145. Congratulations, Kevin!

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