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.

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.

*Hamby won on 1st playoff hole with a par

• 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!

50^th Brick Capital Classic Golf Scheduled for June 27-28

Staff Report

The area’s top golfers will come together the last weekend of June for the annual Brick Capital Classic Golf Tournament at Sanford Golf Club.  It will be the 50^th playing of the event that started in 1977 and one that has grown into the most respected amateur golf event in the Sandhills of NC.  The BCC draws the best players in the Sanford and surrounding areas and the chase for the coveted Brick title is always tough, pressure packed, and one the golfers point to every year.   It has been referred to as Sanford’s “Little Masters”, certainly a reference comparing the Brick’s status among local events to the status the Masters has to the world of golf.

The best area players circle this event on the calendar each year, and schedule their vacations, work, family and more, around their preparation and participation in Sanford’s oldest individual golf tournament.   There has been a total of 29 different golfers to win the first 49 tournaments and the competition will be keen once again.   The former winners will gather on Friday night for the Annual Champions Dinner – a tradition that is, well, Masters-like.  Of the 29 former winners, 3 have passed away and 19 of the 26 living winners are scheduled to attend the Friday night dinner.  The tournament itself is a tradition for local players and the weight of the event is real.   Players that are fortunate enough to be in contention get to feel and experience what they are coming for – a big-time event with the pressure they don’t feel any other time of the year.

4-time Champions David Wicker, Gerald Harrington and Press McPhaul highlight a group of those to watch, but they’ll face a large group of players looking to win the 50^th annual event.   Defending Champion Jonathan Hockaday will also be in the field as well as former winners Jordan Pomeranz, Currie Howell, Will Morgan, Brandon Jones and Todd Matthews.  

WFJA Sports will be on hand for the 31^st consecutive year to air updates every 30 minutes both Saturday and Sunday afternoons and will also air for the first time from the Champions Dinner on Friday night.  The Friday night program will highlight the history of the Brick Capital Classic and recognize the former winners of the event.

Listeners can tune in Friday night at 6:30 for the 50^th Annual Celebration and Champions Dinner and then again starting at 12:20 both Saturday & Sunday for updates every 30 minutes.   All Brick Capital Classic coverage will air on 105.5 FM WFJA.

Half a Century of Golf:

The 50th Annual Brick Capital Classic Comes to Sanford

WFJA Sports | Sanford, N.C.

SANFORD, N.C. — Fifty years ago, a golfer named Chris Dalrymple walked off the 18th green at Sanford Municipal Golf Course as the first-ever Brick Capital Classic champion. This summer, the tournament he helped launch reaches a milestone that few local sporting events can claim — its 50th anniversary.

The 50th Annual Brick Capital Classic is set to tee off at Sanford Municipal Golf Course, bringing together 160 of the region's top amateur golfers for 36 holes of stroke play over two days. For decades it has been called the "little US Open" by those who know it best, and the golden anniversary edition figures to draw one of the most competitive fields in the tournament's history.

A Donald Ross Course with a Big Reputation

The Classic is played on one of North Carolina's most storied municipal layouts. Sanford Municipal Golf Course was designed by legendary architect Donald Ross in 1934, and its 6,304-yard, par-71 track has tested the Sandhills region's best golfers ever since. The course, located at 600 Golf Course Lane, sits as the unofficial proving ground for amateur golfers from Sanford, Pinehurst, Raleigh, and well beyond.

The format is straightforward: 18 holes on Saturday, followed by a re-flight based on scores heading into Sunday's final round. The lowest scorers from Saturday form the Championship Flight and compete for the Brick Capital title. Winning scores typically run 5 to 8 under par — numbers that prove the course demands real skill, not just familiarity.

A Roll Call of Champions

Since Dalrymple's inaugural victory in 1977, the BCC has produced a rich list of champions. Danny Brown of Sanford won three titles (1978, 1981, 1991), as did Craig Sturdivant (1984, 1995, 2004). Gerald Harrington of Wilmington claimed four championships (1990, 1994, 1996, 1999), and David Wicker rattled off four wins including back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. But the most decorated champion in tournament history is Press McPhaul — former head golf coach at NC State — who has claimed the Brick Capital title four times (1997, 2005, 2008, 2020), including a dramatic playoff win over Jonathan Hockaday during the COVID-shortened summer of 2020.

Jordan Pomeranz won in 2002 and then returned 19 years later to claim the 2021 title, a feat made all the more memorable by the fact that his sister Courtney Stiles had led the tournament after the first round — the first female player ever to hold the lead at the Classic. In 2022, Brandon Jones birdied the par-5 18th late on Sunday to claim his first title, holding off two-time champion Jonathan McCurry and perennial contender Walter Brinker. The 2022 tournament also saw history come full circle when inaugural champion Chris Dalrymple, now competing in the senior division, won that flight — becoming only the second player ever to win both the open and senior titles at the BCC.

Past Champions (1977–2025)

2023                                          Jack Radley                              Sanford

2024                                          Todd Matthews                      Angier

2025                                          Jonathan Hockaday               Sanford

What to Watch in 2026

The 50th edition promises a field loaded with past champions and hungry newcomers. As always, the tournament will fill its 160-player field quickly — entries often sell out by early June, with a waiting list ready to fill any withdrawals.

WFLJA Radio will once again provide live coverage of both days of competition, with regular updates available at wfjafm.com. Play begins at 8 a.m. each morning, with an afternoon wave starting at 1:30 p.m. An awards ceremony follows the conclusion of Sunday's final round.

For 50 years, the Brick Capital Classic has been the heartbeat of amateur golf in the Sandhills. This year, with a golden anniversary on the line and a storied Donald Ross course as the stage, the question isn't whether the tournament will deliver — it's who will be the one to etch their name into half a century of history.

Coverage provided by WFJA Radio | Sanford, North Carolina