Altman Takes the 7th Annual Bobby Chapman

Catapulted by five birdies over the last six holes, Kellen Altman fired a second round 67 to win the 7th Annual Bobby Chapman Invitational. The Myrtle Beach native's tournament total of 5 under par 137 secured a three stroke victory over first round leader Brendon Todd of Cary, NC. The Bobby Chapman Invitational is hosted by the Country Club of Spartanburg and is conducted by the South Carolina Junior Golf Association.

Altman was four shots back of Todd after 28 holes, but made birdies on 13,15 and 16 to close the gap and even the playing field. A great up and down on the par 5 17th led to a birdie while Todd bogeyed from a tough lie to take a two stroke advantage to the 18th. "I felt the tide turn on 13 and 14. Brendon had a real bad lie on the par 4 13th that resulted in a double bogey while I was fortunate enough to birdie. I made a good par on 14 and just tried to play solid from there on in," stated the high school senior.

As the Bobby Chapman champion, Altman will receive an invitation to the 2001 AJGA Polo Junior Classic held during Thanksgiving week at Walt Disney World.

Todd played solid all day but the putter was his true friend. "I rolled the ball well today, but just made a couple of loose swings that cost me. My ball ended up in a bad lie in some mulch on 13 that I just had a tough time making contact. Kellen played great today and I look forward to playing with him in the future," stated the North Carolina junior.

Local favorite Nick Biershenk of Boiling Springs shot his way to a tie for 13th at 150 with a second round 76. Other Spartanburg contestants included Quincy Halliday at 151 and Tac Hargrove at 155. 

The Bobby Chapman Invitational extended invitations to the top finishers from a select list of events held over the last twelve months. The 2001 field of players represented some 47 titles and had an average handicap index of .38. The 36 hole event played to a yardage of 6,270 yards and par of 71.