Southern Pines, N.C. – One week after opening the east coast season with the sixth annual Palmetto Hall Championship, the eGolf Gateway Tour returns to action this week with the $100,000 Mid Pines Classic, to be contested at Donald Ross’ famed Mid Pines Resort in Southern Pines, N.C. on March 4-6, 2015.

The star of the show during Mid Pines week is without doubt the golf course, which underwent a 2013 restoration at the hands of Kyle Franz, bringing the 1921 design back to its original look and feel. Greens were converted to MiniVerde Bermuda grass with a full bunker restoration highlighted by the natural terrain of sand, wire grass and pine straw.

“What struck me looking at a lot of Sandhills golf courses was the beautiful sweep of the landscape, the sandy soils and the potpourri of colors you get,” Franz told Golfweek at the time. “The burnt orange of the sand and the pine needles and the sun-light at certain times of day is a dynamic you don’t get anywhere in the world.”

The par-4 first at Mid Pines

Franz, who assisted Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in their restoration of nearby Pinehurst No. 2, was praised abroad for his work at Mid Pines and his ability to return the cherished venue to its “pure Donald Ross” state.

“We are very fortunate to conduct one of our premier events at a resort like Mid Pines,” said eGolf Gateway Tour president David Siegel. “The course is a veritable walk through history, with a number of shot values forcing players to use every club in their bag. To call it a breath of fresh air in the modern realm of golf course architecture would be an understatement.”

In 2009, the Tour contested two tournaments at Mid Pines, utilizing sister course and three-time U.S. Women’s Open venue Pine Needles in order to create two-course events.

In March of that year, current PGA TOUR member Tom Gillis won the first of two eGolf Gateway Tour titles at Mid Pines, posting a birdie on the second playoff hole to win a four-man playoff over three-time PGA TOUR winner Chris Kirk, Michael Henderson and Emmett Turner.

The Tour Championship was contested at Mid Pines and Pine Needles in October of 2009, with a record-setting 250 players descending on the Sandhills to compete for a $300,000 purse. Current Web.com Tour standout Matt Davidson defended his 2008 Tour Championship title that week, defeating PGA TOUR member Lee Williams and Jess Daley in a sudden death playoff that concluded with a 30-foot birdie bomb on the fourth extra hole.

In 2013, the tour returned to Mid Pines shortly after the course opened for play following the restoration. Former Penn State star T.J. Howe birdied three of his final five holes to post 15-under par, good for a one-shot win over Harold Varner III and Taylor Floyd.

“Part of what makes Mid Pines so special is the winners it has produced,” said Siegel. “The tell-tale sign of a venue’s strength is how it isolates the best players. This place does just that on an annual basis.”

Featured players of note in this week’s field include:

Chris Epperson (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
A 2014 Web.com Tour member, Epperson is one week removed from winning his first career eGolf Gateway Tour title at his hometown Palmetto Hall Championship. The 32-year-old raced out to an eight-shot lead in the final round before closing with a 76 for a three-shot victory. In 2012-13, Epperson starred as one of the most consistent players on the eGolf Gateway Tour, collecting 11 top-5 finishes to earn the nickname “ATM.”

Jack Fields (Southern Pines, N.C.)
A former University of North Carolina star and Southern Pines resident, the 25-year-old Fields returns to his hometown looking to recapture his pre-injury form following a late-season back ailment in 2014. The Charlotte, N.C. resident opened last season with five top-10s in his first eight starts, including his second career victory at the Forest Oaks Classic in June. As a junior, Fields won the Mid Pines Invitational “a couple of times,” and set the non-competitive course record on the restored venue in 2013 with a 10-under 62.

Scott Harrington

Scott Harrington (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Harrington, a longtime Web.com Tour member, has been a study in consistency in the early months of the eGolf Gateway Tour’s west coast series. The former Northwestern University star has made five of six cuts thus far in the 2014-15 season, recording five top-10s – including a win at Rustic Canyon Golf Club two weeks ago. That week, the 34-year-old opened his tournament with nine birdies in his first 13 holes en route to a 5-under 67, which gave way to closing rounds of 68-66, a 15-under-par tally and a one-shot win over Kyle Souza.

Vaita Guillaume (Tahiti)
A former college star at nearby Campbell University, Guillaume has been one of the tour’s hottest players over the winter months, recording a runner-up at the Tour Championship in December and a matching finish at last week’s Palmetto Hall Championship – both of which were contested on the Cupp Course at host Palmetto Hall Plantation on Hilton Head Island. The 26-year-old has earned over $96,000 on the eGolf Gateway Tour in the last 13 months, including wins at the Citrus Open and Sapona Ridge Classic.

Other players of note in the field at Mid Pines include six-time tour winner Ryan Nelson (Charleston, S.C.), 2013 Mid Pines Classic winner T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.), 2012 U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox (Hendersonville, Tenn.), 2012 leading money winner Drew Weaver (High Point, N.C.) and seven-time tour winner Frank Adams III (Laurinburg, N.C.).

Local players of note include Fields, Chip Lynn (Lillington, N.C.), Ryan Linton (Pinehurst, N.C.) and Michael McGowan (Southern Pines, N.C.).

The first round of the 2015 Mid Pines Classic will begin at 8:00 AM on Wednesday (3/4) morning. Following the completion of 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 35 percent and ties for the final round of play. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.