Alabama's 2021 Southeastern Challenge Match Team
HOOVER, AL (Oct. 4, 2021) – The 18th edition of the Men’s Southeastern Challenge Match will take place at Willow Point Golf & Country Club, in Alexander City, AL, on Oct. 16-17, 2021. The event highlights 12-man teams representing Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Each team consists of seven mid-amateurs (age 25+), one amateur (age 21+) and four senior amateurs (age 50+) selected by their state golf association.
Meet the 2021 Alabama Team
Mid-Amateur Team
Daniel Burns (35, Owens Cross Roads) is currently the 12th ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. Burns claimed this year’s Alabama State Four-Ball Championship title and placed top 10 in the 33rd Alabama State Mid-Amateur Championship. He attended the University of South Alabama on a golf scholarship. Now living in Huntsville, he serves as the AGM for Lamar Advertising of North Alabama.
Woodie Eubanks (46, Oneonta) is currently the 20th ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. Eubanks is married with three children. This is his eighth time representing Alabama. He has represented Alabama in five USGA events. Eubanks is a two-time AGA State Champion.
Clay Guerin (32, Hoover) is currently the 8th ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. He is a two-time Alabama State Four-Ball Champion (2018 & 2019). He also won the Alabama State Mid-Amateur Championship in 2016. Beyond his AGA accomplishments, Guerin just recently qualified for his 4th USGA event.
Tyler Hitchner (26, Tuscaloosa) is currently the 2nd ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, he played golf for The University of Alabama (2014-2018). Hitchner won the 2014 Alabama State Match Play Championship and was declared co-Champion in this year’s Alabama State Mid-Amateur Championship, alongside Will McCurdy of Auburn. He was also a Quarter Finalist in this year’s Alabama State Four-Ball Championship.
Brinson Holder (35, Point Clear) is currently the 33rd ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. He holds one AGA State Championship title, is a three-time Alabama State Four-Ball Runner Up and is a two-time USGA Four-Ball Championship Qualifier. Holder serves as a member of the AGA Board of Directors and owns Brinson Interiors Inc., alongside his father.
Will McCurdy (31, Auburn) is currently the 14th ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. McCurdy was declared co-Champion in this year’s Alabama State Mid-Amateur Championship, alongside Tyler Hitchner of Tuscaloosa. He also advanced to the Round of 16 at this year’s Alabama State Four-Ball Championship. McCurdy played golf for Auburn University and was an All-SEC selection in 2011-2012.
Will Morrison (26, Tuscaloosa) is currently the 24th ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. He played golf for the University of West Alabama, and now spends his days playing for fun at Indian Hills Country Club. He recently competed in the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur and had two top 10 finishes in AGA State Championships, this summer. At the beginning of this year, Morrison started a Digital Marketing company to afford him extra time to golf and improve his game.
Matthew Myers (39, Auburn) is currently tied as the 5th ranked men’s amateur in Alabama. Myers holds this year’s Alabama State Match Play Championship title. He lives in Auburn with his wife and three kids. Myers also serves as the Director of Operations for Guthrie’s Franchising Inc., owning Guthrie’s restaurants in both Auburn and Opelika. Myers is a former golfer for the Auburn University men’s team.
Senior Team
Claud Cooper (61, Birmingham) is currently tied as the 1st ranked men’s senior amateur in Alabama. Cooper is a two-time AGA State Champion, he has represented Alabama in eight USGA events and has finished second twice in the Alabama State Mid-Amateur Championship. Upon earning a Masters in Finance, he entered the financial world as a bond trader. He also played golf for The University of Alabama.
Doug McLeod (56, Mobile) is currently the 6th ranked men’s senior amateur in Alabama. He won this year’s Alabama State Senior Championship. He played competitive junior golf throughout the Southeast, and he went on to play golf for Auburn University. After earning an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, he went on to earn an MBA from The University of Alabama. Since 1992, he’s worked as a registered investment adviser.
Shaw Pritchett (51, Montgomery) is currently tied as the 1st ranked men’s senior amateur in Alabama. He is a two-time AGA State Champion. This year, he finished third at the Southeast Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Pritchett was also a Semi-Finalist in this year’s Alabama State Four-Ball Championship. Off the course, he serves as an Investment Advisor with Jackson Thornton Asset Management in Montgomery, Alabama. He also qualified for the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
John Wright (58, Fairhope) is currently the 3rd ranked men’s senior amateur in Alabama. He holds one AGA State Championship title. A former Auburn University golfer, Wright has most recently represented Alabama in seven USGA events. He was also named the 2020 Alabama Senior Men’s Player of the Year.
Format
Southeastern Challenge Match Format consists of four-ball, foursomes (alternate shot), and three-ball matches (A vs B, B vs C, C vs A). Each match is worth one point with a half-point awarded for halved matches.
Event History
The Men’s Southeastern Challenge Match debuted in 1989 as an event intended to promote goodwill and competition between the best amateur players, playing as a team, from Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The event is played biannually with men competing in odd-numbered years and women in even numbered years.
- Past Winners: Florida has won eight matches, Georgia with eight victories and Alabama with one win. Alabama’s sole victory came in 1991 at The Country Club of Birmingham.
- Lake Nona Golf Club in Orlando, FL hosted the first Challenge Match in 1989 where Florida defeated Georgia and Alabama with total scores of 32, 21 and 18.5, respectively.
- 2019 match was played at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, in Valdosta, GA with Georgia earning 25.5 total points over Florida’s 21.5 and Alabama’s 16.
For complete Southeastern Challenge Match history, please click here. For more information regarding Southeastern Challenge Match team selection criteria, please click here.
For more information regarding the Southeastern Challenge Match, please visit the Championship website.
About the Alabama Golf Association (AGA)
The Alabama Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1915 whose mission is to serve and promote amateur golf in Alabama. AGA membership consists of over 115 member clubs represented by over 22,000 individuals. The activities and services of the Alabama Golf Association are governed by a Board of Directors consisting of Alabama golfers who wish to serve the game and the association through service.
AGA is the USGA's liaison for golf in Alabama conducting national championship qualifying, administering the USGA Handicap system including the GHIN Handicap service, course & slope rating and education. The AGA annually conducts 23 championships and team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. The AGA also conducts Alabama high school golf championships and assists with many collegiate events including the SEC Men's Golf Championship. In addition to competitions, the AGA administers the AGA Women's Scholarship Fund that is dedicated to assisting young female golfers in higher education and supports the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation.
Since 1980, the AGA has managed the affairs of the Southern Golf Association which includes conducting the Southern Amateur Championship and Southern Junior Championship, in conjunction with the Board of Directors of the Southern Golf Association.
For more information about the Alabama Golf Association, visit www.alabamagolf.org.
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Media Contact:
Audrey Ferguson
Director of Media, Marketing & Communications
Alabama Golf Association
205-803-6524
audrey@alabamagolf.org
