Staff report

SALISBURY — Qualifying has been completed for the annual Horace Billings Rowan County Amateur.

Match play will be conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with 31 qualifiers joining defending champion and top-seeded Shane Benfield in the field at Corbin Hills.

Michael Swaringen, the 2023 Rowan Masters champion, paced qualifying with a sizzling 6-under par 66 and is seeded second.

Other leading qualifiers were Cade Cranfield (67), Derek Lipe (68), Mitchell Swaringen (70) and Keith Dorsett (71). Brady McIntyre, Michael Helms, Nick Coble, Brandon Phillips and Trey Swaringen shot 72.

Dorsett has won the event four times and has been runner-up the last three years.

The tournament has been one of the staples of Rowan summer golf since 1979.

First-round pairings (Friday)

(1) Shane Benfield vs. (32) Ronnie Walker

(16) Brad Evans vs. (17) Brayden Mulkey

(8) Michael Helms vs. (25) Lee Fesperman

(9) Nick Coble vs. (24) Chase Hathcock

(4) Derek Lipe vs. (29) Michael Dorsett

(13) Jaden Sprinkle vs. (20) Dustin Bernhardt

(5) Mitchell Swaringen vs. (28) Preston Jones

(12) Justin Taylor vs. (21) Eric Mulkey

(2) Michael Swaringen vs. (31) David Hinson

(18) Ross Brown vs. (15) Kevin Lentz

(7) Brady McIntyre vs. (26) Chris Harte

(10) Brandon Phillips vs. (23) Randy Kaiser

(3) Cade Cranfield vs. (30) Chris Arrington

(14) Matthew Swaringen vs. (19) William Little

(6) Keith Dorsett vs. (27) Adam Jordan

(11) vs. Trey Swaringen vs. (22) Jason Bernhardt