Golf is a great game for the small things that it does, like placing people like Roger Mitterling in our path.

January 14, 2009- It is with heart felt sorrow that I have to inform the AGT family that Roger passed away Saturday evening after a courageous battle with cancer. Roger had all of his family and friends by his side to say their final goodbyes. I just wanted to take this time to talk about a few things you may not have known about Roger and his dedication to the Tour.

Roger first played on the Tour back in 1996 and finished in 3rd place in the B flight in the National Championship. After his first year on Tour, Roger was hooked. He along with Larry Lee, Joe Lee, and Jim my Turner all came to me to start the Upstate Tour. They formed the partnership of Upstate Golf Services and now 12 years later, run 5 Tours in the Carolinas.

As the Upstate Golf Services team decided to open new Tours, Roger was the first one to jump in and say lets head to the Beach. (Hilton Head and Charleston were his recommendations.) The whole team worked hard but Roger was instrumental in making these two Tours successful. His energy was contagious at these events and having an event on Saturday in Charleston and then driving to Hilton Head on Sunday for another never seemed too much for him. In fact, Roger looked forward to seeing all of his new golfing friends every other weekend. Because of his diligent work and the relationships he built, we now play our National Championship in Hilton Head, SC.

Besides his great demeanor at the events, Roger continued to help make the Tour better on a National level. Several years ago, the Tour needed to add new features to the web page and Roger along with Larry Lee, took it as a challenge to do all of the ground work on what you see today. When the Tour needed technical help and computer savvy, Roger was always there to lend his expertise. Without question, Roger was the first director to bring a laptop to the course and do live scoring to post results on the website.

Roger also helped start and administer the Carolina's Cup (A series of Ryder Cup matches for the Carolina Tours). Played over six weeks during the November-December off-season, this was truly Rogers ' event. Now we have many Tours doing statewide Ryder Cup matches such as the LA-VA Ryder Cup match that is played the Wednesday and Thursday before the Tour Championship in Hilton Head, SC. In his honor, the new name of the Carolinas Cup will be changed to the Roger Mitterling Cup.

We have been truly blessed to have known Roger for 14 years. He always thought about the other guy and never himself. As a true South Carolina Gamecock fan, Roger touched so many people and running golf tournaments was truly a passion for him. As the tournament in Hilton Head on Sunday kicks off the 2009 season for The Amateur Golf Tour, we as directors, will all stand back and admire all of the positives that we now consider routine and thank Roger Mitterling for developing them. This Tour is a family and he will continue to live on in the hearts of everyone who loves him.

Dennis McCormac