Foreign invader from Fort Jackson notches win in birthplace of golf

The scoreboard listed the leaders and their home clubs in the Aberdour Mixed Team tournament in Scotland’s Kingdom of Fife, and the affiliations included Alyth, Blairgowrie, Murrayfield, Kibworth – and Fort Jackson, USA.

The quizzical “where’s that?” looks didn’t bother Les Bradstreet, a visitor who plays at Fort Jackson Golf Club. He had just scratched one goal off his bucket list, teaming with Hazel Peplinski, to win the tourney’s net division.

“Winning at the home of golf is something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Bradstreet, a Columbian who, with wife Liz, has journeyed to Scotland every year since 2006.

The hand of fate – the pairing of Bradstreet and Peplinski for a routine round at her club in Scotland 11 years ago – led to an enduring friendship and an ideal partnership. She plays to a 12 handicap and is long off the tee, and his short game sparkles, the ideal combination for the alternate shot format.

“We rarely make a poor show,” Peplinski, 54, reported via email. “Greensomes (play the best tee ball from the two players) suits our combined strength with Les’ wicked accuracy and my length from the tee.

“Playing with Les in the heat of battle is so much fun; he absorbs the pressure for both of us.”

The 61-year-old Bradstreet, a long-time Lowe’s employee, is a late-comer to the game. Once he discovered golf in his mid-30s, he couldn’t get enough. He credits pro Jimmy Koosa at the old Hickory Ridge course for instruction that got him started on the right track, and “competitive” might be his middle name.

He gets his thirst for competition, he said, “from three years as a professional motocross racer.”

He plays in a group at Fort Jackson called the Long Knockers, takes part in SCGA one-day events and has won his net division in the SCGA’s Tournament of Champions multiple times. Of course, he pursues the game with relish on the annual trips to Edinburgh and vicinity.

Les and Liz Bradstreet do the “tourist things.” She is a retired teacher, and Les said, “She knows all about the castles and their histories.” And by making the trip annually, they have established friendships throughout the area.

Their annual treks coincide with the Open Championship, and Les is there on the years the tournament is played in Scotland. The Scottish Open is on the agenda, too, and he’s sure to follow Phil Mickelson.

“I’m a huge Phil fan,” he said, and he wears a visor with Mickelson’s sponsor on display.

He returns with golf memorabilia, of course, and has a room dedicated to the sport. He has framed Open Championship flags from throughout the years and a copy of the newspaper reporting Mickelson’s triumph at Muirfield in 2013 owns a prominent spot. His iPad contains hundreds of pictures chronicling all-things Scotland from the trips.

His best score is even-par 72 at the Spur at Northwoods, and his handicap index has been as low as 8. He plays to 19 today and rues the loss of distance that comes with advancing age.

But Scotland and golf will always be in their plans. He keeps a set of clubs with Peplinski to facilitate travel.

“We have to keep going back,” he said. “We love the people. We love the weather. We leave here and it’s 100 degrees; we get there and it’s 62. When we get home, we start planning for the next year.”

By the way, just because he took care of a bucket-list goal with his victory in July, don’t think he’ll rest on the achievement.

“No way,” Bradstreet said. “We want to win again.”

Chip Shots

The teams of Hayes Brown-Jack Larkin and Brent Roof-Paul Tucker earned berths in the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in qualifying at The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek. Brown, who played at Wofford, and Larkin, a former Georgia player, shot 29 on the front and finished a 5-under 67. Roof, who played at USC, and Tucker, a former Duke player, finished one shot back. The 2018 Amateur Four-Ball will be played next May in Tequesta, Fla. … Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton has been selected by the USGA to stage the 2020 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The club previously hosted both the Men’s and Women’s State Team Championships in 2005.

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Foreign invader from Fort Jackson notches win in birthplace of golf."