Child’s play now includes leading WSCGA
Clarissa Childs becomes executive director of the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association in the middle of May, and the connection looks like one of those matches made in heaven.
“I love golf and I love to travel, and that’s what this job will entail,” said Childs, one of the most decorated players in USC’s women’s golf history who has been women’s golf coach at Newberry College the past five years.
She succeeds Jennifer O’Brien, who resigned to pursue a career in real estate. Childs foresees a smooth transition and “wants to build on the initiatives Jennifer had in place.”
There will be business operations to handle and tournaments add and to run and fundraising to oversee, but Childs’s chief goal “will be to get more women involved. We want to get more women playing the game, and that’s going to be one of the main objectives.”
Childs played for the Gamecocks 1992-96, twice won all-SEC honors and helped USC advance to the national championship tournament three times. After college, she assisted former coach Kristi Coggins with the USC team and competed on the Futures (now Symetra) Tour before advancing to the LPGA Tour for seven years. Along the way, she made a hole-in-one in the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open.
After an injury forced her off the tour, she spent time caring for her father during his illness and worked in real estate before becoming Newberry coach in 2012. She led the Wolves to the team and individual South Atlantic Conference championships in 2012 and ’13 and earned the league’s coach of the year honor both years.
Before leaving Newberry, Childs will be involved in the NCAA Division II South Super Regional at the Members Club’s Woodcreek Course. The May 8-10 championship, hosted by Newberry in conjunction with the Columbia Regional Sports Council, will feature a 12-team field with the top three advancing to the national championship.
“The competition will be outstanding,” Childs said. “Nine of the top 12 in the rankings are in the South, so the field will be extremely strong.”
After the Super Regional, Childs, a cancer survivor, steps into a new challenge with the WSCGA. She will move the organization’s office to Columbia, and her schedule includes three major tournaments – plus one-days – before the end of June.
“I’ll be busy, but I love to travel and I love the game,” she said. “We want to continue to get more women involved in golf, and I believe we will.”
Long drive competition
Two-time world champion Tim Burke won the World Long Drive Association’s East Coast Classic with a blast of 389 yards last weekend at the Par Tee Golf Center in West Columbia. Burke edged Trent Scruggs, who had a best drive of 377 yards, in the final.
The three-day event attracted more than 300 competitors from around the country, and Par Tee owner Tom Mason said drives of more than 400 yards “were the rule rather than the exception,” under ideal conditions the first two days.
“The weather changed the last day (Sunday) and conditions were tougher,” Mason said. “But there were some very, very impressive drives. These guys are amazing.”
Chip shots
Newberry and the Columbia Regional Sports Council will stage the 2022 NCAA Division II national women’s golf championship at the Members Club’s Woodcreek course. … The 81 teams and 45 individuals selected to compete in this year’s NCAA Men’s Division I tourney will be announced Thursday at noon on the Golf Channel. Teams will be placed in one of six regionals, set for May 15-17, with 30 teams and six individuals advancing to the national championship. Both the men’s and women’s nationals will be played in Sugar Grove, Ill., the women May 19-24 and the men May 26-31. … Headed into Web.com tournament that ends today, three players with S.C. ties – Kyle Thompson, 2nd; Roberto Diaz, 3rd; and Jonathan Byrd, 25th – ranked in the tour’s top 25 in earnings. The top 25 at season’s end earn PGA Tour cards for the 2017-18 season.
This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Child’s play now includes leading WSCGA."