Former Gamecock golf star Will Starke pleased with pro progress
A year after completing an All-American career at the University of South Carolina, Will Starke examines his progression in professional golf and finds an upward trend.
“I’d give myself a ‘B’ or maybe a ‘B-minus,’ ” he said in grading his 13 months in the professional ranks.
He played well enough to finish 30th in earnings on the 2016 Mackenzie Tour Canada, an affiliate of the PGA Tour, and earn exempt status for this year. He took a stab at Web.com qualifying school, falling short last fall, and enjoyed better results in 2017 U.S. Open qualifying, advancing to the Sectionals.
Pro golf “has been pretty much what I expected,” said Starke, who sparkled at Chapin High and in the state’s junior golf program prior to his outstanding college career. “It’s been a learning experience, and I look forward to this year. Every week is another step forward.”
His first pro year emphasized what every golfer knows – the short game makes a difference, and, he said, “I’ve been working a lot over the last two months on my wedge game. You see every week how important the wedges and consistent putting are.”
The competition is stout. Many of the college stars take the Canadian route to launch their pro careers, and Starke said, “You have to go low every day. It takes 20-under (par) to win, so that means 5-under every day.”
His best finish in the tour’s three tournaments this year is a tie for 16th, and he is 48th on the money list. His goal is a top-five finish in earnings that would provide exempt Web.com Tour status for 2018.
He is spending the tour’s two off-weeks at his home in Mt. Pleasant, then will head to Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Montreal for his next three starts. He laughed and said, “I’ve probably seen more of Canada than most Canadians.”
The travel isn’t a problem; he recalled spending three or four consecutive weeks on the road to play summer amateur events. Besides, he travels with former USC teammates and Mackenzie rivals Sean Kelly and Caleb Sturgeon.
“Being with them makes it almost feel like college, and we had a crazy week earlier this month,” Starke said. “We all had advanced to the U.S. Open Sectional qualifying, and we played in a (Mackenzie) tournament in Vancouver that ended on Sunday. We rented a car and drove to Tacoma (Wash.) for the (36-hole) Sectional on Monday. Then, we drove back to Vancouver and took the ferry to Victoria for the next (Mackenzie) tournament.
“It was a wild experience, very similar to last year at Carolina (a Saturday night dash from Mackenzie qualifying in South Florida to a college tournament that started on Sunday near Charleston). But that’s what we do. The time at Carolina prepared us for the next step.”
Starke works with South Carolina coach Bill McDonald and Atlanta-based instructor Scott Hamilton on his game, and said he believes he is on the road to success.
“When I got kind of good at golf, I thought if I worked hard, I could play professionally,” he said. “I realized in college that I could play at a high level if I kept working and improving. I see guys I played against in college on the PGA Tour, and that’s motivation. I just want to keep getting better.”
So far, so good, he said, and he likes the upward trend.
Chip shots
The annual Midlands Chevy Dealers Columbia City Golf Championship unfolds Thursday-Saturday at Columbia CC, and tournament director Allen Knight believes the field will be one of the event’s strongest in recent years. Jarrett Grimes earned the 2106 title by six strokes. Other 2016 division winners include Gus Sylvan (seniors), Steve Pascol (super-seniors) and Burke Cromer (professional). … Julian Keur, a rising senior at Alabama-Birmingham from Summerville, defeated Spartanburg high school instructor Todd White 4 and 3 to win the CGA’s South Carolina Amateur Match-Play title at the Carolina CC in Spartanburg. … Ainhoa Olarra, a rising senior on the USC women’s golf team, earned runner-up honors in the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship. Olarra, a native of Spain, won five matches before dropping a 3 and 2 decision to Leona Maguire of Ireland, the world’s top-ranked amateur who plays at Duke, in the final at Pyle and Kenfig GC in South Wales.
This story was originally published June 23, 2017 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Former Gamecock golf star Will Starke pleased with pro progress."