Heavy-hitting spotlight on Columbia with World Long Drive competition
For golfers who like the long ball, the Columbia area is the placed to be beginning Thursday with the World Long Drive Association offering five days of shots that tax the imagination.
Pros on the WLD circuit will compete for world ranking points and exemptions into the national championship tournament on Thursday and Friday in their annual visit to Par Tee Golf Center in West Columbia.
Then, beginning Sunday, May 5, golf’s heaviest hitters will be at Fort Jackson Golf Club of three days for “The Exchange Celebrating Service: Fort Jackson” competition that includes the military long drive championship and a WLD tournament.
At Fort Jackson, open division qualifying for the WLD event will take place Sunday (May 5) and Monday (May 6). Preliminary rounds in the military competition begin Tuesday morning (May 7) with the finals in all divisions set to be televised live by the Golf Channel, starting at 5 p.m.
An added bonus for the Fort Jackson event will be appearances by David Feherty, the popular Golf Channel personality and NBC golf reporter. Feherty has been awarded the Department of the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community through his work with the Troops First Foundation.
Admission is free at both sites. However, visitors to Fort Jackson for the Tuesday evening finals must pick up a ticket in advance at FJGC. Call 803-787-4437 for information on tickets, which are limited, and access to the post. Satellite parking will be a Victory Hall with complimentary shuttle service to the golf course.
Some of the WLD pros who participate at Par Tee are also expected to compete at Fort Jackson. “They hit it a long, long way,” said Tom Mason, the PGA of America professional who owns Par Tee. “They’re something to see.”
In the military competition, 12 golfers — active duty, reserve and retired service members (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard) — advanced to Fort Jackson through qualifying. The winner will earn $10,000 and a berth in the Volvik World Long Drive championship in September.
“There are a lot of moving parts to put on something like this,” said Mike Casto, PGA professional and director of golf at FJGC. “I’m anxious to see the competition. The pros hit the ball very high and 400 yards or more. That’s impressive.”
The Par Tee competition will be held on the Center’s long-drive grid, which Mason and his staff continually maintain to attract the long-drive community. “We’ve had guys hit it 460 yards here,” he said.
To accommodate the competition at FJGC, the first hole on the club’s Wildcat Course, has been converted into a 450-yard by 50-yard grid. The FJGC maintenance staff trimmed tree limbs and removed several trees completely to provide the grid’s 50-yard width. Green-side bunkers on the par-5 that can measure more than 500 yards have been filled and sodded.
A driving platform, grandstands, television camera positions and a jumbo-tron will be installed this week. The grid will be painted beginning Saturday.
The “Exchange Celebrating Service: Fort Jackson” will be staged in partnership with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the Army’s Installation Management Command.
Chip shots. USC, Clemson and Furman earned berths in the NCAA Women’s Golf Regional tournaments, set May 6-8. The ninth-ranked Gamecocks are seeded third in Cle Elum, Wash. Furman is sixth seed and Clemson seventh in the Opelika, Ala. Regional. College of Charleston’s Victoria Huskey will compete as an individual in Opelika. . . . Teams selected for the NCAA Men’s Golf Regional tournaments will be announced Wednesday, May, 1. . . . Ole Miss edged USC 3-2 in the match-play final to win the SEC women’s title. The Rebels’ Macy Somoskey squared the decisive match with a long birdie putt on the 18th hole and nipped USC’s Lois Kaye Go on the fourth playoff hole for the winning point. . . . Bryson Nimmer added to a strong senior season with a third-place finish individually in the ACC Men’s Championship. The Tigers finished seventh in team competition. . . . Clemson’s women also finished seventh in the ACC Women’s tourney.