Fort Jackson provides World Long Drive ‘the most electric atmosphere’
World Long Drive, golf’s version of baseball’s home-run contest or basketball’s 3-point shooting exhibition, descended on Fort Jackson last Sunday to Tuesday and put on a performance that earned rave reviews.
With military personnel joining golf’s heaviest hitters on the tee and The Golf Channel beaming the show live for almost three hours Tuesday evening, the result, in a word, rocked.
“It’s the most electric atmosphere we’ve had,” said Justin Moose, a Forest Acres resident and No. 6 in long drive world rankings. “All the guys (competitors) I’ve talked to can’t say enough about the good things we experienced.
“Everything was so well done. The visuals were fantastic, the soldiers wonderful and of course the competition was exciting.”
The word “awesome” found its way more than once into Larry Holm’s assessment. The senior director of live tournaments for The Golf Channel sent an email of appreciation to military personnel, concluding with “a huge thanks to the color guard, anthem singer and the Golden Knights for kicking off the show with such beautiful pageantry ... and those soldiers rushing the stage was an adrenaline thrill.”
Having soldiers present resonated with Jake Taylor, a retired USMC gunnery sergeant and a former WLD regular tour who competed in the military division. “I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “This is the greatest long drive event I’ve been involved with.”
The accolades are music to Mike Casto’s ears. The general manager and director of golf at Fort Jackson Golf Club talked about “a lot of moving parts” in days prior to the tournament and wondered if all the details had been handled. And the time frame was short; the site at FJGC was not finalized until December.
“A lot bigger and better than I expected,” he said. “The staff here at the club and throughout the installation did a terrific job.”
For the record, Ryan Steenberg (Rochester, N.Y.) won the open division, Chole Garner (Somerset West, South Africa) the women’s division and Mikael Dubois (League City, Tex.) the military division.
Moose, who said he put too much pressure on himself in an effort to sparkle in his hometown event and was eliminated in the Round of 16, called the scene “a party atmosphere with golf involved. Really, the atmosphere was incredible.”
With the grid stretched out along the par 5 first hole on FJGC’s Wildcat course, the longest blast of the week — a 453-yard bomb by former world champion Joe Miller — came in Sunday’s preliminary rounds.
“On the green and six feet from the hole,” Moose said. “We were consistently over 400 yards on Sunday with the grid downwind. Hitting into the wind the last two days cut the yardage.”
That didn’t matter, Casto said. “They put on a great show, and having David Feherty with the troops was terrific.”
The competition likely will return to Fort Jackson next year and Casto sees some areas that will be improved on with more time to prepare.
“But we’ll be ready,” he said. “Absolutely.”
Chip shots. Furman golfer Keller Harper shot 66 to lead U.S. Open local qualifying at Columbia CC. Also advancing to sectional qualifying are USC golfer Caleb Proveaux, former Clemson stars Thomas Bradshaw and Carson Young, and Campbell golfer Max Theodorakis. . . . The USC and Clemson women’s teams saw their seasons end in NCAA regionals with the Gamecocks finishing 10th in Cle Elum, Wash., and the Tigers placing 13 in Opelika, Ala. . . . In men’s regionals that begin Monday, USC is seeded third in Pullman, Wash., and Clemson is No. 4 in Austin, Tex. . . . USC’s Emily Price was named SEC Freshman of the Year and made the second team all-SEC. Junior Lois Kaye Go earned first-team all-conference honors. . . . Clemson senior Bryson Nimmer, who set a school record by winning four tournaments this season, has been named ACC player of the year. . . . A pair of 15-year-olds — Jonathan Griz (Hilton Head Island) and Nick Dunlap (Greer) — joined forces to win the CGA Carolina’s Four-Ball title at Camden CC.