It’s a busy time for golf in SC, for players with state connections and for fans
Call this the fortnight of championship golf for tournaments in South Carolina, for Palmetto State players competing in national events and — at the highest level — for the real beginning of the march toward one of the game’s majors at Kiawah Island.
Close to home, the state’s top tournaments for both men and women are in the headlines. The SCGA’s South Carolina Amateur races to a finish Sunday at Columbia Country Club and the WSCGA’s South Carolina Women’s Open takes center stage Friday to Sunday at Cobblestone Park Golf Club.
Nationally, the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Maryland featured five players with ties to the Palmetto State. Three qualified for match play and Jensen Castle (West Columbia) advanced into the Round of 32. In Oregon, the U.S. Amateur begins a week-long run Monday with nine South Carolinians — including three players from both USC and Clemson — in the field.
The PGA Championship that ends Sunday in San Francisco garners most of the attention devoted to the pro game. But the 2021 PGA, set for May at Kiawah Island, demands attention with registration for tickets ending and the selling of tickets starting.
The WSCGA has made giant strides under executive director Clarissa Childs, and the South Carolina Women’s Open is perhaps the crowning achievement. From a pie-in-the-sky idea not too long ago, the tournament unfolds for the third time this year and the field promises to be the strongest yet.
“Word is getting out and new players are coming to play,” said Childs, a former college coach and LPGA Tour player. “We’ve got players from Arizona and Canada, LPGA Tour winners such as Rosie Jones and as well as outstanding college players. The tournament is going to get bigger and bigger.”
The pro-am sold out quickly, and Childs said, “the golf course is a true championship venue. We’ve had college championships at Cobblestone, and it’s going to be a worthy test.”
Former Lexington High and Clemson standout Sydney Legacy is defending champion.
Before the women step into the spotlight, the State Amateur and PGA titles will be decided Sunday — a vital date in looking ahead to the 2021 PGA. Ticket registration ends Sunday and sales for the May 17-23 championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course begin Monday.
“We anticipated a large number of registrations, but it’s been unbelievable and we’ve had record numbers,” championship director Scott Reid said.
Tickets are sold through a free, no-obligation online registration process (www.pgachampionship.com/register). Fans will be emailed information regarding their window of opportunity to purchase tickets.
Tournaments, including the PGA in San Francisco, are being played without fans due to the COVID-10 pandemic, and the policy will remain at PGA Tour events into the 2020-21 season.
‘We still plan to have a full-blown PGA Championship in 2021,” Reid said. “We’re optimistic, and we have to plan that fans will be here. If we can’t have fans, they will get full refunds.”
The Ocean Course’s finishing holes — Nos. 14-18 — border the Atlantic Ocean and provide a challenging finish. The par-3 17th, which brought golfers to their knees during the 1991 Ryder Cup, provides the opportunity for a coliseum-like setting.
“If it’s tight, those finishing holes are as good as it gets” in championship golf, Reid said.
Rory McIlroy ran away with the title in the 2012 PGA, winning by eight strokes.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur began with five players with South Carolina connections competing. Castle, who plays at Kentucky, Anna Morgan (Spartanburg/Furman) and Pimnipa Panthong (USC) finished in the top 64 to qualify for match play. Lois Kaye Go (USC) and Ivy Shepherd (Clemson) did not advance.
The Men’s Amateur has the same format: two rounds of stroke play with the low 64 moving on the match play. With the usual qualifying canceled by the pandemic, officials used world amateur golf ranking and tournament performances to determine the field at Brandon Dunes.
USC representatives include Jamie Wilson and Ryan Hall (based on world ranking) and Jack Wall, who earned a place by winning the prestigious Met Amateur at Bethpage Black in New York. The Clemson trio of Jacob Bridgeman, Turk Pettit and Colby Patton got places on world ranking. Brothers Trevor and Trent Phillips of Inman, who play at Georgia, and Logan Sowell (Kershaw/College of Charleston) complete the state delegation.