At 52, Upstate golfer stays competitive with game’s younger foes
Todd White is the exception to the rule.
Although most golfers in their 50s have grown weary of striving to compete successfully against younger players and their extraordinary length, White does not blink at the challenge.
He asks no quarter and gives none in his quest to maintain the standards that through the years have earned him a place on the United States Walker Cup team and five South Carolina Player of the Year honors.
“I just love to compete,” he said, reducing his philosophy to the basics.
And compete he does — at age 52.
Even though the coronavirus pandemic has juggled the amateur schedule and limited him to four tournaments this year, White has an individual win, a co-title in a rain-shorted four-ball team event and a sixth in the South Carolina Amateur.
“The game is pretty good,” said White, an instructor at Spartanburg High. “I work hard to remain competitive with the younger players. I have to adapt, and I’m having fun.”
To illustrate the length challenge he faces, consider the par-5 12th hole in the final round of the State Amateur at Columbia Country Club. Eventual champion Jonathan Griz, 16, hit a 3-iron second shot from 252 yards to within three feet for an eagle. White had 265 to clear the green-guarding pond and had to lay up, eventually making par.
“I just have to play a different game,” White said. “At the end, add ’em up and see what the scores are.”
In the South Carolina Match Play at Orangeburg Country Club, White tied for the final qualifying spot in stroke play, then blitzed through five opponents — four of them college-age players — in match play to win the tournament for the fourth time.
White’s first title in the S.C. Match-Play came in 1991, a testament to his longevity at a high level.
A multi-sport star at Dorman High, he started at quarterback in football, guard in basketball and on the golf team. He focused on golf at Furman University, earned numerous college honors and tested his game in the pros.
“I never had any status on any pro tour, but I did qualify for the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills,” he said. “I gave that up, got my amateur status back and the game became fun again. I could enjoy golf again and I still enjoy playing.”
He has played in numerous USGA championships, teaming with Nathan Smith to win the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in 2015. The first of his state player of the year honors came in 2004, the last in 2016.
“I’m proud of the longevity I’ve been able to maintain my game,” he said. “I have worked really hard the past 10 years or so to maintain my physical condition, and that keeps me competitive.”
He might define “competitive” this way: After partner Kevin King had to miss the Carolinas Four-Ball with a medical condition, White played alone. Facing two-player teams, he missed qualifying for match-play by only three strokes.
He and King shared the title in last weekend’s SCGA Mid-Amateur Four-Ball at Bulls Bay with Ben Karns and Patrick Townes after rain washed out the final round.
Looking ahead, he and King will join forces again in the SCGA Players Four-Ball at Columbia Country Club in September, but his schedule is uncertain after that.
“The State Mid-Amateur is a three-day tournament, and I can’t plan too far ahead with things the way they are” with the pandemic, he said.
Be certain of one thing, though. When he does play, he will rely on one of his favorite quotes — “the ball doesn’t know how old you are” — and he will be competitive.
Chip shots. Jayne Pardus won her second straight WSCGA Senior Championship at Mt. Vintage Golf Club in North Augusta. Karin Wolfe earned the Legends’ division title for the third straight year, edging Louise Givens by one stroke. ... A field of more than 2,100 will compete in the playgofmyrtlebeach.com World Amateur Handicap Championship beginning Monday. All 50 states are represented in the 72-hole event that will contested over 31 courses along South Carolina’s Grand Strand.