‘Participation is incredible’: Women’s golf enjoying popularity surge in SC

Pinehurst on Monday and Tuesday. Hilton Head Island on Wednesday. Then, back to Greenville a day later and looking ahead to a USGA qualifier and the Women’s State Amateur championship to start another week.

Go, go, go. That’s Clarissa Childs’ challenge these days, and she loves it.

“Crazy but good,” Childs, executive director of the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association, said in explaining her schedule. “If I’m going like this, good things must be happening.”

They are.

Golf has enjoyed an overall boom since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak more than two years ago, and the WSCGA is right there with an amazing growth spurt.

“More and more ladies are playing all the time,” Childs said.

Evidence comes in the form of the WSCGA’s one-day events like the one Wednesday at Hilton Head Island that required Childs’ whirlwind trip to the Lowcountry.

“Participation is incredible, double what we had last year,” said Childs, who took over the WSCGA reins in 2017 after an All-American playing career at South Carolina, competing on the LPGA Tour, serving as an assistant on the USC women’s golf staff and guiding the Newberry College team. “We had 350 or so players at our one-days last year and we’ve had 753 at one this year.

“There are always new ladies who want to play the game, and no matter what her handicap is or how long she’s been playing, we have something for everybody. We want to keep women involved in the game.”

Many of the state’s best female players will test their skills in the Women’s State Amateur that runs Tuesday to Thursday at Fort Jackson Golf Club’s Old Hickory Course. A day earlier, a preview of the stars of tomorrow will unfold at Spring Valley Country Club in qualifying for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur.

“Busy, busy and worth every minute,” Childs said. “Both the qualifier and the Women’s Amateur have really strong fields.”

The top three players in the S.C. Junior Golf Association rankings — Adrian Anderson (Murrells Inlet), Sydney Roberts (Chesnee) and Isabella Rawl (Lexington) — headline the junior qualifier at Spring Valley. Anderson has signed to play at the College of Charleston, and both Roberts and Rawl are Clemson-bound. Also competing will be Ella Stalvey and Caroline Hawkins, members of Blythewood’s Class 5A state championship team.

Furman golfer Sophia Burnett (Bluffton) will defend her title in the Women’s State Amateur against a field that includes players who finishes 2-3-4 a year ago — Emma Schimpf (Daniel Island/College of Charleston), Mary Kathryn Talledo (Spartanburg/College of Charleston) and Roberts. Stalvey and Hawkins both posted top-10s a year ago and will be joined by Blythewood High teammate Paige Paolucci in the 54-hole tournament.

Childs chose Old Hickory, the more challenging on Fort Jackson’s two layouts, and that’s no accident.

“I have played in some charity events at Fort Jackson and love the Old Hickory layout,” she said. “We’ll play about 6,000 yards and have different yardages for the par-3s.

“Yes, it’s the more challenging of the two courses, but this is a state championship and it’s not supposed to be easy.”

After the Women’s Amateur, there are more one-day events, the State Junior Girls championship at Arcadian Shores in North Myrtle Beach, the Georgia/South Carolina junior girls’ challenge matches and the Women’s State Open at Cobblestone Park.

“Lots going on,” Childs said, “and it’s great. For sure, good things are happening in women’s golf.”

Chip shots. Former USC All-American Scott Stevens earned his first professional win in the PGA Tour Canada’s Royal Beach Victoria Open in Victoria, British Columbia. Stevens birdied the 18th hole to pull into a tie for the title, then birdied three straight holes to win the playoff. ... USC women’s coach Kalen Anderson earned the Golf Pride Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s South Region coach of the year honors. With four new players in the lineup, the Gamecocks won school-record five of eight regular-season tournaments and finished 14th in the NCAA Championship. ... Brady Gregor, head coach at High Point College the past five years, has joined the USC men’s program as associate head coach. He replaces Ben Dietrich, who left the program for a position outside of coaching. ... The Sonic Columbia City Women’s Championship will be played June 20-21 at Forest Lake Club. The Midlands Chevy Dealers Columbia Men’s Championship is set for July 14-16 at the Spur at Northwoods.