Charlie Rymer remembers his Junior Amateur run, far away from South Carolina heat
To the 156 youngsters who will compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur this week at Colleton River Plantation in Bluffton, Charlie Rymer offers this bit of incentive:
“Any USGA championship is very special.”
Rymer, who grew up in Fort Mill and is best known these days for his work with the Golf Channel, speaks from experience. He won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1985 and perhaps expected more USGA titles to follow in a career that included All-America honors at Georgia Tech and three years on the PGA Tour.
None did.
But the memories from that championship, earned at Brookfield Country Club in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence in upstate New York, remain fresh 30 summers later. He expects the players who compete this week on Colleton River’s Dye course to do the same.
In the 1985 championship, Rymer earned a spot in match play through the 36-hole, stroke-play qualifier and marched to the final to face Greg Lesher, a future LSU and PGA Tour player.
Rymer, who will be inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame in January, started quickly and led 3-up after eight holes. Lesher won four straight holes to move in front and took a 2-up lead the 16th with a par.
“I was on the wrong side of dormie,” Rymer recalled. “That’s a tough day at the office.”
He bounced back to win the 17th with a birdie and squared the match with a winning 20-foot putt on the 18th. In sudden death, Rymer prevailed on the first hole with a bogey.
“There’s one big difference now,” Rymer said. “The final is 36 holes.”
Indeed, the finalists will play nine competitive rounds in six days in South Carolina’s summer heat.
“It’s grueling, but the kids would be playing golf every day anyway if they weren’t in the tournament,” Rymer said. “But the July heat at Hilton Head ... that might be an issue. I was fortunate to play in Buffalo. I was happy to get out of the South Carolina heat.”
Amateur odds and ends: Rymer, in 1985, and Buddy Baker (Florence), in 1958, are the only South Carolinians to win the U.S. Junior Amateur. ... The U.S. Junior is the only USGA tournament for which Jack Nicklaus was eligible that he did not win. ... There is no charge for admission. ... Colleton River’s Dye Course can be stretched to 7,366 yards and will play to par of 72. ... Eleven of the 18 holes offer views of Port Royal Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. ... Fox Sports 1 will televise from 2-4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Chip shots: Following up on qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, Caleb Proveaux (Lexington/Gilbert High) won the Blade Junior Golf Classic at the Thornblade Club in Greer. Age-group winners: Isabella Rawl (Lexington), girls’ 10-12; Nathan Franks (Roebuck), boys’ 10-12); and Emily Cox (Lancaster), girls’ 13-18). ... Miller Capps (Clemson) led U.S. Amateur sectional qualifying in Southern Pine, N.C. Cody Proveaux (Lexington/Clemson) is second alternate from the section. Jarrett Swan (Mt. Pleasant/Charleston Southern) is first alternate from the Monroe, N.C. sectional. ... Chase Fisher (Columbia), Jake Carter (Aiken) and Mitchell Dickson (Fort Mill) shot 69s at Cobblestone Park to lead qualifying for the State Amateur. ... In the Carolinas-Virginia Women’s team matches in Cape Charles, Va., the Carolinas rolled to a 78-66 win. Players from the Palmetto State included Cecilia Fournil (Columbia), Kelsey Badmaev (Columbia), Leigh Coulter (Hopkins), Kelli Murphy (Elgin), Lea Anne Brown (Mt. Pleasant), Lea Venable (Simpsonville), Karen Ferree (Hilton Head Island), Terrie Allemang (Hilton Head Island), Savannah Hallman (Mt. Pleasant) and Anne Washington (Myrtle Beach).
This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Charlie Rymer remembers his Junior Amateur run, far away from South Carolina heat."