South Carolina, Clemson launch fall golf seasons
The South Carolina and Clemson men’s and women’s golf teams are wasting no time in getting their fall seasons started with one tournament already completed, one that ends Sunday and two others that begin Monday.
Although losing three of their top six players from the team that advanced to match play and tied for fifth in the 2023 NCAA Championships, the USC women’s team steps into fall play ranked among the nation’s top 10.
Coach Kalen Anderson, who has developed the program into one of the best in women’s college golf, will build her 18th Carolina squad around All-American Hannah Darling, a junior and one of the world’s top women’s amateurs, and junior Louise Rydqvist.
The Gamecocks open the fall season Monday in the Annika Intercollegiate in Minnesota.
The Carolina men launched their fall play on Labor Day in the Folds of Honor Collegiate in Michigan. The Gamecocks finished fourth in a field of 18 with sophomore Zach Adams leading the way individually with a ninth-place finish.
Clemson’s men started the fall in the Tennessee Intercollegiate in Knoxville that ends Sunday. The Tigers return five players who have starting experience with junior Andrew Swanson leading the way.
The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Regionals last season in their first year under coach Jordan Byrd and lost a spot in the national championship by one stroke in a playoff.
Clemson’s women begin the fall with all five starters returning from the 2022-23 squad that won the ACC championship, finished second in the NCAA Pullman Regional and participated in the national championship tournament.
Ranked 25th in the coaches’ pre-season poll, the Tigers start the year Monday in the Cougar Classic at Yeaman Hall Club in Charleston. Three of the returning players — Annabelle Pancake, Savannah Grewal and Isabella Rawl — competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August.
Each team has four fall tournaments scheduled with the exception of the Clemson men, who play in five events.
Chip shots
▪ Jane Covington, called the state’s “first lady of golf,” passed away Wednesday at age 101. A member of both the South Carolina Golf and Carolinas Golf halls of fame, she won five South Carolina Women’s Amateurs and five Carolinas Women’s Amateurs among her many championships. She also helped co-found the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association.
▪ U.S. Senior Amateur champion Todd White (Spartanburg) leads the South Carolina contingent in the U.S. Mid-Amateur that continues through Thursday in Scarsdale, New York. Other state players in the field include 2010 South Carolina Junior champion Stephen Behr Jr., who grew up in Florence and now lives in Atlanta, Columbia City champion Patrick Stephenson, Carolinas Mid-Amateur champion Sam Jackson (West Columbia), Spencer Skiff (Columbia) and Ben Goforth (Greenville).
▪ Tournament officials are seeking volunteers for the PGA Tour’s 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic, which will be played May 9-12 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club. For information, go online to www.myrtlebeachclassic.com and click on the volunteer link.
▪ The team of Rich Rebholz (Johns Island) and Rich Weston (Pawleys Island) captured the SCGA’s Senior Better-Ball Championship at Santee Cooper CC in Santee.