Future looks bright at State Amateur

South Carolina’s junior golf program produces quality players in wholesale lots, a fact on display annually in the State Amateur and perhaps never more evident than this year.

The South Carolina Golf Association’s most prestigious championship unfolds for the 84th time this week at Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer Course, and youth is the name of the game. The talent reservoir is so deep that five players in the field of 132 will be in high school in a couple of weeks.

There are the college players, of course, with Andrew Novak (Wofford) prepared to defend his title against the posse of challengers that includes 2013 winner Carson Young (Clemson) and 2012 champion Cody Proveaux (Clemson). Former state junior champions now playing in college who will look to add to their resumes include Austin Langdale (Clemson), Josh Fickes (Clemson), Stephen Behr (Clemson) and Jeremy Grab (Wofford).

Throw in Jonathan Hardee (Greer), the 2014 runner-up who earned All-SEC Freshman honors at Alabama this spring and a strong high school contingent, and the tournament is brimming with subplots. Caleb Proveaux, who has qualified for the U.S. Amateur before his senior year at Gilbert High, will try to duplicate brother Cody’s feat of winning the State Amateur before enrolling in college. The Phillips brothers from Inman, rising senior Trevor and rising sophomore Trent, and the one-two finishers in the past two State Juniors – 2014 champion Jack Parrott and 2015 winner Christian Salzer – emphasize the youth movement.

Indeed, one “older” player has claimed the State Amateur since 1996. Charles Warren (Cemson) started the domination in 1997 and only Lee Palms, in 2008 at Musgrove Mill, has broken the stranglehold. Lucas Glover, whose pro wins include the 2009 U.S. Open, won three State Amateurs and multiple PGA Tour winner D.J. Trahan claimed two. The last time the tournament visited Chanticleer, in 2003, future FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas earned the title.

Palms, Rick Cloninger, who has been the state’s senior player of the year the past three years, and Robert Dargan, the 2014 State Mid-Amateur champion, bring winning experience to the tournament.

Chanticleer, a Robert Trent Jones design, is ranked No. 4 in the state by the South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel. At about 6,800 yards, the layout is short by today’s championship standards, but the course rating of 74.7 and slope rating of 145 illustrate the difficulty.

“The players will be challenged,” SCGA executive director Happ Lathrop said.

After 18-hole rounds on Thursday and Friday, the field will be cut to the low 70 plus ties for Saturday and Sunday.

Chip shots: In the CGA Boys’ Junior Championship at Greensboro, South Carolinians in the top 10 included Christian Salzer (Sumter, tied for second); Logan Sowell (Kerhaw, fourth); Reed Bentley (Wellford, tied for fifth); Jack Parrott (Columbia, tied for eighth); and Ethan Vallery (Pawleys Island, tied for eighth). … In the CGA Girls’ Junior Championship at Rock Hill, state players in the top 10 included Ashley Czarnecki (Greenville, second); Kathleen Sumner (Charleston, third); Jodee Tindall (Rock Hill, eighth); and Baylee Evans (Lancaster, 10th). … Winners in the Golfweek Amateur Golf Tour tourney at WildeWood: Reed Webb (A flight), Regal Perry (B flight), Bryan Wilkerson (C flight) and Tom Haddad (D flight). Players compete in flights based on handicaps. … Mike Townsend, head pro at Kiawah Island Club’s Cassique course, won the Carolinas PGA Section title at Myrtle Beach and led nine players into next year’s PGA Professional Championship. Charles Frost, pro at Kiawah’s River Course, finished second and is exempted into the 2016 national tournament after finishing in the top 10 in the 2015 event. … The South Carolina team – Gracyn Burgess (Lexington), Ashley Czarnecki (Greenville), Baylee Evans (Lancaster) and Victoria Huskey (Greenville) – edged the Georgia squad 121/2-111/2 in the Georgia-South Carolina Girls Challenge Matches at Aiken’s Palmetto GC. … In the Georgia-South Carolina Boys’ Challenge Matches at Berkeley Hall in Bluffton, Georgia pulled out an 81/2-71/2 victory. Jack Parrott (Columbia) and Logan Sowell (Kershaw) earned 11/2 points each to lead South Carolina.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 8:54 PM.