Cole Sherwood captures first Korn Ferry Tour win at Colonial Life Charity Classic

Sterling competition, a down-to-the-last-putt finish and a worthy champion? Check.

A course that looks too short to provide a serious challenge to this era’s top-tier golfers showing its teeth? Yep.

Exceeding its goal in sponsorships, filling all the volunteer slots, selling out the pro-am, watching families enjoy a weekend outing and providing a must-see clinic for juniors? All pluses.

Ideal weather — well, until temperatures soared Sunday — and attendance numbers forcing organizers on Saturday to call for more buses to shuttle fans from the parking area to the golf course. More positives.

Indeed, by the time Cole Sherwood wrapped up the championship in the inaugural Colonial Life Charity Classic at the Woodcreek Club on Sunday, doubters that the Columbia area would support a Korn Ferry Tour event vanished.

The list of winners begins with Sherwood, whose triumph could be career defining. In the ever-tougher professional golf environment, every step up the ladder is a challenge, each advancement one to treasure, and now he’s almost assured of earning 2027 PGA Tour playing privileges.

The final pairing represented the dichotomy of the Korn Ferry Tour: Sherwood, the fledgling pro with strong college credentials; Carson Young, a seasoned player who splits time between the PGA Tour and the developmental Korn Ferry circuit; and Josh Teater, a 47-year-old with a game to compete with the young guns.

The expected shootout did not unfold — until it did.

Sherwood stretched his lead to four shots through 10 holes and looked like a golfer on cruise control. But his bogey on the 12th hole coupled with Cole Hammer’s out-of-nowhere 8-under-par 62 cut the margin to one, then Zac Blair ripped off four straight birdies to forge a deadlock at 14-under par.

Game on.

In the end, Sherwood birdied the 17th hole and tapped in a short putt for par on 18 to secure the victory and, in the process, make Gene Hallman’s dream come true in the best of ways.

Hallman grew up in Irmo, discovered golf at LinRick Golf Course and owns a high-profile event management company based in Alabama. In the latter role, he dreamed of putting on a show in his old hometown.

The Colonial Life Charity Classic that unfolded at Woodcreek is the result — and, he said, “This one is special.”

And also unique — in multiple ways.

First, Hallman and his crew, headed locally by tournament director Chris Baker, needed to introduce the Korn Ferry Tour to the area. Then, they emphasized that this week in May would be more than golf.

“Look around,” Hallman said while surveying the Woodcreek weekend scene. “There are a lot more than golfers here. There are moms with kids, family outings, everything. The social aspect is important; it’s what we want alongside really, good golf.”

Indeed, scenes range from families posing for pictures in front of the prominent COLA sign near the first tee to the aficionados following either their favorite players — the state of South Carolina had plenty of representation on the tee sheet — or the leaders.

Baker, a former PGA Tour player who makes his home in Columbia, started from scratch in his tournament director’s role. He had no business experience and Hallman laughs in thinking back to Baker’s potential stage fright prior to his first presentation to potential sponsors.

“What’s tough is getting out in the community and speaking on an event that hasn’t happened,” Baker said.

But he reached his audience with this message: This is an opportunity to show what we have in the Columbia area.

Companies bought in; signage included some of the area’s most familiar names.

“We have a story to tell and people who attended will have stories to tell,” he said. “Whether it’s a family experience or something from the golf, there’s something for everyone.”

Attendance figures will not be finalized until later in the week, but, Hallman said, “The fact that we had to call for more buses is a good sign.”

From the golf perspective, the Woodcreek course stood us just fine against the field. The Tom Fazio design rewarded good shots and penalized poor ones. The 16-under part winning score made liars of the pundits who predicted the pros would set multiple scoring records.

The good stretches don’t get any better than Carson Young’s third-round streak, playing four holes in 7-under par. Or Zac Blair’s four straight birdies late Sunday under final-round pressure demands attention.

“The greens made the difference,” Baker, a former PGA Tour player, said in assessing the scoring. “They’re difficult, fast. Get in the wrong place above the hole and you’re playing defense.”

Then, with the title decided, officials and fans gathered on the 18th green to celebrate with the champion and to look ahead Sherwood, the winner, to what his future on the PGA Tour might hold, and tournament backers wondering what can be for the event.

Hallman, noting the tournament has four years remaining on its contract with the PGA Tour, said, “The best thing is, this is just the start.”

This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 5:09 PM.