Golf boom makes 2023 a year to remember in South Carolina

The golf boom in South Carolina rolled on impressively in 2023, making the year perhaps the most bountiful ever in terms of recreational play combined with lofty achievements by elite amateurs and professionals.

Recreational players, the heart of the game, set a record for rounds in 2022 and this year’s statistic show a 5% increase through October, said Duane Parrish, head of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Add Todd White’s summer to remember — victories in the S.C. Amateur and the U.S. Senior Amateur — and Lucas Glover’s sizzling streak with back-to-back PGA Tour tournament triumphs at age 43.

“Impressive,” said Biff Lathrop, executive director of the S.C. Golf Association.

Here’s a quick look at some of the top achievements from 2023:

▪ Todd White, an instructor at Spartanburg High who had been inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame in January, defied the calendar and won the State Amateur at age 55 — an amazing 33 years after he won the same tournament. Then, he earned medalist honors and roared through match play to claim the U.S. Senior Amateur crown. He also found time to qualify for match-play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur. White added the SCGA’s senior player of the year award to go with his multiple player of the year trophies.

▪ Lucas Glover, a Greenville native and former Clemson All-American who won three State Amateur titles, solved his putting woes at mid-summer. Rejuvenated, he vaulted from on the edge of losing his PGA Tour playing card to getting into the Ryder Cup team conversation with his wins. His first, in the Wyndham, got him into the FedEx Cup playoffs, and his second came in the first FedEx Cup playoff tournament.

▪ The RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, the state’s long-time fixture on the PGA Tour, featured its strongest field ever and delivered another exciting finish. Jordan Spieth, who won the Tartan coat in 2022 in playoff over Patrick Cantlay, found himself in extra holes again late on an April Sunday afternoon. This time, 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick took the title, thanks to his 9-iron shot from 186 yards to inches from the hole on No. 18, the third playoff hole.

▪ Not an achievement but an announcement: The PGA Tour is coming to Myrtle Beach in 2024. The event, which will be played opposite the Wells Fargo championship in May, will be contested over the famed Dunes Golf and Beach Club layout.

▪ South Carolina’s women’s golf team annually ranks among the nation’s best; coach Kalen Anderson’s team is No. 6 nationally after the fall season. The Gamecocks are coming off a tie for fifth in the 2023 national title. USC placed fourth in stroke play, then dropped a 3-2 decision in the match-play quarterfinals.

▪ Sam Jackson, a mid-amateur from West Columbia, won four of his 11 tournaments and placed out of the top 10 only once. He finished in the top five in seven of his starts. His biggest moment came in the U.S. Mid-Amateur with his advancing to the semifinals before dropping a 1-up decision on the final green. He earned the SCGA player of the year award for the second straight year.

▪ Former USC star Kristy McPherson, the most decorated player in Gamecocks women’s golf history, was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Hall of Fame. McPherson, a Conway native, won the SEC individual title back-to-back and earned first-team All-America honors three times (2001-03). She holds the program record for career wins (6), top-five finishes (18) and top-10 finishes (25).

Chip shots

Harrison James (Chapin) opened with a 4-under-par 66 and cruised to a four-shot victory in the Carolinas PGA Junior Championship at the Surf Golf and Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach. James is the nephew of the Spur at Northwoods pro Greg McBride. ... Bennett Scaletta earned the SCJGA boys’ player of the year award and Madison Messimer claimed the organization’s girls’ player of the year for the second straight year. ... The teams of John Weiss (Florence)-John Schaffer (Sumter) and JD Lehman (Greenville)-Matt Lehman (Dallas, Texas) advanced to the 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in qualifying at Oldfield Club in Okatie. ... Ella Kate Barnett (Gallivants Ferry) won her fourth SCJGA Players Series title at Wayboo GC in Manning. Ben Sanders (Taylors) captured the boys’ title. . ... South Carolina Golf Day, which will feature the inductions of Walter Todd Sr. and Rod Cerrudo into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame, will be held Jan. 13 at Columbia CC. Call the SCGA office at 803-732-9311 for information.