RCGC makes return as summer staple

Jul. 19—LUMBERTON — Two years ago, the Robeson County Golf Championship sponsored by Dial Insurance moved from July to September, trying to avoid the summer heat.

Two years later, the tournament returns to its traditional July spot on the calendar as the 41st annual championship will be played Friday through Sunday at Pinecrest Country Club.

Organizers moved the tournament back to July as participation was not as strong over the last two editions in September, Pinecrest head professional Dwight Gane said.

"The golf course will basically play the same," Gane said. "The rain is currently making it play longer than it was — for a while it was like we were playing on I-95, but now there's not much roll out there and there's a lot of grass out there. Depending on how much rain we get this week, I guess it could get hard again. But the golf course is actually in fabulous shape; I really can't believe how good it is. It is green, it is beautiful, it is in really good shape. The greens are probably a touch slower than they would be in September, but it'll be a really good golf course for a golf tournament."

That soft course could potentially favor longer hitters, defending champion Steve Pippin said.

"The golf course is just playing a little softer right now, so personally I think it's going to play a little bit longer than it did last year. Unless we get some warm weather this week and it dries back out," said Pippin, who also won the title in 2016. "I'm more of a low-ball hitter and I don't hit the ball real far, so the faster the course and the drier the course, the more it benefits me. But I definitely love the pretty grass and pretty fairways we have now."

The move back to July could make scores lower than the last two years; Pippin won at 3 under par in 2021 and Ryan Bass won at 5 under in 2020 after Bass was 7 under in 2019, the last time the event was in July.

"I kind of think the scores will be lower; September's not cold by any means, but the ball's going to be flying further, and I just feel like we'll see a little bit lower scores," said Bass, a three-time champion. "But you never know — it's golf."

Friday's action sees the first round of the Championship Division, which is 54 holes, and the 36-hole Super Senior Division. The Super Seniors finish their tournament on Saturday, while the Regular, Senior and Ladies divisions, each a 36-hole tournament, get underway. The Championship, Regular, Senior and Ladies divisions each finish on Sunday.

How players manage the heat, particularly over the three days of Championship Division play, could be a factor in determining who plays well.

"It's going to be hotter," Bass said. "It's going to be muggy, it's going to be a lot more sweat and harder to keep your hands dry. It definitely makes it tougher — but everybody's in the same conditions. As long as you can manage, trying to stay hydrated, it shouldn't be too bad."

Gane expects many of the "usual suspects" to be the contenders for the title.

"Steve Pippin will be hard to beat this year, Ryan Bass will be in it this year," Gane said. "And the other person who is playing very good golf all year is John Haskins. And obviously Scott (Benton) is always in the mix, and Jeff Wishart's playing good golf, as usual."

Intererstingly, Pippin is less optimistic about his own chances at defending the title.

"I don't think my chances would be good, because I'm not playing very well right now. I play a lot of golf; I probably play more golf tournaments than most, but I haven't really played well this year," Pippin said. "But anything can happen, I know that. I've been trying to practice more here recently, but we'll see."

Bass, who finished one stroke behind Pippin last year, says his chances at a fourth title will come down to how well he performs on the greens.

"I haven't played as much golf this year as I've wanted to," Bass said. "I'm hitting the ball good, It's all going to depend on my putter. If I can make some putts, I believe I'll be fine; if I don't, I guess I'll do a little bit more grinding than I normally do."

Brian Haymore won the Regular Division in 2021; LeMark Harris won the Senior Division, Cliff Nance won the Super Senior Division and Pandora Carter won the Ladies Division.

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.