SCGA says inaugural Public Links Championship ‘represented golf at its purist’

South Carolina Golf Association officials recycled an old event onto the 2022 championship calendar, crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. Turns out, they fretted in vain.

“A home run,” SCGA executive director Biff Lathrop said in recounting the organization’s inaugural Public Links Championship that unfolded last weekend at the Charleston Municipal Golf Course.

Perhaps a “hole-in-one” or a “double-eagle” would be a more fitting analogy for the golf tournament designed for players who are not members of private clubs. Either way, the meaning is clear.

“A great weekend for golf,” Lathrop said. “Contestants, facilities, competition. ... We as an organization are excited about everything involved” with the Public Links tournament.

Indeed, the experience led the SCGA immediately to designate the Public Links Championship one of its major tournaments and to arrange for the second edition of the event to be staged again at the Charleston “Muni.”

“We went in with a goal of crowning a real ‘public links’ champion, a champion who plays the daily-fee courses, and we did that,” Lathrop said. “We’re always looking for way to get more people involved, and this offered an opportunity for another group to compete for a state championship.”

Officials placed players in flights based on first-round scores, giving all players an opportunity to compete for prizes after the final 18 holes.

For an extra jolt of excitement, the tournament produced a memorable finish with Colin Floyd (Sumter) edging Wade Wawner (Charleston) on the second playoff hole for the title.

Both Floyd and Wawner posted rounds of 69-75—144 to finish at even par, and both birdied the first extra hole, the par-4 18th.

Playing the 18th hole again, Floyd’s tee ball hit a cart path and ricocheted off a spectator out of bounds. After a one-shot penalty and still on the tee, he put his third into the fairway and his fourth onto the green. Wawner, meanwhile, left his drive in a fairway bunker, played out short and hit his third onto the green.

Floyd sank his putt for bogey, but Wawner three-putted for double-bogey.

“The whole tournament represented golf at its purist,” Lathrop said. “We had working guys, some caddies from the Charleston area clubs, just a great mix of competitors.

“We didn’t know what to expect, but we had a waiting list for entries. This is the first major championship (the SCGA) has had on a municipal course, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. We’re excited about the future of this championship. We couldn’t have asked for more.”

Checking in: SC players on PGA Tour

Another PGA Tour season, the last wrap-around schedule, has its second tournament this weekend in Jackson, Mississippi. The state of South Carolina will be represented my mostly the same players but with different status in the eligibility rankings.

With Dustin Johnson now on the LIV circuit, Kevin Kisner (Aiken), ranked 25h in the world ranking, heads the Palmetto State contingent. The five state players with full eligibility rankings include Kisner, who won the WGC Match-Play, recent Tour tournament winners Lucas Glover (Greenville/Clemson) and Richy Werenski (Aiken), and top-125 finishers in the FedEx standings Matt NeSmith (Aiken/USC) and Doc Redman (Clemson).

Kyle Stanley (Clemson) starts the season on a major medical extension, and both Ben Martin (Greenville/Clemson) and Carson Young (Pendleton/Clemson) earned berths through the Korn Ferry tour playoffs. Jonathan Byrd (Columbia/Clemson), Andrew Novak (Mount Pleasant/Wofford) and Bill Haas (Greenville) have limited status after finished 126-150 on the FedEx standings.

Playing on former champion status, a low priority, are William McGirt (Bluffton/Wofford), Scott Brown (Aiken/USC Aiken), Tommy Gainey (Hartsville), Wesley Bryan (Columbia/USC) and D.J. Trahan (Mount Pleasant/Clemson).

Young, a former Clemson star who won a 2022 Korn Ferry Tour event, is the only PGA Tour newcomer among the South Carolinians. He won two South Carolina Amateurs before beginning his professional career.

Chip shots

Former Clemson star Stephen Behr Jr., who grew up in Florence and now lives in Atlanta, won the prestigious George Crump Memorial tournament at Pine Valley GC. “It’s definitely the biggest win of my career,” said Behr, the 2010 South Carolina Junior champion and son of Florence CC pro Stephen Behr. ... Christian Sease (Greenville) will defend his title in the SCGA Mid-Amateur next weekend (Oct. 7-9) at Dataw Island Club near Beaufort. Both the Cotton Dike (first and final rounds) and Morgan River (second round) courses will be utilized.