Golf's funnyman is making an encore appearance in Myrtle Beach on Sept. 1 as part of the 28th annual Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship.
CBS Sports golf analyst, Golf Magazine columnist, author and Golf Channel television show host David Feherty will appear at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center the night of the tournament's fourth round.
He regaled participants at the "World's Largest 19th Hole" celebration last year and will share stories from his years in the game as a player and as an announcer, and will likely field questions.
The 19th Hole features an extensive nightly golf exposition with equipment demos, entertainment, open bars, concerts, prize drawings and food from a host of Grand Strand restaurants.
"It was a blast having him here last year, and I know all of our participants and guests will enjoy seeing him again," said Dave Macpherson, World Am tournament director.
Feherty's most recent endeavor is "Feherty," a show he hosts on Golf Channel on Tuesday nights. The half-interview, half improv-type comedy weekly show debuted on June 21 and was the most-watched series premier in the cable network's 16-year history. The inaugural year of the series will have 12 episodes.
Feherty, 52, played on both the European and PGA Tours, winning five times on the European circuit. He had three top 10 finishes in major championships, including a fourth at the 1994 British Open, and also played in the famed 1991 Ryder Cup, scoring 1.5 points.
His wit is much more entertaining than his golf ever was, however.
The Northern Ireland native became a U.S. citizen in February 2010, and he now holds six military outings a year for injured soldiers and works closely with the Troops First Foundation.
The 72-hole tournament costs $550 and includes nightly access to the 19th Hole. A championship round will be held Sept. 2. More than 50 courses will be used and more than 3,000 amateur golfers are expected to participate. Players can register by calling 1-800-833-8798 or visiting WorldAmGolf.com.
Lion's Paw renovating
Lion's Paw Golf Links is closed to become the second course at Ocean Ridge Plantation to change from bentgrass to Mini-Verde Bermudagrass.
Panther's Run was converted to the ultradwarf Bermuda last summer. Tiger's Eye and Leopard's Chase, the newer and more premium of the four Ocean Ridge layouts, remain with bent. The greens on Lion's Paw were original from the course's opening in 1991, so they were due for renovations.
"The transition on Panther's Run went well and it was very well received, so we thought it would be good for Lion's Paw," Ocean Ridge Director of Marketing Bill Long said.
The course closed on July 4 and is scheduled to reopen on Aug. 30, in time for a round in the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship.
Some other work will be done to the course while the 7,003-yard, par-72 Willard Byrd and Tim Cate co-design is closed. "We'll be tidying up things you don't usually have time to get to," Long said.
Big dogs in action
Long Drive Golf Events are being held Saturday at the Barefoot Resort Driving Range, including a RE/MAX Long Drive Qualifier for participants from 21 eastern states stretching from Maine to Florida.
Juniors are also having their own independent event in the morning, with the Men's Open and Seniors RE/MAX qualifiers following. Net proceeds will benefit local junior golf and youth development organizations in The First Tee, the South Carolina Junior Golf Association, Claire Chapin Epps Family YMCA and Boy's & Girl's Club of The Grand Strand.
The junior competition has age divisions of 7-10, 11-13 and 14-17, takes place from 9:30 a.m. to noon and costs $7, which includes lunch, long drive exhibitions, swing tips by area pros, separate prizes for boys and girls, and special door prizes, drawings and gift packages for all juniors. The competition is hosted by DynaSwing Fit Golf School.
The Super Qualifier for men's open (all ages) and senior divisions (ages 45 and older) in Long Drivers of America Regions 1, 2 and 3 is from 2-9:30 p.m. Drives of 303 yards or longer last year at Barefoot advanced to regional qualifying.
Spectator admission is free and ball-striking launch monitor analysis on the driving range will be available for all in attendance.
The competition is expected to produce 12 or more long drive qualifiers who can advance to regional qualifying for a chance to reach the RE/MAX World Long Drive Finals in Mesquite, Nev., in November.
The entry fee is $40 for each six-ball attempt, and the drives have to finish in a 400-yard long fairway grid that is 50 yards wide. Visit dynaswingfit.com for more information.
Lowcountry Open set
Organizers of the Lowcountry Open two-man best ball tournament at the Founders Club at Pawleys Island on Saturday and Sunday believe they may sell out at 60 teams.
There were about 40 teams late last week, with some large groups expected to enter. The tournament is $100 per player and includes prizes, food and a tournament gift, which was a pullover windbreaker last year, the first year it was held at the Founders Club.
The four competitive divisions are senior gross and net, and open gross and net. Teams will be flighted after the first round. Tee times begin at 9 a.m. on both the first and 10th holes each day. Interested players can call the club at 237-2299, or fax their team to 237-2239.
Collegians competing
More than 20 men and women representing at least 19 colleges are registered to tee off today and Wednesday in a Collegiate Players Tour event at Myrtlewood Golf Club, including Tara Lyons of Little River, who plays at Louisville.
Other colleges represented include Penn State, Texas-El Paso, Kansas State, Baylor, New Mexico and San Diego, as well as nearby schools College of Charleston, UNC Wilmington and Newberry. A college-am preceded the tournament Monday.
The event is open to spectators. The tour provides competitive summer tournaments for college players who aren't playing in top amateur tournaments, and is sanctioned by the USGA and both the men's Golf Coaches Association of America and women's National Golf Coaches Association.
Wyndham gains commitments
Nine of the top 30 players in the FedExCup point standings entering this past weekend have committed to play in the 72nd Wyndham Championship, the week of Aug. 15-21 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. Players have until 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12 to join the field.
Commitments include 2010 Wyndham Championship runner-up David Toms; Wake Forest alum Webb Simpson, who has a pair of runner-up finishes this season; 2007 Wyndham winner and reigning Heritage champion Brandt Snedeker; Charles Howell III; Spencer Levin; Jason Dufner; and 2011 PGA Tour winners D.A. Points, Jhonattan Vegas and Keegan Bradley.
Clemson alum Lucas Glover, winner of the 2009 U.S. Open and this year's Wells Fargo Championship, has committed to make his ninth consecutive appearance in the tournament, and Arjun Atwal will defend his championship against a field that also includes Rocco Mediate, Boo Weekley, Stuart Appleby, Mike Weir, John Daly and Kyle Stanley.
Tickets are available at wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at 336-379-1570.
SAS seeking volunteers
The Champions Tour's $2.1 million SAS Championship, being played Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, N.C., is looking to fill 600 volunteer positions.
The volunteer fee is $40 before Aug. 1 and increases to $50 thereafter. Open positions include Golf Channel support, walking scorers, standard bearers and hole marshals.
All workers will receive a Nike golf shirt, headwear, volunteer badge valid for week-long tournament access, two weekly grounds badges for guests of the volunteer's choice, two invitations to the annual volunteer appreciation party and meals and beverages during assigned shifts. Volunteers who work three or more shifts will receive a voucher for a round at Prestonwood C.C.
Volunteers can register at saschampionship.com, where tickets for the event will also be available to purchase in the coming weeks.
Warner earns scholarship
Clemson student Harleigh Warner of Myrtle Beach earned one of twenty $1,500 scholarships from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America as part of its Legacy Awards program.
To be eligible, applicants must be a child or grandchild of a GCSAA member, and her father, Bob Warner, is the certified golf course superintendent at Whispering Pines Golf Course.
The awards are based on academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities and leadership skills, and are funded by The Environmental Institute for Golf and supported by Syngenta.
To view Blondin's blog, Green Reading, or Q&A Forum, Ask Al, go to TheSunNews.com.
Contact ALAN BLONDIN at 626-0284.
Bae wins Byron Nelson for first PGA Tour title
