TheSunNews.com: Myrtle Beach Golf

Area golf column: Sunbelt Senior Tour outlasts competitors

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:30 EST

The Grand Strand-based Cancun Sunbelt Senior Tour presented by Palace Resorts begins its 17th season on Feb. 20, and it has outlasted all other senior developmental and mini-tours.

According to founder and director Don Barnes of Longs, there is no longer another senior tour in the country aside from the PGA Tour-run Champions Tour that stages a schedule of multi-round tournaments. The Heartland Players Senior Tour based in Texas had been its most recent competitor for players.

“The health of the tour is fine because of what we’re willing to do for little financial reward,” Barnes said. “That’s why all the others have gone out of business.”

Zack Byrd wins NGA golf tourney at Barefoot Dye Club

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:30 EST

After missing back-to-back cuts for the first time in his career, Zack Byrd of Murrells Inlet returned to form, winning the NGA Pro Golf Tour’s Carolina Winter Series event at Barefoot Dye Club on Thursday.

Byrd started the final round one shot behind Darron Stiles, but the Grand Strand resident fired a 3-under 69 to come from behind and win by one shot over a hard-charging Roberto Diaz.

Diaz of Myrtle Beach started the day tied for 13th but shot a tournament-low 8-under 64 to finish second.

Grand Strand golf: Coastal Carolina men look to regain Big South title

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:03 EST

The Coastal Carolina men’s golf team began the spring season Monday with an empty feeling. The trophy case is bare.

For the first spring in eight years, the Chanticleers are not the defending Big South Conference champions.

The Chants, winners of the conference tournament from 2004-10, tied for third last spring, 32 shots behind reigning Big South champion Liberty. So their top priority as a team over the next three-plus months is evident.

Deer Track North appeal set for Tuesday

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:06 EST

A lawsuit filed in 2006 attempting to prohibit the redevelopment of the former Deer Track North Course has perhaps reached its final appeal Tuesday.

Homeowners around the course in the Deerfield Plantation development have a class-action suit against the course owners arguing that there is an easement on the property preventing redevelopment.

Oral arguments will be heard at 10:40 a.m. by the three-judge South Carolina Court of Appeals in Columbia.

Dustin Johnson withdraws from Humana Challenge

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:59 EST

Dustin Johnson apparently attempted to come back from minor surgery on his right knee a little too soon.

He withdrew from the Humana Challenge presented by the Clinton Foundation on Friday, citing back pain, after playing nine holes of the second round at La Quinta Country Club.

It doesn’t appear the former Coastal Carolina University All-American and Myrtle Beach resident put much of his season in jeopardy, however. He said he still intends to play the Farmers Insurance Open next week at Torrey Pines.

Return of Mike & Mike in the Morning Show part of Golf Holiday marketing plans

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:38 EST

The Mike & Mike in the Morning Show will be broadcasting live for the second consecutive year from the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am on April 9 at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club.

Attracting the popular show that airs from 6-10 a.m. each weekday on ESPN Radio and the ESPN2 television network is a small part of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday’s spring marketing campaign.

The marketing cooperative, which has more than 75 golf courses and nearly 100 combined hotels and package providers among its membership, will spend the bulk of its $4.2 million marketing budget in 2012 through the first few months of the year.

Paid golf rounds in Myrtle Beach area remained flat in 2011

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:52 EST

Paid golf rounds played on the Grand Strand remained relatively flat in 2011, continuing a trend of stabilization in the market over the past three years.

After significant decreases in paid rounds for several years, rounds fell less than 2 percent in 2011 for the third consecutive year, according to a per-round transaction fee collected by marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday.

The Strand appears to be ahead of national averages. According to the National Golf Foundation, rounds played in the U.S. in 2011 were down 3.5 percent through November compared to 2010. That followed a decrease of 2.3 percent in 2010 compared to 2009.

Former club pro Spangler aims for comeback after near-fatal crash

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:47 EST

There’s a good chance you haven’t seen or heard anything from longtime area head pro Robert Spangler since his last course, Island Green Golf Club, closed in August.

It closed under Signature Golf’s management, and is expected to reopen no later than Sunday under new management that doesn’t involve Spangler.

But unemployment hasn’t been Spangler’s greatest concern over the past few months.

Golf course review: Oak Island Golf Club

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:52 EST

CASWELL BEACH, N.C.

Opportunities to see and hear the ocean along the Grand Strand with a golf club in your hand are limited.

Oak Island Golf Club at the northern end of the Strand golf market offers one of them, with a serene entrance along the Atlantic.

Dustin Johnson intends to return to PGA Tour in late January

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:15 EST

Dustin Johnson expects to return to the PGA Tour at the $6 million Farmers Insurance Open, from Jan. 26-29 at Torrey Pines outside San Diego, according to his agent.

David Winkle of Hambric Sports Management said Friday that the Coastal Carolina alumnus and former Myrtle Beach resident would be skipping the first three events of the year as he recovers from knee surgery.

Johnson had arthroscopic surgery on Nov. 29 to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee. He had reportedly been experiencing pain since July, when he was a runner-up to Darren Clarke in the British Open.

World Amateur Handicap Championship golf event extends with title sponsor

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:51 EST

The financial stability of the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship has been secured for another two years, as the Sports Illustrated Golf Group has agreed to continue its title sponsorship of the tournament in 2012 and 2013.

The 29th and 30th editions of the tournament will again have the Golf.com World Am title.

SI Golf Group, a media company with the primary assets of Golf Magazine, Sports Illustrated Golf Plus and Golf.com, became the title sponsor in 2010. The 2012 event was written into the sponsorship contract with tournament operator and marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday as an option year.

Instructor Bradley creates Myrtle Beach Junior Elite Training Course

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:08 EST

Junior golfers on the Grand Strand haven’t been winning many tournaments in the past few years, and golf instructor Nick Bradley of Sunset Beach, N.C., is among those who have taken notice.

Bradley would like to see that change, and has designed a junior golf instruction series he believes can do something about it.

Through the Myrtle Beach Junior Elite Training Course, Bradley hopes to develop champions like Justin Rose, who he was instructing when Rose won the 2007 European Tour Order of Merit.

First Tee looks forward to bright future

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:18 EST

The future for The First Tee of Myrtle Beach has never looked more promising, and it includes a new name, broader reach and new leadership.

The local chapter of the youth development organization will merge Sunday with The First Tee of Brunswick County, which will take over operational control of its southern neighbor.

The board members and volunteers of the Myrtle Beach chapter believe Carol and Rusty Petrea can do for the local chapter what they’ve done for the First Tee of Brunswick County. It has become a model of success for the 200-chapter First Tee organization in less than six years of existence.

Hugh Royer III building golf learning facility

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:48 EST

With his playing career encore behind him, former PGA Tour member Hugh Royer III of Myrtle Beach is fully immersed in teaching again, to the point of building a comprehensive learning facility on the east side of Conway.

Royer and a few investors plan to build the South Carolina Golf Center, a driving range, practice facility and learning center on approximately 13.5 acres, with the clubhouse entrance off East Cox Ferry Road in Conway between U.S. 501 and S.C. 90.

Royer and primary investor Al Hogan are in the process of receiving the necessary zoning from Horry County and permits for the approximate $500,000 project. They hope to have them by late January to facilitate a possible opening by early April when the property’s warm-weather Bermuda grows in with the rising temperatures.

The state of the golf industry in the Myrtle Beach area: Consolidating

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:25 EST

The Myrtle Beach golf industry was built on cooperation, evidenced by the pooling of money to fund marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday to promote the market in its entirety for the past four-plus decades, and the combined efforts necessary in golf packages.

Along with that, however, there has always been intense competition for play inside the market, each course attempting to outdo the other for rounds and revenue.

The competition within the market has been shifting in recent years, and it has evolved into a group effort in itself.

Dustin Johnson teams up with old caddie Brown

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:08 EST

Dustin Johnson has hired a new caddie – his old one.

The former Coastal Carolina All-American said Tuesday that he has rehired Bobby Brown, who was on his bag for four of his five PGA Tour wins.

Brown also was at his side when Johnson shot 82 in the final round of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and when Johnson was given a two-shot penalty in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits for not realizing he was in a bunker on the final hole and grounding his club in the sand.

Film crew on Grand Strand for new Golf Channel show

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:00 EST

River Hills Golf and Country Club general manager Harris D’Antignac is getting more than he bargained for when he booked an NGA Hooters Tour Carolina Winter Series event being played on his course Tuesday through Thursday.

He’s getting a film crew on the Little River layout for at least the first two rounds, and his course will receive some national exposure on Golf Channel as early as May.

The same independent film crew that shot the Pipe Dream series for Golf Channel is filming tournament participant Robbie Biershenk of Greenville for a nine-episode Golf Channel series that is scheduled to begin airing in May titled “Chasing the Dream.”

Chapel Hill’s Hocker II, North Augusta’s Talbert win Tilghman Junior titles

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:54 EST

After three-putting nine greens, four-putting two greens and five-putting one at the George Holliday Memorial Junior at Myrtle Beach National two weeks ago, Michael Hocker II went to Martin’s PGA Tour Superstore after the final round and picked out a belly putter.

He had never used one in competition before.

“I was struggling with short putts and my confidence was a little down, and I had a couple people suggest it to me so I figured I’d go out and get one,” said Hocker, who finished 12th at the Holliday despite the putting woes.

Saturday’s area sports briefs

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:33 EST

Two-time defending champion McKenzie Talbert got off to a solid start in the 22nd Charles Tilghman Junior Championship Saturday, shooting a 2-under 70 at Surf Golf & Beach Club to take a three-shot lead in the girls division into Saturday’s final round.

Three players – Charlotte, N.C.’s Mitchell Schneider, Daniel Island’s Jeremy Grab and Townville, S.C.’s Austin Langdale were tied for the boys lead after shooting 2-under 70s.

Myrtle Beach’s Lyle Ciardi (6 over) was the highest area boys player in a tie for 26th. Myrtle Beach’s Anthony Caroso (81) and Aynor’s Johnson Holliday (81) were in a tie for 36th, Myrtle Beach’s Cole Swezey (82) was tied for 40th, Myrtle Beach’s Mark Karavan (89) was in 53rd and Galivants Ferry’s Chase Johnson (96) was in 57th.

Friday’s area sports briefs

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:10 EST

CONWAY Coastal Carolina men’s soccer players Cyprian Hedrick, Pedro Ribeiro, Ashton Bennett and Scott Angevine were named to the NCAA Men’s Division I All-South Atlantic Team by the NSCAA. Hedrick, Ribeiro and Bennett were named to the first team while Angevine received second-team honors.

Pro golf

• CALABASH, N.C. Matt Hardison of Williamston, N.C., a lineman for Lee Power Company in Greenville, N.C., for most of the past four years, won his first National Golf Association Pro Golf Tour Carolina Winter Series event on Friday at Crow Creek Golf Club.

On Grand Strand Golf: NGA Tour prepared to move forward without title sponsor

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:50 EST

As operators of the National Golf Association Hooters Tour continue to search for a title sponsor for 2012, they have formulated a business model that can get it through a season without one.

The Grand Strand-based tour will be known as the National Golf Association Professional Golf Tour in 2012 and it will be staging one of its national pro series tournaments in the Myrtle Beach area for the first time in five years.

The tournament is set for Aug. 23-26, and tour president and majority owner Robin Waters of Loris expects to name the host course in the next couple months.

Dustin Johnson has surgery on right knee, out until January

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:00 EST

Coastal Carolina alumnus and former Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson had surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage in his right knee. He is expected to be out of competition until sometime in January.

Johnson won The Barclays in August to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 1999 to win in each of his first four years on the PGA Tour straight out of college. He has five career wins.

His agent, David Winkle at Hambric Sports, says Johnson has been feeling pain since July, when he was a runner-up to Darren Clarke in the British Open. Johnson is expected to be crutches for a week, then resume chipping and putting. He should be at full speed by the end of December before returning to golf.

Q-School holds key to Byrd’s future

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:32 EST

Zack Byrd can brighten his future considerably over the next seven days.

The Murrells Inlet resident is participating in the six-round final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament from Wednesday through Monday at PGA West in LaQuinta, Calif., with a chance to join former Coastal Carolina teammate Dustin Johnson on the PGA Tour in 2012.

It could be a life-changing week for Byrd, whose only taste of the PGA Tour was qualifying this summer for the U.S. Open at Congressional, where he missed the cut after two rounds.

Out-of-towners win titles at George Holliday Memorial Junior tournament

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:55 EST

Jonathan Hardee 15, of Greer shot a 73 Saturday to complete a wire-to-wire win in the 43rd annual George Holliday Memorial Junior golf tournament at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club.

Hardee opened the tournament with a 5-under-par 67 Thursday and followed it up with a 70 in the second round for a 6-under 210 total. He won by three shots over Bryan Carter, 17, of Yorktown, Va., who shot a 70-71-72—213.

Jessica Provasnik, 16, of Hinkley, Ohio, won the girls title by three shots with a 4-over 220 after rounds of 70, 75 and 75. Eden Howard, 15, of Lamar finished second with a 75-74-74—223.

Friday’s area sports briefs

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:18 EST

Donovan Cann had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Travis Frye added 12 points, six rebounds and nine assists, and Will Caswell had seven points and 14 rebounds on Friday as the Socastee boys basketball team defeated GSF Catholic of Puerto Rico in the Island Jam Tournament.

Junior golf

First-round leader Jonathan Hardee, 15, of Greer shot a 2-under 70 in the second round of the 43rd Annual George Holliday Junior tournament at Myrtle Beach National to take a four-shot lead going into the final round.

Horry County settles suit with Deer Track North Course owners

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:28 EST

Horry County has reached a settlement with the owners of the former Deer Track North Course over a lawsuit stemming from the County Council’s rezoning of the property against the owners’ will in November 2006.

McCray Smith and Jerry Pettus, partners in Deertrack Investors LLC, have received a settlement of $325,000.

Horry County had to cover the equivalent of about $50,000 of the total, including $20,000 cash, according to county spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.

New company takes over Signature Golf Group courses

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:23 EST

Signature Golf Group has disbanded, and two former company executives have created a new golf course management and marketing company that has purchased Signature’s liabilities and assets, including course management contracts.

Mike Buccerone and Chuck Hutchison are partners in East Coast Golf Management, which has management contracts with six courses and marketing agreements with another six. Ten of the courses are on the Grand Strand.

Signature was created in January 2005 through a merger of Blythe Golf Group based in Charlotte, N.C., and TSC Golf Inc., which had managed courses on the Strand for 11 years. Buccerone joined Signature in May.

Murrells Inlet’s Byrd advances to third phase of PGA Tour Qualifying

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:17 EST

Zack Byrd of Murrells Inlet qualified for the final stage of PGA qualifying after he closed with a 1-under 68 to finish in a tie for 11th at Hombre G.C.

The top 21 and ties advanced to the final stage, which will be held at PGA West in LaQuinta, Calif., Nov. 30-Dec. 5.

Tommy Armour paced the 78-player field with an 8 under.

Byrd makes move in PGA Tour Qualifying

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:57 EST

Murrells Inlet resident Zack Byrd improved his chances of moving on in PGA Tour Qualifying, shooting a 3-under 68 to move into a tie for 18th after three rounds of the second phase of Q-School at Hombre Golf Club.

Byrd was at 2-over 215, with the top 21 and ties qualifying for the final qualifying stage.

Tommy Armour of Irving, Texas, was the leader by two strokes at 7 under.

Golf column: Deer Track North Course owners still planning redevelopment

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:55 EST

The former Deer Track North Course was pulled out of a foreclosure sale last week, and one of its co-owners said he expects to retain ownership of the property and still intends to develop it.

The National Bank of South Carolina has a mortgage lien against the course’s owners of nearly $2.93 million stemming from a $2.6 million loan in 2006. The course was on the list of foreclosed properties to be auctioned on Nov. 7, but the bank pulled it from the sale.

“We’re negotiating with the bank on the note,” said co-owner McCray Smith. “The foreclosure was what the bank had to do and we’re doing what we have to do.

Golfer’s goal: 11 rounds in 11 hours on 11-11-11 in Myrtle Beach

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:25 EST

When Golf Academy of America student Mark Chapman was approached about participating in a fundraiser for the Salute Military Golf Association and Wounded Warrior Project on Veterans Day, the 21-year Air Force veteran was of course accepting of the idea.

Chapman has supported Wounded Warriors for years through donations and participation in other fundraisers. The organization has assisted some of his friends wounded in action.

So with his support avowed, Chapman got the rundown on the fundraiser from school officials.

Golf on the Grand Strand | The lost art of walking

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 07:10 EST

Before the semi-private Bay Tree Plantation closed in May 2006, general manager Tracy Conner contacted about 20 nearby courses to shop around his members.

He was essentially offering guaranteed business, albeit at member rates. There were three categories of membership, and he found numerous takers for players in the two forms that included cart use. But there were only three courses interested in taking on his walking members. And the availability for walkers has decreased even further with the closing of more walker-friendly courses since then.

Once an inherent and integral part of the game, walking has become a forgotten and often forbidden pastime on Grand Strand golf courses.

Golf course review: Grande Dunes Resort Course

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:59 EDT

Golf is what guests at the Grande Dunes Resort Course are playing, but the name of the game for the property’s employees is service.

Players at the 10-year-old Roger Rulewich design are greeted with the Myrtle Beach market’s highest standards of amenities, treatment and course conditions.

“It’s a class act,” said Kerry Ortmeyer of North Myrtle Beach, a retired golf course superintendent who took part in a review of Grande Dunes in late October. “It has great service and it sets itself apart with its service.”

On Grand Strand Golf: Nationwide Tour Championship moving on … for now

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:47 EDT

The Nationwide Tour Championship has been contested for the past three years just 90 miles south of Myrtle Beach at Daniel Island Club.

Though it won’t be back in 2012, the event’s return to the coastal Carolinas in 2013 is possible, if not probable.

Both Daniel Island Club and tour officials have enjoyed holding the event in the Charleston area in late October.

Friday’s area sports briefs: Murrells Inlet’s Byrd advances in PGA Tour Qualifying

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:59 EDT

For the second consecutive year, Zack Byrd of Murrells Inlet has reached the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.Byrd advanced Friday with a 7-under-par 65 in the final round of his first stage event at St. John’s Golf & Country Club for a 12-under 276 total. Byrd needed to finish inside the top 22, and advanced by three shots with a tie for 15th. Sam Saunders of Orlando, who is Arnold Palmer’s grandson, was the site’s medalist with a 17-under 271.Byrd was even par through six holes Friday, then birdied holes 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16 and 18. “That last 12-hole stretch was pretty special,” Byrd said. Byrd’s former Coastal Carolina teammate, Zach Amole, tied for 63rd at the site at 5-over 293.The second stage is being held Nov. 15-19, and Byrd expects to learn his second stage site Tuesday. There are three Q-School stages, and there was also a pre-qualifying stage that Byrd was exempt through.

Football Tryouts

The Myrtle Beach Matadors, an upstart pro football team, will have open tryouts on Sunday in the field at the corner of Farrow Parkway and Myers Avenue in the Market Commons for their professional team. There is a $100 non-refundable tryout fee, cash and money orders will be the only acceptable forms of payment. There will be no team fee’s collected. Players that are chosen will get paid to play.

Bluffton wins Class AAA state golf tournament on Grand Strand

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:55 EDT

The Bluffton girls golf team hit a walk-off of sorts Tuesday at Quail Creek Golf Club at Coastal Carolina University.

Bluffton is moving up to Class AAAA next season, and it will be taking the S.C. Class AAA girls golf championship trophy with it until a new champion is crowned in the fall of 2012.

The Bobcats won their second state title in three years, defeating runner-up Chapin by 12 strokes with a 638. They shot a 27-over-par 315 in Monday’s first round to open up a five-shot lead and expanded it with a 323 Tuesday.

Column: Quail Creek Golf Club to be renamed after Hackler

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:49 EDT

Quail Creek Golf Club at Coastal Carolina University received an extensive overhaul over the summer, and it’s soon to acquire a new name.

Following a ceremony on Nov. 12, the course will become the “General James Hackler Golf Course at Coastal Carolina University,” and will generally be referred to as “The Hackler Course” in honor the CCU golf benefactor.

“Because of his long background of supporting the university and contributing to it, we decided to rename the golf course the General James Hackler Golf Course at Coastal Carolina University,” said Charlie Thrash, Quail Creek general manager and director of CCU’s PGA Professional Golf Management Program. The university’s trustees voted on the name change Friday.

Socastee High School golfer suspended after aiding bird, dog in tournament

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:54 EDT

A birdie is usually a good thing on a golf course.

But a birdie at Wedgefield Plantation Country Club last Thursday during the Region VIII-AAA girls golf tournament has apparently cost Socastee High School senior Kendall Kiser dearly.

Kiser hit and injured a bird with a golf shot on the 15th hole, and her actions thereafter apparently cost her an opportunity to play in Monday’s Class AAA Lower State tournament.

Locals taking shots at Q-school

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:46 EDT

A few touring pros from the area are taking their shot at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, while others aren’t willing to take the expensive shot at glory.

Zack Byrd of Murrells Inlet, Patrick Lundy of Little River, and Roberto Diaz and Zach Amole of Myrtle Beach are all headed to the first stage of Q-School in the next couple weeks.

Byrd, who reached the second stage in his first year as a pro last year, is headed to St. Johns Golf & Country Club in St. Augustine, Fla., for the first stage from Oct. 25-28, and will be joined there former Coastal Carolina University teammate Amole.

Golf column: Renovations wrapping up on Myrtle Beach area courses

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:43 EDT

Summer renovation projects on Grand Strand courses are coming to a close, as two courses reentered the Strand market in the past few days and Brick Landing in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., is set to reopen by the end of October after being closed for 22 months.

Quail Creek Golf Club at Coastal Carolina University reopened to public play Monday, while The Pearl’s East Course in Calabash, N.C., reopened Saturday.

Craig Schreiner, a co-designer of the Members Club at Grande Dunes who handled renovations at Pine Lakes Country Club, oversaw significant renovations and changes at Quail Creek.

Golf Course Review: Arrowhead Country Club

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:29 EDT

The Lakes and Waterway nines at the 27-hole Arrowhead Country Club measure just over 6,600 yards and may not require a driver off most tees.

But whatever club you choose, you need to be accurate.

The Intracoastal Waterway is just one of the many hazards on the largely tree-lined layout, and wayward tee shots are penalized accordingly.

Little River’s Hunt has hole-in-one at LPGA Q-School

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:05 EDT

Lauren Hunt of Little River made a hole-in-one during her opening round of Stage II of the LPGA/Futures Tour Qualifying Tournament at Plantation Golf and Country Club and is tied for 88th in the field of 234 players at 2-over-par 74. The ace is Hunt’s fourth, but first in competition.

The top 70 and ties from the four-round Stage II will advance into the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament (Stage III). All other players will receive 2012 LPGA Futures Tour status.

Dustin Johnson winding down 2011 season overseas

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:40 EDT

With the conclusion of the Tour Championship this past Sunday, Dustin Johnson has one event remaining in the U.S. this year.

His official PGA Tour season is complete, with Johnson finishing second in FedEx Cup points, and sitting in fifth on the money list with more than $4.3 million earned and sixth in the Official World Golf Ranking.

He’s not playing in any of the four Fall Series events over the next four weeks, but said he will play in the non-official Dec. 1-4 Chevron World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods at Sherwood Country Club in California. The $5 million invitational has only 18 players.

Johnson finishes fourth in FedEx Cup points

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:42 EDT

A couple hours after Dustin Johnson completed the Tour Championship, his fate in the FedEx Cup playoffs was determined by his competitors at East Lake Golf Club.

Johnson shot an even-par 70 in Sunday’s final round to tie for 23rd in the Tour Championship at 3-over 283, then had to wait to see how the FedEx Cup points shook out and how large his FedEx bonus would be.

Johnson took an hour-long drive to Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga., following his round for an advertising shoot Monday, and planned to catch the end of the tournament on television to see who won and how his points held up. As it turned out, he got his wish.

Johnson’s eagle not enough to propel round at Tour Championship

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:36 EDT

The spark Dustin Johnson was awaiting this week came on East Lake Golf Club’s ninth hole Saturday.

Johnson hit a 370-yard drive and holed a shot from a greenside bunker for an eagle on the 600-yard, par-5 that dropped him to 3-under par for the day and even par for the Tour Championship.

Another 3-under 32 on the back nine would have moved him into the top 11 heading into Sunday’s final round, giving him a chance to protect the No. 2 standing in FedEx Cup points he had entering the tournament and securing a multi-million-dollar payday.

Johnson struggling to cash out at Tour Championship

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:57 EDT

Dustin Johnson’s focus is off the FedEx Cup standings and a potential $10 million bonus, and solely on his golf game today.

“I’m not playing well enough to be thinking about anything except how I’m going to play better,” Johnson said.

A 3-over-par 73 Friday in the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club dropped Johnson into a tie for 26th in the 30-player tournament at 3-over 143.

Tough finish leaves Johnson looking up

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:59 EDT

A rainy finish and an overly hospitable final three holes made for a sloppy end to Dustin Johnson’s opening round in the Tour Championship.

But he only has to compare his Thursday’s performance to his opening round last year at East Lake Golf Club to find reason for optimism.

Despite either hitting or needing a drop from hospitality tents on the final three holes, Johnson carded an even-par 70 and is tied for 19th in the 30-player field, six shots off the pace of PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley.

Johnson enters championship second in FedEx points

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:53 EDT

Dustin Johnson has done just fine financially in his first four years on the PGA Tour.

He’s won five times, earned more than $13.4 million in 99 tournaments and has signed several lucrative sponsorship agreements, including a new multi-year, likely multi-million-dollar extension with TaylorMade-adidas that will be formally announced in the coming days.

So money isn’t quite the motivation that it once was for the Coastal Carolina alumnus and former Myrtle Beach resident.

New TV show filling void in promotion of Myrtle Beach golf

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:14 EDT

The passing of John Erlenbach last August at the age of 52 following a two-year battle with cancer left a void in the national and international video promotion of Myrtle Beach.

Erlenbach created and was the producer for 25 years of Links Illustrated, a 30-minute program that showcased a particular course and infused instruction. Erlenbach said the show grew to be available in an estimated 60 million homes through stations, networks and satellite systems.

Crow Creek Golf Club general manager Bryan Thomas and Mark Rosenberg, a co-owner with brother, Eric, of Golf Packages of the Carolinas – aka Seaside Golf Vacations – have filled a portion of that void.

Coed college golf event on Grand Strand a success, could remain in future

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:42 EDT

Golfweek magazine experimented with a new coed college golf format this week at sister courses Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Plantation.

Based on the way it was received by the participants, it may become a staple tournament on the Grand Strand on college golf’s kickoff weekend.

The inaugural Golfweek Program Challenge held Sunday through Tuesday featured men’s and women’s golf programs from 12 schools. While the men and women had their own separate tournaments, they also competed for an overall trophy that combined the scores of each school’s two teams.