On Grand Strand Golf: Eight countries represented in inaugural DJ World Junior

With the exception of two players who will be determined through a local qualifier Saturday, the 90-player field for the inaugural Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship is set.

The 54-hole tournament, which will be played Feb. 13-15 at TPC Myrtle Beach, will feature a full field of 60 boys and 30 girls from eight countries and 12 states and include the majority of the top juniors in the Carolinas.

“It’s an elite field,” said Bill Golden, president of marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, which is assisting with the operation and promotion of the tournament. “The international side of it is unique for the kids who play in a lot of junior events here, so it adds a different element to it and it’s an impressive field.”

One boy’s and one girl’s spot will be available through the local qualifier at Myrtle Beach National’s West Course, with additional alternate spots possible if the tournament has late withdrawals.

Qualifier entries are $40 and will be accepted through Thursday. There are currently 18 entrants. Players from Horry, Georgetown and Brunswick counties ages 13-18 are eligible and can enter at www.worldjuniorgolfchampionship.com.

A few locals have already been selected to participate in the DJ Junior including Smith Knaffle of Murrells Inlet in the girls division and boys Patrick Golden of Murrells Inlet, Mason Richardson of Garden City, and Jackson Cole and Drew Mullen of Pawleys Island.

A tournament committee selects applicants following a list of criteria. The committee includes tournament director Allen Terrell, the director of the Dustin Johnson Golf School at the TPC, and representatives of Golf Holiday and TPC owner Founders Group International.

Participants are expected to include 12 players from China, four from Canada – including three on the Ontario junior golf team – and others from Japan, Sweden, the Philippines, England and Scotland.

States represented include the Carolinas, Georgia, Maryland, Florida, California, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana and New Jersey.

The field includes eight of the top 12 boys and seven of the top 10 girls from South Carolina as well as six of the top 10 boys from North Carolina and players from 10 other states.

“We knew it would be region-centric the first year until the word gets out,” Golf Holiday tournaments director Jeff Monday said. “The first thing we wanted was the top players in these two states to be able to play, but the players coming from outside of this region are high-ranked, good players.”

The tournament has some competition for players as it coincides with a pair of noteworthy American Junior Golf Association invitationals – the CB&I/Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods at The Woodlands, Texas, and Annika Invitational for girls at Reunion (Fla.) Resort. The Sea Pines Junior Heritage in Hilton Head Island is the previous weekend.

The dates are expected to remain on Presidents Day weekend, which coincides with the Chinese New Year vacation period for the convenience of Chinese players, who are expected to be an annual staple of the event.

The tournament is expected to grow and become more prestigious in the coming years in part because it has Johnson’s backing as well as financial and marketing support.

“The tournament is definitely a beneficiary of great support from Founders Group and Dustin Johnson’s foundation,” Golden said. “Through that, this junior tournament has the benefit of being able to invest money in player gift items, signage, food and beverage, and making the experience top-notch for a first-year event.”

The quality of the inaugural event is also expected to help it grow through word of mouth.

“Once the kids come here and see the experience and treatment they’re going to get, they’re going to want to play in this event,” Monday said. “It’s set up to be a top-notch experience. That was the goal from the beginning. It’s going to be a huge event for junior golf. It’s going to be a top-notch experience from the time they get here to the time they leave, including everything from when they go through player registration and get their gifts to the trophy that is going to be handed out. It’s going to be something they’ll talk about everywhere else and bolster the field.”

Johnson has lent his name and support to the event but won’t be present as he’s scheduled to be completing play in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am then traveling to the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.

Jr. Shootout upcoming

More than 100 boys and girls ages 10-18 are expected to compete in the 13th annual Myrtle Beach Junior Golf Shootout at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club, which will be held Easter Weekend from March 25-26.

Rounds are scheduled to be played on the SouthCreek and the West courses. The South Carolina Junior Golf Association sanctions the event and top finishers will earn points for the Junior Golf Scoreboard.

The tournament costs $135 per golfer and includes two days of play, daily lunch and a tee gift. Interested golfers should be able to register any time before the first round by calling 843-448-2300 or visiting MyrtleBeachJuniorGolf.com.

Swing instruction offered

DynaSwingFIT Golf School will be hosting another two-day instructional golf swing class for players of all ages from 2-3:30 p.m. each day on successive Fridays on Feb. 5 and 12.

The class will be held at the Surfside Beach Town Hall Civic Center. The registration fee is $10 per day and includes a card offering a 45-percent discount to the driving range.

Register and pay at the clinic and bring a 7-iron. Clubs will also be provided. For more information, contact Shelby Smith at 843-602-3118 or www.DynaSwingFit.com.

BMW selects charities

Eighteen organizations have been selected as the charity programs for the Web.com Tour’s 2016 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation in the Greenville area.

The charities provide an array of services including meal support, affordable housing, pediatric special needs and veterans assistance.

The tournament, managed by the non-profit South Carolina Charities Inc., will be played May 19-22 at Thornblade Club, The Reserve at Lake Keowee and The Preserve at Verdae.

The selected charities include: BMW Car Club of America Foundations, Child Evangelism Fellowship of Greenville, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Greenville Tech Foundation, Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, National Christian College Athletic Association, New Foundations Home for Children, Palmetto Animal Assisted Life’s Services, Project Hope Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas, Shriners Hospital for Children–Greenville, SYNNEX Share the Magic, The First Tee of Greenville, The Reserve at Lake Keowee Foundation, Upstate Warrior Solutions, and Urban League of the Upstate.

The non-profits can earn funds through three tournament programs: ticket sales, volunteer recruitment and one-day pro-am team sales.

Charities receive a 100-percent return on eligible ticket sales including Daily ($10), Patron ($25) and Clubhouse ($50) credentials, all of which are available for purchase at bmwcharitygolf.com.

The Volunteer Program gives individuals the opportunity to earn $20 per day for the tournament charity of their choice. Charities receive a $2,000 for every 50 volunteer workdays. Online volunteer registration opens Feb. 1.

Foursomes in the Monday pro-am on May 16 are $7,500 and charities keep 50 percent of the fee.

For BMW sponsorship and playing opportunities, contact Linda Johnson at 864-517-2383 or LJohnson@sccharities.org.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 8:21 PM with the headline "On Grand Strand Golf: Eight countries represented in inaugural DJ World Junior."