Valley Club at Eastport hosting eighth annual Can-Am Challenge
Local residents, visitors and Canadian snowbirds will have an opportunity to represent their country Saturday in the eighth annual Can-Am Challenge at The Valley Club at Eastport.
The event pits Canadians against Americans during Can-Am Days on the Grand Strand competing as two-player teams of all combinations in a handicap scramble format. The side with the most points claims the Can-Am Challenge Cup.
The event has a 1 p.m. shotgun start and is open to all players. Spots remain on both sides, though the tournament has been filled to a capacity of 120 players in recent years.
Following play and a meal, entertainment will be provided by Myrtle Beach native Stevie Woodward, who now lives in Nashville., Tenn., and recently released her first CD. The event is $50, and interested players or teams can contact the course at 843-427-4424.
The event was hosted by Cypress Bay Golf Club in its first five years, but Cypress Bay closed for redevelopment in February 2014 and it moved to Eastport along with former Cypress Bay head pro and now Eastport general manager and head pro Bill Jones Jr.
“Everybody enjoys the tournament,” Jones said. “We have golf, food and entertainment. It's a total package … and no question one of the highlights of our year.”
The U.S. side won the first competition, Canadians claimed the next two events and the U.S. has won in each of the last four years, though just one point determined the outcome in 2015.
A professional match on Friday is part of the Can-Am Challenge and it will feature Eastport pros Jones and Ethan Clinkscales against Canadians John Irwin from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Richard Dumeah of Northumberland Links in Pugwash, Nova Scotia.
Irwin is a former European Senior Tour competitor who finished second in the 2002 British Senior Open and has wintered in Myrtle Beach for several years. The pro match will begin at noon and will be the first points awarded in the competition. Spectators are welcome.
This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Valley Club at Eastport hosting eighth annual Can-Am Challenge."