Clarissa Childs put together the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association’s August schedule with care, spacing the Women’s State Amateur and the Women’s State Open around USGA qualifiers, some one-day events and her own participation in the U.S. Senior Open.
Ah, the best laid plans ...
Tropical weather marched up the South Carolina coast and Childs, the WSCGA’s executive director, went into scramble mode.
The Women’s Amateur, one of the organization’s crown jewels scheduled for one of the state’s premier courses, got washed out and had to be rescheduled. The change in dates meant many players, including most of the college contingent, had to withdraw.
“Crazy times,” Childs said.
The result: The Women’s Amateur began Aug. 18, starting a two-week flurry of events that continues through the South Carolina Women’s Open that wraps up Sept. 1.
Despite making changes on the fly, “we’re fortunate in a lot of ways,” Childs said. “We still got to play the Amateur at Debordieu, which is a really special course. The people at the club were great in working to accommodate the tournament.”
One-days and a USGA qualifier filled the rest of the week, then attention turned to the South Carolina Women’s Open at Cobblestone Park. The pro-am is set for Thursday with the competition in four divisions beginning Friday. The pros will be competing for shares of a $20,000 purse.
“We had moved the Open back a week and it’s a good thing we did,” she said. “If not, the revised schedule would have had the Amateur on Sunday through Tuesday and the Open’s schedules beginning on Thursday.”
Childs, a former LPGA player and eligible for the U.S. Senior Open for the first time, tied for 31st in the national tournament on Aug. 4. She returned from Pittsburgh to discover the dismal weather report and began plotting changes.
Emma Schimpf (Daniel Island), a senior at the College of Charleston, ran away with the Women’s Amateur title, using a second-round 62 to open an insurmountable lead. She finished with a three-round total of 198 and won by 16 strokes over Hannah Altman (Lake City), who plays at UNC Wilmington.
In the senior division, Catherine Shealy (Blythewood) added to her trophy collection, taking the championship by six shots over Natalie Huff (Lugoff).
Looking ahead, “I’m excited about the Women’s Open,” Childs said. “Leta Lindley, who won the U.S. Senior Open earlier this month, will be in the field. The senior professional division is going to be really strong.”
Former Clemson players Gracyn Burgess and Ashlan Ramsey will be in the open professional division. Alexandra Natale, an alternate for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and Furman freshman Katie Ireland will be among the open amateurs. Catherine Shealy will defend her championship among the senior amateurs.
“We always have a good time with the pro-am, and the tournament should be outstanding,” Childs said. “Overall, we’ve had a good year; we’ve had a lot of irons in the fire this year. Needless to say, (August) has really been busy.”
She and the staff can rest on Labor Day, but their season is not over. Notable events remaining include a one-day at the acclaimed Charleston Municipal Course (Sept. 17) and an introduction to the game for newcomers at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant (Sept. 19).
“There’s plenty of opportunities left this year, and the schedule won’t be quite so hectic,” she said. “But busy is a good way to be.”
Chip shots . Jordan Sease (Lexington) and Brandon Truesdale (Rock Hill) joined forces to capture the SCGA’s Mid-Amateur Four-Ball title with a two-day total of 19-under-par 125 at Rock Hill CC. ... Chandler Mulkey (Johns Island), Connor Doyal (Charleston) and Jonathan Schram (Asheville, North Carolina) earned places in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in qualifying at Mid-Carolina Club in Prosperity.
Most Popular
Comments / 0