As all of you know, in addition to reviewing all of the top equipment in the game I also love to share on this page how my tournaments are going as I still try to compete as much as possible.
Fortunately, being from South Carolina, the tournaments get kicked off early in the year, and to get things rolling the South Carolina Golf Association eases everyone back into competition at the annual Partners Championship.
The Partners Championship
This event was held over two rounds, one at The Wildewood Club, and one at Spring Valley Country Club in Columbia, SC.
The field was cut into two divisions based on handicap, each consisting of 50 teams and flipping courses for each round. For a two-man, relaxed tournament the field was still absolutely stacked as it usually is in SCGA events.
Notables in the field included Todd White, reigning US Senior Amateur Champion, Sam Jackson, the 2023 Carolinas Mid-Amateur Champion and ranked 334th among amateurs globally, alongside numerous ex-college athletes, former professionals, and contenders of USGA Championships. It wasn’t your typical two-player club affair.
The part three 16th at Spring Valley Country Club in Columbia, SC.
The two-man format might be the most fun way to kick off the golf calendar possible with the first round at Wildewood consisting of a regular scramble and the second round being played as as a Texas Scramble at Spring Valley.
Number 18 tee shot at The Club at Wildewood
What is a Scramble in Golf?
In golf, a scramble is a format often employed in team competitions, where each player in the team tees off on every hole. From there, the team selects the best shot among all the tee shots, and all team members then play their next shot from that chosen spot.
This process repeats until the ball is holed. Essentially, it’s a collaborative effort where players work together strategically to achieve the best possible outcome for the team on each hole.
What is a Texas Scramble in Golf?
A Texas Scramble injects a fresh dynamic into the classic scramble setup, feeling more like regular golf. The game kicks off conventionally, with all team members teeing off. Subsequently, the team selects the most favorable tee shot, and each player proceeds with their second shot from that spot.
Here’s where the Texas Scramble changes from its traditional counterpart: following the second shot, each team member independently plays their own ball into the hole.
Ultimately, the team’s score typically corresponds to the lowest individual score achieved on the hole. This scoring method was also employed in this year’s Partners Tournament.
How did We Do?
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7* | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 Par | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 72 |
| Round 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 64 |
| Round 2 Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 72 |
| Round 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 66 |
For this event I partnered up with local business owner and mid-amateur John O’Brien. John’s game, similar to mine is not incredibly flashy, but he does have a great knack for keeping the ball in front of him and can get crazy hot on the greens.
As you can see, both rounds we got off to great starts with the first day being four under through 5 and the second round being five under through six. However, this did not continue as we only went four under on our last thirteen in the first round and one under for the last twelve holes in the second round.
Unfortunately, although we both hit it great for the first tournament of the year, the putters simply did not cooperate enough for us to content to win. We made a lot of putts like a 40 foot bomb that went in for me on our first hole in the second round, but we also missed our fair share of opportunities inside of 15 feet.
We both counted afterwards that we did not convert on 14 birdie putts inside of 15 feet for the week. This really hurt after only losing to eventual champions and former Wintrop Eagles Walt Todd Jr and Kyle Bearden who finished six strokes ahead at twenty under par.
You can CLICK HERE for the final leaderboard.
What’s Next?
I bring a ton of positives out of this event as my ball striking and putting, even though the ball didn’t go in a lot, feels as good in March as it might have ever felt.
If I can figure out how to get the ball in the hole more consistently, I’m excited this season could be a really fun one. Below is what I have coming up on the calendar for 2024:
- Carolina Mid Amateur Championship – Salisbury Country Club, NC
- US Open Local Qualifying – Pinehurst Number 6, NC
- Carolina Four-Ball Championship – Camden Country Club, SC
- US Open Sectional Qualifying – TBD (If I make it through locals)
- US Open – Pinehurst Number 2, NC (If I make it through qualifying)
- Columbia Chevy Dealers City Tournament – Fort Jackson Golf Club, SC (Going for three in a row)
- Palmetto Amateur Championship – Palmetto Golf Club, SC
- South Carolina Amateur Championship – Country Club of Charleston, SC
- Upstate Amateur Championship – Willow Creek Country Club, SC
- US Mid Amateur Qualifying – Country Club of North Carolina, NC
- US Mid Amateur Championship – Kinloch and Independence Golf Clubs, VA
