SPEARHEADED BY PRESIDENT DENNIS MCCORMAC, GOLFWEEK AMATEUR CONTINUES GROWTH AS A COMPETITIVE TOUR

When John Robinson’s regular Saturday golf group all but dissolved because several members joined the Golfweek Amateur Tour, Robinson reluctantly followed despite reservations about playing the game he loved in a competitive environment.

USCB GRAD CORY COTTRELL RETURNS TO COACH GOLF TEAMS

STORY BY JUSTIN JARRETT | PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN

When his collegiate golf career was over and Cory Cottrell began his graduate studies in sport psychology, he constantly found himself wishing he’d had the knowledge he was gaining while he was still playing competitively.

Now he’s committed to ensuring the golfers following in his footsteps are better prepared.

FIRST TEE OF THE LOWCOUNTRY INSTILLS CORE VALUES IN KIDS THROUGH GOLF

The first time Nick Dunham volunteered to teach a program at the First Tee of the Lowcountry, he was hooked. 

The Syracuse, N.Y., native came here to pursue a career in the golf industry as a student at Bluffton’s Professional Golfers Career College. What he found at First Tee was a way to use his love of golf to teach kids important life skills through the game.

Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort has been named to the list of Top 100 Resort Courses by Golfweek in the magazine’s 2019 Ultimate Guide. The home of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, Harbour Town was ranked No. 18, joining an impressive list that includes Pebble Beach, Pinehurst and Bandon Dunes.

Volunteers are needed for the 2019 RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, to be held April 15-21 at Harbour Town Golf Links. Volunteers are vital to the success of RBC Heritage’s mission to help those in need. Since 1987, the tournament has distributed more than $39 million to nonprofit groups across the region.

Belfair

The 2019 PGA Professional Championship, the world’s largest all-professional event with a 312-player field, will come to Belfair from April 28 to May 1. The field will be comprised of players who advanced from the 41 PGA Section Championships, along with past champions. The low 20 scorers at Belfair will earn a spot in the 2019 PGA Championship, to be played May 16-19 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. All four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship will be broadcast live on Golf Channel.

The International Junior Golf Academy has opened enrollment for its 2018 Junior Golf Winter Camp. The program, which is open to boys and girls ages 10-19, will be held at the Old Carolina campus in Bluffton. Under the direction of Jonathan Yarwood, British PGA master professional and IJGA director of golf, students will practice in the newly renovated 20,000-square-foot IJGA Performance Training Center as well as outdoors. For more information, go to ijga.com.

TOURNAMENT CHAIRMANThe Heritage Classic Foundation has announced that Southern Tide, a premier coastal lifestyle and apparel brand, has signed a multi-year agreement to be the official style sponsor of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. This is the first time the Heritage Classic Foundation has partnered with a lifestyle apparel brand. The 51st annual RBC Heritage will be held April 15-21 at Harbour Town Golf Links. Tickets are on sale at rbcheritage.com.

International Junior Golf Academy students took 11 Top 10 finishes in the International Junior Golf Tour’s Florida Junior tournament, held Sept. 15-16 at Falcon’s Fire Golf Club in Kissimmee, Florida.

“We made up less than 25 percent of the field but recorded a slew of top- 3s and a win,” said IJGA director of golf Jonathan Yarwood.