Sam Jackson in rare company, named SCGA’s top player three years in a row
Earning the South Carolina Golf Association’s Player of the Year award one time is a significant achievement, and only four golfers — D.J. Trahan, Steve Liebler, Todd White and Sam Jackson — are in the back-to-back club.
Three in a row? Trahan held that distinction alone — until along came Jackson, a picture of consistency who won the state’s top amateur honor for the third consecutive time in 2024.
Jackson joins White, the state’s top senior player (55 and older) for the second-straight year, in headlining another memorable year in Palmetto State golf.
Jackson competed in 12 SCGA events and finished outside the top 10 only twice. On the national scene, he advanced into match play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur for the third consecutive year.
White, who finished second to Jackson in the overall player of the year standings, highlighted his second senior honor by winning the British Senior Amateur in the United Kingdom. And he can still compete with the younger set; he finished fifth in the South Carolina Amateur a year after winning the title.
“The state overall had an outstanding year in golf, and those two players were special in individual achievements,” SCGA executive director Biff Lathrop said. “We added a par-3 championship to our list of majors, and the game continues to grow at every level.”
Other 2024 highlights:
USC golfer Zach Adams won the South Carolina Amateur for the second time in three years, this one at his home course, the Country Club of Charleston.
PGA Tour pro Kevin Kisner added to his duties by accepting the role of lead analyst for NBC’s top 2025 telecasts.
Chase Cline made par from the trees on the final hole to win the State Junior championship at the Woodcreek Club.
Former state junior standouts Wesley Bryan, Carson Young, Matt NeSmith and Andrew Novak all placed second in PGA Tour tournaments.
Erik Erlenkeuser earned the SCJGA’s Jay Haas Boys Player of the Year award, and Madison Messimer again won the Beth Daniel Girls Player of the Year prize.
Scottie Scheffler won the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage, giving the Hilton Head tourney yet another high-profile champion.
Long a mecca for recreational golfers, Myrtle Beach staged the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic, a PGA Tour event won by Chris Gotterup.
Emma Schimpf dominated from start to finish in winning the South Carolina Women’s Amateur at DeBordieu Club.
A team of South Carolina juniors retained the Watson Cup, defeating a squad of youngsters from Scotland at Yeamans Hall.
USC parted ways with long-time men’s coach Bill McDonald and hired Rob Bradley from Purdue to take over the program.
After a lackluster season and seeded 11th, Clemson’s men pulled off one of the NCAA’s most stunning performances by winning the Chapel Hill Regional. No double-digit seed had won a regional since the format began in 2009.
Clemson’s women completed the best season in the program’s young history by sharing fifth place in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship in Carlsbad, California. Seeded 16th, the Tigers finished fifth after 72 holes of stroke play that determined the eight teams to compete in match-play for the national title, then dropped a 3-1-1 decision to Southern California.
USC’s women team, which had fashioned one of its best seasons with four tournament victories and entered the nationals seeded third, struggled from the start in the championship. The Gamecocks missed the 54-hole cut and placed 23rd overall.
Jack Nance, who spent 40 years with the Carolinas Golf Association and has been executive director since 1992, will retire Dec. 31.
And a couple of negatives: storms named Debby and Helene. Tropical Storm Debby swept up the Atlantic Coast in August and its heavy rains forced courses to close temporarily and interrupted tournament schedules. Hurricane Helene roared through the western half of the state in September, leaving enormous damage and flooding on courses.
Chip shots. USC women’s coach Kalen Anderson will be co-head coach of the U.S. team in this summer’s Arnold Palmer Cup, a team competition that features top collegiate amateurs and will be played at Congaree GC in Ridgeland. She will join Auburn men’s coach Nick Clinard in leading the American squad. ... The PGA Tour recognized the Myrtle Beach Classic’s “The Q at Myrtle Beach” with a Best-in-Class element for its innovative and ground-breaking feature. “The Q” pits 16 players in an 18-hole shootout for a sponsor’s exemption into the main tournament.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Sam Jackson in rare company, named SCGA’s top player three years in a row."