SCGA scrambles and finds new home for 2025 State Amateur event
Anyone charged with making plans in any endeavor can identify with the catchphrase popularized by Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna character: “It’s always something!”
Just ask Biff Lathrop, executive director of the South Carolina Golf Association.
Putting together each year’s tournament schedules is among the myriad of tasks Lathrop and his staff tackle, and this one can be a challenge equal to solving a Rubik’s Cube.
The South Carolina Amateur, the association’s crown jewel, receives special attention and sites are secured at least two years — and usually longer — in advance. To illustrate, Quixote Club in Sumter is on the books for 2026 and Florence Country Club for 2027.
But remember Roseanne Roseannadanna’s wisdom to understand why Lathrop has been in scramble mode in recent weeks. In January, six months before the 2025 State Amateur, unforeseen circumstances required the Woodcreek Club to withdraw from its host role this year.
“We had to react quickly,” Lathrop said. “That’s the one tournament that must be right, and I had some sleepless nights.”
Naturally, most clubs had their yearly calendar set by the first of the year with things ranging from various tournaments to course maintenance such as aerification of the greens on the schedule. Seeking to squeeze in the state’s top amateur tournament is a big ask.
All’s well that ends well, Shakespeare once wrote, and Lathrop agrees. The Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg will provide the stage for the 94th annual South Carolina Amateur in July.
Carolina CC, designed by Tom Jackson, has been the site of multiple SCGA events and USGA qualifiers and is in the rotation for the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Pro-Am.
“It’s good to get the State Amateur back in the Upstate,” Lathrop said. “Tim Dunlap, the owner, worked with us to make it happen. They had another tournament scheduled and they changed their aerification dates in order to have the greens ready.
“We have a long list of facilities that are really good venues, and Carolina Country Club fits the definition of what we want. They recently redid the greens, which is another plus.”
A course that stages the State Amateur receives a fee for each player. In addition, the SCGA uses the host’s facility to provide lunch for three days and give the top players gift certificates to be redeemed in the pro shop.
Lathrop approached others clubs and said, “I told them, ‘If your answer is no, make it a quick no so we can look elsewhere.’ We’re pleased that Carolina got back to us with a yes.”
Ironically, Lathrop has had experience with this last-minute change in State Amateur sites. Two years ago, the event scheduled at Patriot Golf Club fell through.
“But we had a new site (Musgrove Mill in Clinton) in a couple of days,” Lathrop said. “This one took longer and the waiting was more stressful.”
USC golfer Zach Adams, who has won two of the past three State Amateurs, is defending champion. Todd White, the state’s senior player of the year, took the 2023 title at Musgrove Mill and will be competing on his home course at Carolina CC.
Chip shots. USC’s men climbed to No. 18 in the national poll during the fall and illustrated that higher ranking is ahead by opening the spring season with a third-place finish against a stout field in the Puerto Rico Classic. Sophomore Brock Blais led the Gamecocks individually by placing fourth. Senior Nathan Franks, tie for 13th, and freshman Marek Fleming, tie for 16th, added top-20 finishes. In their first season under coach Rob Bradley, Carolina added head-to-head wins over No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Virginia and finished one stroke behind No. 1 Ole Miss. In an interesting twist, Bradley’s former team, Purdue, won the team title. ... The Spur at Northwoods, a public course in northeast Columbia, is starting a competitive tournament program for junior golfers called the Silver Spur Junior Tournament Series. The first event is scheduled for March 8-9. Boys and girls ages 13-18 are eligible. Call the club at (803) 786-9242 for details and to register.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 10:01 AM with the headline "SCGA scrambles and finds new home for 2025 State Amateur event."