Women’s Eastern Amateur makes its 1st venture to the Lowcountry

A casual glance at the champions’ roster of the Women’s Eastern Amateur Championship quickly reveals a couple of notable details.

One, it’s long. The tournament goes back 110 years, making it one of the oldest women’s events in the game. And whoever wins next week at Pinecrest Golf Club will be joining some pretty good company.

Glenna Collett Vare, for whom the LPGA’s Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average is named, won the event six times. The list also includes LPGA Hall of Famer Joanne Carner, teaching pioneer Peggy Kirk Bell, former U.S. Women’s Open champion Kathy Baker and LPGA standouts Patti Rizzo and Laura Diaz.

“This is a big-time tournament,” said Aiken’s Cathy Reusche, a member of the Women’s Eastern Golf Association committee that awarded this year’s edition to the Lowcountry.

More than 60 top amateurs will tee it up starting Tuesday, including several just days removed from playing in the NCAA Women’s Championship in Oregon. Virginia, which was one of eight teams that reached the match-play brackets, is sending three of its players.

The roster also includes two of the top 35 players in Golfweek’s final college rankings — Florida’s Maria Torres and UCF’s Ashley Holder — and a U.S. Golf Association champion in Rinko Mitsunaga. The Georgia sophomore was part of the winning duo at the USGA’s inaugural Women’s Four-Ball championship last year.

Though the tournament has been played in South Carolina before, this marks the first time it has ventured as far south as Hilton Head Island. Previous editions have been played in Charleston and Florence.

“We were looking for a coastal club this year,” Reusche said. “Myrtle Beach was an option, but we liked the idea of Hilton Head because it’s a little quieter. ... As an amateur association, it’s about the competition but it’s also about the location (that will attract entrants).”

The tournament originally was awarded to Crescent Pointe, but turf damage prompted a switch last week to Pinecrest.

S.C. AMATEUR MATCH PLAY

Clemson’s Josh Fickes, a former Beaufort High standout, and USC Beaufort teammates Brad Curren and Riley Schank are among nearly two dozen area golfers entered in next week’s South Carolina Amateur Match Play at Bear Creek Golf Club.

The lineup also includes rising collegians R.J. Bartolomucci (Hilton Head Christian), Walker Campbell (Hilton Head Prep) and Alec Weary (Bluffton), along with such veteran locals as Benji Gecy and J.D. Hoft.

Competition begins Wednesday with two rounds of stroke-play qualifying, setting the 32-man field for knockout play leading to the June 19 final. No Beaufort County golfer has won the event in its 43-year history.

AZALLION, MANCILL SOLID AT JIMMY SELF

Danny Azallion and Travis Mancill notched top-10 finishes at last weekend’s Jimmy Self Invitational, each grabbing a share of ninth place in the two-day event at Greenwood Country Club.

Azallion (Hilton Head Christian) turned in scores of 74-73 to finish at 3-over for the tournament, while Mancill (Hilton Head Island) followed up his opening 72 with a 75.

Anna Eddy, another HHCA golfer, tied for 12th in the girls’ division after rounds of 78-77.

3 ACES ...

The 17th hole at Hidden Cypress Golf Club turned out to be a hole-in-one hotspot last weekend, producing three in a span of little more than 24 hours of play.

Gary Welsh started the binge Saturday, using a 7-iron to find the cup from 142 yards out. Witnesses were Wally Gorrell, Bob Henderson and Paul Addams.

That proved to be only the opening salvo for the weekend. One day later, Ed Taveres and Wes Beavers added their names to the hole-in-one charts. Taveres wielded a 7-iron to strike from 152 yards away, while Beavers went with a 6-iron from a few yards farther back.

... AND AN AGE-BEATER

Lynn McPheeters, 73, matched his age May 28 on the South course at Moss Creek Golf Club. His playing partners were Jerry Coghlan, Paul Schulz and Paul Juenger.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Women’s Eastern Amateur makes its 1st venture to the Lowcountry."