South “singles” home a victory

By golfclubsc on May 20, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

By Jed Blackwell – Associate Editor – Publisher The Golf Club

The South All-Stars staged a dramatic comeback over the last two rounds of the North-South All-Star matches to take a 9-7 win over their counterparts from the North in the annual event held this year in Greenville.

The All-Star “Ryder Cup” style matches featured the top senior golfers from around the state.

This year’s matches were hosted at the Greenville Country Club. The All-Stars played two rounds at the Riverside course and a final round on the highly regarded Chanticleer course, the site of many state and Carolina’s Amateur championships.

Members of the winning South All-Star team included outh-All-Stars – Chase Cline – Chapin, Matthew Teegardin – Bishop England, Ty O’Brien – Myrtle Beach, Gage Gaskins -Lexington, Vaughn McMeans – Oceanside, Dallas Johnson – Wando, Simon McAlister – Beaufort. Roman Mullinax – Lexington. Head Coach Roger Smith – River Bluff, Assistant coach Gerald Lloyd – Wando

While All-Star golf brought the 16 players to Greenville, the South Carolina Golf Coaches Association turned the weekend matches into a fun few days off the course after competition.

The players enjoyed an awards banquet in their honor and a little extra competition on their trip to the putt-putt course at Frankie’s Fun Park. No score was reported, making it even more fun for the players who spent the rest of the weekend with a scorecard in their pockets.

The North and South All-Stars were honored at a banquet and had a chance to play some fun golf without winning or losing anything while playing putt-putt at Frankie’s Fun Park. (N-S Photos)

The first day of competition made a complete turn around form the morning modified alternate shot round to the afternoon four-ball matches,

Saturday morning the North, which won last year, jumped out to a 3-1 lead.

Eastside’s Beau Lewis and Riverside’s Matthew Morgan, Catawba Ridge’s Hunter Warren and Byrnes’ Tradd Gillespie, and DJ Belcher and his Mauldin teammate Evan Eassy all won their matches in the morning.

In the afternoon four-ball matches the South came charging back to tie the North. The 3-1 win in the session by the South meant singles matches would determine the winner this year.

The South won five of the eight singles matches on Sunday to claim the victory.

Lexington’s Gage Gaskins, Chapin’s Chase Cline, and Oceanside Collegiate’s Vaughn McMeans all notched 2-up victories in their matches, while Bishop England’s Matt Teagardin won a 1-up thriller. Simon McAlister of Beaufort got the day’s biggest win, notching a 7&6 victory to get the South an early point.

Catawba Ridge’s Warren got a 4&2 win for the North team, while Mauldin’s Belcher won 2&1 and Eastside’s Lewis took a 1-up victory, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the South.

The series which began in 1997 now stands at North. 15 South now has 12 wins.

South Head Coach Roger Smith talks strategy with two of the members of the winning South team. South won the match 9-7. (N-S Photo)

North-All-Stars – Richard Anaclerio-Aiken, Beau Lewis – Eastside, DJ Belcher – Mauldin, Groves Williams – Christ Church, Matthew Morgan – Riverside, Evan Eassy – Mauldin, Hunter Warren – Catawba Ridge,Trad Gillespie – Byrnes. Head coach Arthur Brooks – Byrnes, Assistant coach Chip Whitt. (N-S Photo)

Special congratulations to Greenwood Golf coach and All-Star Assistant coach Chip Whitt who aced the 8th hole on the Riverside course during a practice round for the Matches.