White Wins Fourth S.C. Match Play Championship in Dominant Performance

 

BY PALMER THOMBS

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (June 21, 2020) -- The results from the championship match at the 48th South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship at Orangeburg C.C. in Orangeburg, S.C. on June 21, 2020. (7,032 yards, par 36-36--72) 

 

Related: Championship Web Site | Bracket | History | Photos

 

Todd White of Roebuck, S.C. won his fourth career South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship on Sunday at Orangeburg Country Club, taking home the title with a 6&5 victory over Logan Sowell of Kershaw, S.C.

 

White, who has now won the championship in four different decades (1991, 2004, 2010 and 2020), finished his round at a bogey-free 7-under-par through 13 holes.

 

After splitting the first two holes, White got out to a three-hole advantage with birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 5. From there, he felt that he was able to keep the momentum going in his favor.

 

“Any time you get off to a good start like that it puts you in a good frame of mind,” White said. “I came into the event hitting the ball well. I wasn’t sure how my short game would hold up. Through the stroke play qualifying, I did not putt very well. I did putt well the last nine holes of stroke play and that carried over into match play, so as my irons got closer and closer to the hole, I was able to capitalize.”

 

With the exception of a pair of birdies on No. 8, White and Sowell traded pars on the four holes after the 52-year-old had established his 3-up lead. Whenever it looked like Sowell might take a hole, White was able to return the favor and match the score posted by his opponent.

 

Making the turn to the back nine, White still held a three-hole lead, and after two more birdies on No. 10 and No. 11, he had extended that to a 5-hole advantage. Sowell, who has now fallen in the championship match each of the last three years, began to press to win holes, but was unable to do so, making his first score over par of the day on the 13th and final hole of the match.

 

White now holds the record for most South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship titles with four to his name. Barry Black of Spartanburg, S.C. and Bert Atkinson of Charleston, S.C. both have won three championships.

 

“I’ve worked really hard in the last 10 years to try and maintain my physical condition to remain somewhat competitive,” White said. “The college guys, they hit it so much further than we mid-ams and senior-ams, so we’ve got to be able to find some way to compete. Orangeburg Country Club is not overly long, so it lends itself to me having the opportunity to compete.”

 

“Being able to win in 1991, 2004, 2010 and now in 2020, I am most proud of the longevity with which I’ve been able to maintain my game,” he added. “That’s something to be proud of, and I’d be lying if I said that winning that fourth and separating myself from Bert and Barry was not a goal, because it has been a goal. Three years ago, I missed out on accomplishing it. Luckily I had the opportunity to do it today and was able to get it done.”

 

The South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship is contested at 36 holes of individual stroke play to determine 32 qualifiers for match play. Five rounds of match play will determine the champion.

 

Entry is open to any male amateur golfer who has reached his 13th birthday by June 17, 2020, and is a legal resident of South Carolina, is a member in good standing of a club which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and has an active USGA Handicap Index® that does not exceed 10.4 at a CGA member club.

 

48th South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship

Orangeburg Country Club, Orangeburg, S.C.

Championship Match Results

 

Todd White def. Logan Sowell 6&5

 

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events as well as qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed nearly $2,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.     

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

 

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