GOLF

Fall is the season to play lots of golf and here are the top two reasons why:

1) The golf courses are in the best condition of the year and the weather is perfect.

2) Because football is so popular, there is high availability at all courses combined with a low number of players participating so this paves the way to play lots of golf in a short period of time.

There’s another reason that I love the fall season. It is for the elite skilled players pursing dreams, an exciting time of competitive year.

This is “tournament season” for the golf professional. For those pursuing hopes of being on TV playing in the major golf leagues, the real season begins next week.

The first stage of the “Korn Ferry Tour”, which is the feeder league for the PGA Tour opening stage is next week. There are three stages in this fall qualifying series.

Each stage is extremely difficult. There’s pressure, their stress, anxiety for those in pursuit because there is only one qualifying season each year. If things don’t go well, most have to wait a full year to try again.

Steve Liebler of Irmo is the only person I know who tried the PGA TOUR qualifying for years and earned his privilege in each attempt. I’m sure there are others out there who have approached this record, but he is the only one I know personally.

He has referred to this as the “Fall Classic.” To paraphrase off memory, he would say “this time of year everyone in professional golf loves to hate.”

There is a qualifier in Charlotte, N.C. For more information, check out “2019 Korn Ferry Q School” and you will see two nearby qualifying sites.

To see tomorrow’s superstars in quite a unique event, I strongly recommend traveling to Charlotte or Savannah for some fall golf entertainment.

This year, my son-in-law, William Raine, and my oldest son, George IV, will both be at first stage in Charlotte.

Wesley, my 29-year-old son does not have to go through this event, and he will likely start playing on the PGA tour in January. His rehab from a labrum repair surgery is going well and he is almost on a full training schedule.

“Wesley is the strongest he has ever been, in great shape, and he is working hard”, commented his strength and conditioning professional Ken Taylor.

LOCAL GOLF NEWS

There are 3 Lexington County high school girls’ golf teams in the Top 10 state rankings.

In Class 5A, 3-time defending champion Lexington is 2nd, Chapin is 5th and River Bluff is 10th.

In Class 3A, Gilbert is ranked 3rd. Congratulations Girls.

In SCISA, the Northside Christian Academy girls’ golf team is competing in their 1st season.

They posted its first-ever win on Sept. 11 in a trimatch against Wilson Hall and Hammond.

More on the Lady Crusaders in a future column.