59th Annual South Carolina Golf Association Senior Amateur Tees off Sunday on Cotton Dike: Hendley looks to three-peat

Dataw Island Club is pleased to host the 59th SCGA Senior Championship title May 7-9, 2017.

On Sunday and Monday, tee times range from 7:30 am - 12:50 pm on Cotton Dike. After the cut on Tuesday, they will double tee starting at 8:00 am and running to 9:30 or 10:00 am.

The field will comprise 98 golfers age 55+ with a handicap index that does not exceed 10.4 - including several Dataw Island Club members. Spectators are welcome! Grab a lawn chair and enjoy the action.

It should be an exciting event, as two-time defending champion, Todd Hendley, looks to three-peat! Hendley seeks to keep the streak alive as he aims to join Harry Lambert (1983-85) in history as only the second player to win the championship three years in a row. The Thornblade Club member will have a host of other players looking to grab the Bob Causey Trophy, including 2016 SCGA Senior Player of the Year, Walter Todd.

Other top contenders in the field looking to get their hands on the Championship trophy for the first time include Eddie Hargett, Mike Gravley, Geno Berchiatti and Todd Hendley. Former Champions that are participating and looking to regain the glory of winning the State's top senior title are Johnny Dennis (2004), Bill Smunk (2009) and Andy Congdon (2013).

The 2017 Senior Championship will be contested on the Tom Fazio designed course that was built over a terrain originally intended to create more land for cotton fields during the great Plantation days on Dataw Island. The Cotton Dike was the first golf course created on Dataw Island. The 18-hole layout will require strategy and precision from players, all while providing an exciting challenge. In 2018, Dataw Island Club will also be host to the SCGA State Amateur and the SCGA Junior Championships.

The SCGA, founded in 1929, is the governing body for amateur golf in South Carolina. As a non-profit organization, the SCGA's purpose is to promote, preserve and serve the game of golf. Made up of more than 270 member clubs and more than 50,000 individual members, the SCGA annually conducts 21 SCGA statewide championships, 71 one-day contests, ten USGA qualifiers, seven 40-plus tournaments and six special events. Other Member services offered include GHIN - the USGA Handicap Computation System, a Tournament Software System and support, Rules of Golf and Handicap education, USGA Course/Slope Ratings and Course measuring, Amateur Status information, the Palmetto Golfer Magazine and the SC Golf Hall of Fame. The SCGA also houses the offices of the SC Junior Golf Foundation and SC Junior Golf Association in a combined effort to support junior golf and grow the game's initiatives.

For more information about the SCGA visit www.scgolf.org.

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Championship Facts: 59th Annual SCGA Senior Championship

Format: USGA Rules Apply, 54-hole stroke play. The field will be cut to the low 60 & ties after 36 holes.
Eligibility: Open to male golfers whose 55th birthday is prior to May 7, 2017 and who have a handicap index that does not exceed 10.4. Participants must be residents of South Carolina and members of the SCGA.
Hole by hole scoring will be available at this link: http://www.ghintpp.com/scgolf/TPPOnlineScoring/ResultsStroke.aspx?ID=217
Tournament info, including delays or cancellations, will be available via the SCGA Twitter Account: @SCGA1929
Twitter: @scga1929
Facebook: South Carolina Golf Association

Tournament photos: Dataw Island Facebook