Myrtle Beach to host World Amateur Handicap Championship

Myrtle Beach will play host to more than 3,000 avid golfers, from 49 states and 20 countries, August 31 – September 4, 2009, as the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship returns to the Grand Strand. Known as the “World’s Largest Amateur Single-Site Golf Tournament,” the World Am began in 1984 with 680 golfers in 1984, and attracted more than 74,000 golfers during the tournament’s first 25 years.

Hosted by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship is considered to be the most comparable experience to the U.S. Open for the amateur golfer. Held the week before Labor Day, the event is open to all amateur golfers with a USGA handicap, or the foreign equivalent. Flighted according to their handicaps, golfers compete in four rounds with all flight winners and ties then advancing to the 18-hole world championship playoff at the renowned Dunes Golf and Beach Club.

Fifty-one Myrtle Beach area golf courses, including six of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses,” are hosting rounds this year. Among the Top 100 layouts are the Dunes Club, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, Tidewater Golf Club & Plantation, The Resort Club at Grande Dunes, The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort & Golf and The Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort & Golf.

“We look forward to welcoming 3,000 of the most avid golfers to the Grand Strand for the 26th annual PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship,” said Dave Macpherson, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday tournament director. “Not only does the World Am bring together golfers for 72 holes of intense competition and nightly parties, but it is also vital to our community as it contributes more than $11 million annually to the Grand Strand. We look forward to the most exciting World Am in the tournament’s 26 years.”

The on-course competition is only half the fun. Each evening after tournament play, participants and their guests enjoy hospitality at the “World’s Largest 19th Hole,” also known as the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.” For the first time in tournament history, Myrtle Beach area residents will be able to participate in the 19th Hole as tickets were sold to the public before the event.

The 19th Hole features an extensive golf expo with equipment demos, entertainment, free food and drinks and jumbotron video boards to peruse scores. The 19th Hole is also the site of the “TOUR Van Experience” presented by the PGA TOUR Superstore. The “TOUR Van Experience” features a 30,000 square foot demo and club fitting area, fashion makeovers, game improvement areas, skill contests and seminars by Dave Pelz, Jesse Ortiz and Kevin Bullard. In addition to playing for the championship, golfers also have the opportunity to win a share of the $250,000 in prizes given away at the tournament.

World Am officials implemented new features in at the 26th annual event to help improve the pace of play and enhance the tournament experience for participants. Starting this year, players were grouped in threesomes, instead of foursomes, to shorten the length of the rounds. In addition, each flight was reduced from an average of 112 players to approximately 48. By reducing the number of golfers in each flight, participants have a greater chance of winning their flight and advancing to the championship round.