COLUMBIA, SC (July 18, 2022) – On Thursday, June 30, nine of South Carolina’s top ranked junior golfers arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland to compete in the 2022 Watson Cup on July 5-7, 2022.
Championship Links: Final Scores & Results | Photo Gallery
The first round of four-ball matches were held at the Royal Burgess in Edinburgh with team South Carolina taking the lead earning 8.5 points and the East Lothian / Edinburgh team earning 3.5 points.
With 45-degree temperature and 40 mile an hour wind, players faced physical and mental tests during the second round of four-ball matches conducted at the historic Muirfield course. Team South Carolina’s 5-point lead was trimmed, and each team finished the day tied with 12 total points.
“This was the first time I had ever played in such windy and cold weather,” Tip Price said. “The conditions made a huge difference because they are used to playing in that kind of weather and we only play in that maybe once a year. With the weather, on top of playing four-ball, which is a tough format we aren’t really used to, it was for sure a physical and mental test for our whole team.”
Entering the final round tied at 12 points, the nine singles matches at Gullane No. 2 course would therefore determine which team would claim the 2022 Watson Cup.
“Going into the day there was a lot of excitement,” Luke Walmet said. “We all obviously really wanted to win, but there was something fun about the fact that the score was tied because of the level of competition and the atmosphere it created. I tried to embrace the team atmosphere as much as I could, but it was singles, so I knew I had to do what I could on my own to make a difference.”
Claiming 15 total points in the final round singles matches, team South Carolina took a 3-point advantage to claim the Watson Cup for the second time with a 27-24-point victory.
“With our team being so deep, I was able to rely on everyone else and I think we all had a lot of confidence in each other,” Rowan Sullivan said. “We were able to come together as a team rather than competitors which is something unique, and to stand our ground in Scotland and take home the win in such great competition was really humbling for all of us. Tom Watson is obviously one of the greatest names in the game, so to play in the Watson Cup and receive his congratulations on our win was really cool and exciting.”
This was the second playing of the Watson Cup. The inaugural Watson Cup was held in October of 2018 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course, site of the 1991 Ryder Cup dubbed the ‘War by the Shore’, and Tom Watson’s first South Carolina build, Cassique at Kiawah Island Club. South Carolina captured the inaugural match, defeating the East Lothians by a three-point margin, 19.5-16.5, after a day of four-ball matches and followed by singles matches the final day.
Modeled after the Walker Cup matches that have been contested between amateur golfers from the US and Great Britain and Ireland since 1922, the Watson Cup matches are intended to celebrate the historic connection between South Carolina, where golf was first played in America in the 1740s, and the Edinburgh/East Lothian region of Scotland, from where equipment was first exported to the first American golfers in Charleston in 1739. The matches will once again give South Carolina and Scottish juniors the opportunity to participate in the type of international team competition so revered by amateur and professional golfers in the Walker, Ryder, and Presidents Cups, and to gain experience in the different skills required to play golf on each side of the Atlantic.
The cup for which the matches are played is named in honor of Tom Watson, the American who won five Open Championships in Great Britain in the 1970s and 80s, including a win at Muirfield. Watson is widely regarded as the greatest American player of the game of links golf as it originated in Scotland. In addition to five Open Championships (one shy of the career record of six won by Englishman Harry Vardon), Watson also won two Masters, a US Open and 70 other professional tournaments. Watson, who has strong ties to South Carolina including two victories at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing in Hilton Head and course designs such as the Cassique Courses at Kiawah Island, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988.
The matches were developed by former SCJGA Chairman, SCGA Board of Directors member and Watson Cup Chairman, Ben Zeigler of Florence. He began implementing plans for the competition while attending a junior tournament in Gullane, Scotland in 2016.
“The victory of our SC team in Scotland is the culmination of the Watson Cup initiative,” Zeigler said. “Our victory at Kiawah was sweet, but to have a group of South Carolina juniors prevail on some of the best links courses in the world goes to the heart of what this competition is about, and why it is named in honor of Tom Watson.”
Zeigler, along with staff from the SCJGA, began working with David Warren, Secretary of the East Lothian Junior Golf League to make the matches a reality in 2016.
“It is truly an honor for the SCJGA and our juniors to be a part of the Watson Cup,” SCJGA Senior Director, Justin Fleming, said. “We are proud to be a part of such a next level event that gives juniors the opportunity to experience teamwork and camaraderie, all while celebrating the longstanding traditions and love for the game that runs through South Carolina and Scotland. The 2022 Watson Cup in Scotland will not soon be forgotten, and we are looking forward to having the Cup back in South Carolina in 2024.”
The nine-member South Carolina team was selected from the December 1, 2021, SCJGA Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings, which represents a full calendar year of events where players have accumulated points.
Members of the team included Adam Hunt of Columbia, Burch Harrison of Columbia, Jerry Bruns of Beaufort, Major Lenning of Simpsonville, Tip Price of Greenville, Hugh Faulkner of Greenville, Rowan Sullivan of Charleston, Andrew Gregory of Inman and Luke Walmet of Mount Pleasant.
The 2022 South Carolina team was accompanied by SCJGA staff member, Mark Elam of Columbia, and captained by SCJGA alumni, Stephen Behr of Florence.
“Being the captain for team South Carolina in the Watson Cup this year was a true honor,” Behr said. “Leading this great group of young men at the home of golf was something I’ll remember forever and being a SCJGA alum myself, made the experience even more fun and special. From the opening tee shots to the closing ceremonies, the 2nd Watson Cup was one of the most extraordinary events I’ve ever been a part of. The boys played beautifully, withstanding good competition and hard conditions and I could not be happier for them to get this win together.”
The Watson Cup honors and celebrates the competitiveness and class of five-time Open Champion, Tom Watson.
“It is a privilege to have my name on the cup,” said Tom Watson. “This competition extends far beyond two teams competing for a title. I applaud each participant of the 2022 Watson Cup for their competitive play and send a hearty congratulations to team South Carolina on their victory!”
The SCJGA would like to extend its sincerest gratitude and appreciation to David Warren, the entire East Lothian Junior Golf League, The Royal Burgess Golfing Society, Gullane Golf Club and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers for hosting the 2022 Watson Cup in their beautiful country and providing an unforgettable experience for all involved.
The 2024 Watson Cup will be hosted at Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan, South Carolina on October 14-18, 2024.
About the South Carolina Junior Golf Association
The purpose of the South Carolina Junior Golf Association is to continue the history and traditions of the ancient game of golf through its members and an active outreach to the youth of our state. Established in 1990 by community leaders with a love for the game and a commitment to passing on golf’s heritage to the youth of South Carolina, the SCJGA is committed to meeting the needs of all young people in the state and providing playing opportunities to boys and girls that might not otherwise have the chance to experience golf and its many benefits. Through affordable opportunities of play, instruction and competition, juniors of all ages, walks of life and skill levels will be touched by the character of the game. It helps to teach them honor, sportsmanship and respect and makes them better prepared to face the challenges ahead in life.
