SCJGA Heritage Classic Foundation Rankings
In an effort to simplify and better reflect the abilities of our SCJGA players, our rankings system will utilize the same format as the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) and the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA). Developed by Shotstat, the system will reflect the play of every player in the field, not just the top 20 as in years past. Also taking into account is the player’s scoring against the course rating for that particular course under the competition radar.
The Rankings will still use the last 12 months of play to determine the rankings number and only the age brackets playing the competition from the longest yardage of the tournament will count. Boys will have to have a minimum of 15 players in the field, and girls will need to have 6 players post scores to be eligible for rankings. The entire field is then awarded points with last place earning one point all the way to the champion with increments of one point and the champion receiving 5 bonus points for the win. In example, a field with 35 players would break out as follows: First place- 40 points, second-34, third- 33 etc to last place receiving one point. Each tournament has a weighting based on the strength of field and those finish points are then multiplied by the weighting to give the player his point total. This will be reflected in 49% of the player’s points for that event. 51% of the players ranking will come from their stroke differential as calculated as an overall value for the year compared to every other player in the rankings.
As many junior golfers in North and South Carolina play in CGA, SCJGA, and many of the independent events, both associations have come together to provide a unified method to treat all of the tournaments in the same way. TYGA and the SCJGA will still have a separate system in place for their respective players, but every event will be ranked the same way.
FAQs:
Who can earn points?
Junior golfers 18 and under who have not started college, who are residents of South Carolina and have played in a minimum of 5 rankings events.
Is there a minimum of events that have to be played?
Yes, juniors must play in a minimum of 5 events before being ranked.
What tournaments are used?
Any junior event conducted in SC and all states adjacent, (NC, GA) as well as pre-set national junior and amateur events. In order for an event in another state to be ranked, financial assistance must be made available to all players, e.g.: AJGA, Big “I”, and USGA events.
Do you have to be a member of the SCJGA to earn rankings points?
No, players are added to the rankings automatically after they earn points.
How deep in the field are points awarded?
Each player who finishes a rankings event earns points.
How are rankings determined?
Each players total points (49%) earned and tournament scoring differential (51%) are used to determine the rankings.
What is a player’s tournament scoring differential?
We take the stroke average from the ranking events the player has played in and subtract the average course rating for the course and yardage played to give each player their differential.
Why the course rating?
The course rating is the “USGA’s mark that indicates the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer under normal course and weather conditions.
The rating is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring ability of a scratch golfer.”*
What if a player does not start, no shows, withdraws, no cards or is disqualified from an SCJGA event?
Due to an increase in withdrawals at recent SCJGA events we have decided to adopt the Junior Golf Scoreboard policy on the below mentioned terms as of March 7, 2019.
| Category Name | Deisgnation | Explanation |
| No show before the competition begins | DNS | Players who do not come to the tournament at all |
| No show | NS | Completed one or more rounds and fails to report for tee time the following day and has not previously notified an SCJGA staff member |
| Withdrawal | WD | Reserved for a deliberate voluntary action or decision not to continue play after having started a competition and turned in a score for the partial/entire stipulated round |
| No card | NC | After having begun a competition – a deliberate decision not to sign or turn in a card |
| Disqualified | DQ | Reserved for an actual USGA rules infraction that occurs without a deliberate or managed intention |
After (2) consecutive withdraws from SCJGA events, the player will be suspended from the next SCJGA Major.
For all SCJGA events, partial round scores will be posted.
How are the points awarded?
Points are awarded in reverse order based on the size of the field. Overall winner also receives 5 extra pints for winning.
Example: It there are 10 players in an event
1st place 10 + 5 = 15 points
2nd place 9 points
3rd place 8 points
4th place 7 points
5th place 6 points
6th place 5 points
7th place 4 points
8th place 3 points
9th place 2 points
10th place 1 point
The corresponding points are then multiplied by the “event multiplier”.
What is a multiplier?
The event multiplier gives us the chance to give more established events more points. The multiplier is determined based on historical data of the size and strength of the field.
What about ties?
They are split, unless an on course playoff is held and then that playoff determines the finish.
Do all divisions receive points?
No, only the players who play from the longest yardage are awarded rankings points.
What if two or more divisions play from the longest yardage set of tee?
Then the divisions are merged into one overall division and points are then awarded for the overall and not the divisions.
What do the rankings reflect?
How well individual players have fared in the PAST 12 MONTHS in selected tournaments, unless they have graduated from high school, then they are deleted the September after they graduate from high school.
Is there a minimum amount of contestants in an event to be used for rankings?
Yes, there must be at least 15 boys or 6 girls playing from the longest set of tees in each event before the results can be used.
Do you add events in mid-season?
Yes. A boys’ tournament with 15 boys or a girls’ tournament with 6 girls playing the longest set of tees in that event will be used.
The multiplier for those events will be set after the results are received and evaluated based on the size and strength of the field.
Can the multiplier be adjusted after the competition?
While each event is judged on the previous years field, the rankings committee reserves the right to adjust the multiplier.
This may be done if the field is small, or the depth of the field is not as deep as it was in the past.
Does a round being canceled affect the multiplier?
Since the number of holes to be played does factor into determining the multiplier, the multiplier is reduced the percentage of holes that are canceled.
For an example, if a 36-hole event with a 4 multiplier is shortened to 18-holes, the multiplier is reduced by 50% to a 2.
What if a round is shortened to 9 holes?
Rounds shortened to 9 holes will not be used for rankings.
When 9 holes rounds are eliminated, the rankings results are based off all 18-hole rounds completed and may be different from the actual player finish position published by the tournament.
The multiplier will be adjusted as called for in the example above.
Why only individual events?
We do not use Four-Ball or team score events because results do not reflect the contribution of two players in all cases. In some cases, one player may “carry” the other.
Is it updated daily?
No. They are updated by the 10th of each month, unless otherwise noted. As we share data with the CGA, we must wait until the 5th of each month and make sure all of their player profiles are updated as well.
What about mistakes?
Unless catastrophic errors are found, mistakes are fixed for the next update.
Is there a maximum or minimum yardage to be played from?
No. We do recommend that the boys play a yardage around 6700 yards and girls play a yardage around 5700 yards, but there is not a requirement.
Are juniors who have graduated from high school deleted?
Yes, juniors who have graduated are deleted in the September rankings after they have graduated from high school.
Weights (as posted on the 2019 Junior Schedule of the Carolinas):
https://www.carolinasgolf.org/junior-amateur-schedule
If an event is not listed, it will still be eligible for rankings as long as it meets the minimum guidelines. Standard rule of thumb is if there is no field selection, entry is based on date of entry, a one day tournament will be a 2 weight and a 36 hole event will be a 4 weight.
