Charleston, SC (October 19, 2024) - The 2024 Watson Cup Matches contested at Yeamans Hall Club was completed yesterday with some quality competition between junior golfers representing the South Carolina Junior Golf Association and the East Lothian Junior Golf League from Scotland. Beginning the final round with a 14-point lead, Team South Carolina teed off against Team Scotland in singles matches and closed out the day as the 2024 Watson Cup champions.
The scoring format is based on match play featuring availability to earn a point for the front nine, a point for the back nine, and a point for the overall match, allowing for three total points per match.
Friday’s singles matches started off closely competitive, but a strong performance from Team South Carolina secured 13 points to Scotland’s 11 points. Will Ruth (Moore) brought home all three points in his singles match against Scotland’s Kaylen Martin. Teddy Dunn (Blythewood) tied the front nine of his match, ultimately coming out on top, winning the back nine and the overall point, earning two and a half points for Team South Carolina. Harrison James (Chapin) and Cade Kriscunas (Hilton Head) each secured two points in their singles matches. Bennett Scaletta (Belton) tied the front and the back nine, splitting the points with Scotland, earning one and a half points. Sage Bradshaw (Beaufort) and Dawson Szabo (Greer) each earned one point from their matches. Casey Kosney (Spartanburg) battled his way through his match against Scotland’s Jack Collingswood, who would secure three points for Team Scotland.
Team South Carolina won the 2024 Watson Cup by scoring 32 points in three rounds of play against Team Scotland, which scored 16 points. This year’s South Carolina victory in the matches puts the record at 3-0 in the win-loss column in the event's history in favor of the U.S. (the Watson Cup is contested every other year, beginning in 2018, and was not contested in 2020).
The South Carolina Junior Golf Association and South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation would like to express gratitude to Yeamans Hall Club for its incredible hospitality this week and to the sponsors who made the 2024 Watson Cup possible.
For more information about the Watson Cup, please visit the tournament homepage: Information & Results
About the Watson Cup
Modeled after the Walker Cup matches that have been contested between amateur golfers from the US, Great Britain, and Ireland since 1922, the Watson Cup matches are intended to celebrate the historical 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 also allow South Carolina and Scottish juniors to participate in the type of international team competitions revered by amateur and professional golfers in the Walker, Ryder, and Presidents Cups and gain experience in the different skills required to play golf on each side of the Atlantic.
The cup 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 regarded as the most significant American player to play links-style 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, has won two victories at the Heritage Tournament in Hilton Head and course designs such as the Cassique Course at Kiawah Island and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988. Teams will not only be competing for the title but also the prestigious honor of hoisting the exquisite Watson Cup trophy crafted by Susanne and Bill Juaire of the S.R. Blackinton Company located in Providence, Rhode Island.
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.
For more information about the South Carolina Junior Golf Association, visit www.scjga.org
