Sunny Skies Help Make Myrtle Beach Preseason Classic a Rousing Success

The 54-hole, two-man team event was played on six of the best Myrtle Beach golf courses and featured a different format of play each day. The tournament attracted players from 22 states, including Alaska, and international participants from Italy, Canada and Uruguay. 

The event's winners reflected that geographic diversity. 

Jared Albritton of West Monroe, La., and Dustin Chamblee of Columbia, S.C., won Flight A with a team score of 272, three strokes better than the nearest competition.

Jeff and Denise Edwards of Orlando, Fla., were the Flight B champions, firing a 278, which was three strokes better than the runner ups. 

Flight A played The Wizard, Blackmoor Golf Club and True Blue, an outstanding trio of Myrtle Beach golf courses. The Wizard is a links-style design that provided players a taste of the “Old Country” with its pot bunkers, rolling fairways and large greens. 

Blackmoor is the only Myrtle Beach golf course designed by Gary Player, one of the game's legends. The 8th hole, which allows players the opportunity to turn a standard dogleg right into a short par 4 for those with the courage to take a shortcut. 

True Blue is ranked among America's top 100 public courses by Golf Magazine and Golf Channel and is every bit as good as the hype would suggest. The yawning waste bunkers frame a layout that features some of the area's largest greens and create stunning visuals, making it a must-play for those booking Myrtle Beach tee times. 

The course lineup for Flight B was no less impressive, beginning with an opening round at Arrowhead Country Club, one of just six courses that play along the Intracoastal Waterway. With always outstanding conditions, the Ray Floyd design is one of the area's best and more underrated Myrtle Beach golf course. 

The final two rounds for Flight B competitors were at River Club and the Norman Course at Barefoot Resort. River Club is a hidden gem in Pawleys Island highlighted by the par 5 18th, one of the Grand Strand's top 100 holes and a great risk-reward challenge. 

The Norman Course, designed by the Shark, Greg Norman, is one of the best Myrtle Beach golf courses and has four holes along the Intracoastal on the back nine. The most memorable of the Norman Course's challenges is the par 3 10th, which demands a downhill tee shot to a green that buffets the waterway. 

The Preseason Classic, which was just $199 for participants, delivered incredible value to its nearly 200 players.