Area Golf News

Dave Macpherson Named World Am Tournament Director

<p>July 1, 2008, Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Representatives of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday announced today that Dave Macpherson has been named as the tournament director of the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship. Macpherson takes over the reins from Steve Mays who served as the tournament director for 10 years before his promotion to director of marketing for Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday in April.<br>
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As the tournament director, Macpherson’s primary focus revolves around the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship, the world’s largest single-site amateur golf tournament, and directs all facets of the event and its $3 million operating budget.<br>
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Macpherson has served as the tournament director for the Palmetto High School Golf Championships and the Veterans Golf Classic for three years since joining the Golf Holiday family in 2005. He also spent three years as the World Am’s tournament coordinator with his responsibilities including golf course setup and operations, the management of the 19th Hole and overseeing the tournament’s handicap policies and procedures.<br>
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Before coming to Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, Macpherson worked for Arnold Palmer Golf Management for three years in event planning and marketing before moving back to Myrtle Beach. A 2002 graduate of Coastal Carolina University, Macpherson earned a degree in business administration, with a concentration in professional golf management.<br>
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“I am very excited to take over as the World Am tournament director in such a significant year, the 25th anniversary of the ‘world’s largest amateur golf tournament,’” said the native of Buffalo, N.Y. “I have had the pleasure of working with the World Am for the past three years and feel ready to take on the additional responsibilities as the tournament director. The World Am and its participants have built a special culture over the past 24 years and I hope to help the event continue to grow.”<br>
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“We feel very comfortable in handing over the leadership of the World Am to Dave Macpherson,” said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. “Dave earned the chance to lead this event and we are confident he will continue to grow the stature of the World Amateur.”<br>
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The PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship is a 72-hole tournament played on more than 55 Myrtle Beach area golf courses each August. Participants compete for the right to be crowned “World Amateur Golf Champion” and to win some of the more than $250,000 in prizes given away at the tournament. Players are flighted according to their handicap and at the conclusion of the 72-holes, flight winners advance to the 18-hole world championship playoff at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.<br>
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Each evening after tournament play, participants and their guests attend the “World’s Largest 19th Hole” at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center which includes an extensive golf exposition, equipment demos, entertainment, open bars, prize drawings and food from Myrtle Beach’s best restaurants. Returning to the 19th Hole again in 2008 is the 40,000 square foot PGA TOUR Superstore interactive experience featuring merchandise from leading golf equipment and apparel manufacturers, game improvement areas and clinics from leading instructors. PGA TOUR Superstore will also hold skill contests and games for participants and guests to enjoy.<br>
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The World Amateur will once again honor past participant Cory Lemke with the Cory Lemke Parent-Child Championship, a free of charge tournament for any combination of parent and child participating in the World Amateur. Before tragically losing his life in a 2006 motorcycle accident, Lemke competed in the World Am with his father, Mark Lemke, and won his flight in 2002 at the age of 15. Registration for the Parent-Child Championship is limited to the first 150 teams. The top 10 teams with the lowest net scores will receive PGA TOUR Superstore gift certificates. For the third consecutive year, the World Amateur will serve as the United States qualifier for the International Pairs Championship, with the winners receiving an all expenses paid trip to St. Andrews, Scotland, to represent the U.S. in the tournament finale.<br>
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Golfers can register now online at the World Am website, WorldAmGolf.com, or call 1-800-833-8798.<br>
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About PGA TOUR Superstores<br>
PGA TOUR Superstores are owned and operated by Golf & Tennis Pro Shop, Inc. (GTPS), headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Each Superstore is dedicated to providing consumers with exceptional selection, services and prices within an entertaining, interactive store environment. GTPS is the PGA TOUR’s exclusive PGA TOUR partner for off-course/off-airport golf retailing. Two Superstores operate as Martin’s PGA TOUR Superstore in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Four Superstores operate in the Atlanta area (Roswell, Kennesaw, Duluth, Buckhead) and two stores operate in the Dallas, Texas area as PGA TOUR Superstore. Future expansion plans also include locations in Orlando, Fla.; Houston, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; and the Southern California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego in the near future. All Superstores are focused on game improvement in golf and tennis, as well as growing the games. Each store offers swing analysis, golf instruction by professional instructors, club fittings, indoor practice greens, and hitting nets, as well as golf and tennis apparel, golf-themed home furnishings, and a vast selection of golf and tennis equipment. The PGA TOUR Superstore’s Web site address is pgatoursuperstore.com.<br>
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About Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday<br>
Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday is a non-profit trade association of 78 championship golf courses, 108 golf package providers and five golf schools in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area. Founded in 1967, the organization has been and continues to be the driving force behind the growth of the Myrtle Beach area golf market. The originator of the “Stay and Play Package,” Golf Holiday provides non-biased information about the area accommodations and golf courses to assist golfers in making the most informed decisions when planning for their next vacation. Golf Holiday also hosts seven events and tournaments annually to help grow the game of golf and attract golfers to the Grand Strand during slower times of year. In addition to hosting the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship – the world's largest on-site golf tournament, Golf Holiday also manages the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After The Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament each spring, Summer Family Golf Tournaments, the Spring and Fall Palmetto High School Golf Championships, the Veterans Golf Classic and the FDNY 9-11 Memorial Golf Outing. For more information, call Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday at 1-800-833-8798 or visit GolfHoliday.com.</p>