World Amateur Handicap Championship Surpasses 3,330 Players

The PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com World Amateur Handicap Championship continues to build momentum as more than 3,300 players from all 50 states and 12 countries have already registered for the 38th annual event.

A 72-hole, net stroke play tournament, the World Am will be played August 30 - September 3 on 55 of the Myrtle Beach area’s premier courses. Entries for this year’s event are tracking at their highest pace since 2009 and are 15% percent ahead of 2019.

“Even after everything that has happened over the last 15 months, the passion golfers have for the World Am is as strong as it has ever been,” Tournament Director Scott Tomasello said. “We can’t wait to welcome players to Myrtle Beach, where this year, even more than most, the tournament will be not only a celebration of golf but also the camaraderie the game helps foster.”

In addition to the opportunity to claim the mantle of World Champion, the return of the World’s Largest 19th Hole has certainly driven interest in this year’s event. The 19th Hole, which takes up all 120,000 square feet of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center is the heartbeat of the tournament, providing players free food and drink, live entertainment, a golf expo and more.

The World Am was held as scheduled last year but the 19th Hole was shuddered to help protect players from Covid-19.

Entry into the tournament, which includes at least four rounds of golf, nightly admission to the World’s Largest 19th Hole and a gift bag, is $619 through July 8th, a $60 savings off the regular cost. The registration deadline is August 5th.

While much of the 2021 tournament will look familiar to players, there will be two new women’s divisions this year. For the first time, there will be a women’s gross division, and the ladies, who previously had just one age group, will be split into two groups - 59 and under and 60 and older.

The World Am, which flights players based on age, gender and handicap, is open to all golfers 17 years of age and older.

The World Am flights players into 11 divisions – men 49 and under, senior men (50-59), mid-senior men (60-69), super senior men (70-79), seasoned seniors (80+), women (59 and under), senior women (60+), the gross division, senior (50+) gross division and women’s gross division. There is also a “Just For Fun” flight, created for players who want to enjoy the World Am experience without the pressure of competition.

After four days of play, all flight winners and ties advance to the World Championship Playoff at the Resort Course at Grande Dunes, an 18-hole shootout that crowns the event’s winner.

While the competition is initially what lures players to the tournament, it’s only part of what keeps them coming back. At the heart of the World Am’s appeal is the camaraderie among its participants and much of that kinship is fostered at the World’s Largest 19th Hole.

Each night of the event, the 19th Hole overtakes all 120,000-square feet of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, providing participants with free food and drinks, live entertainment, celebrity guest appearances, a golf expo and more. Among the big names that have appeared at the 19th Hole in recent years are David Feherty, Brandel Chamblee, Charlie Rymer and John Daly.

Players will also receive a gift bag that includes a polo, a pullover, a golf towel, a logo’d hat, a PGA Tour Superstore gift card and an assortment of other goodies valued cumulatively at $250.

For more information, please visit www.MyrtleBeachWorldAmateur.com.