Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA (September 24, 2014) - The 31st Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship required an extra hole to determine the World Champion and also exhibited an international championship flavour.
Dennis Rasku of Pompano Beach, Fla., made a net birdie (gross par) on the first hole to win a three-way, sudden-death playoff and the World Championship Playoff at Barefoot Resort's Dye Club. Rasku, a 9 handicap, defeated Tony Wallace, a 5 handicap from Fayetteville, N.C., and Ben Hamby, a 7 handicap from Winter Springs, Fla., after they shot net 72s. More than 3,400 golfers participated in the annual tournament.
Thong van Nguyen of China was among the international participants from 34 countries who reached the exclusive Friday finale following the 72-hole flight competition. This year marked the third time that China has sent participants, the result of nationwide qualifying earlier this summer. The U.S.-Sino Cup, a Ryder Cup-style competition, debuted in China earlier this summer and will be contested again next August in conjunction with the 2015 World Amateur.
Brazilians, Joao Tomazelli and Denis Song Min Cho, shot a team total of 155 to win the International Pairs event and earned the right to compete in Scotland next year in the IP World Finals. More than 300 teams participated in the two-person net team tournament that was conducted within the individual competition. The Brazilian team received the Grand Prize of round-trip airfare for two and accommodations for the World Finals, scheduled for next Autumn.
Also during the week, The Golf Channel announced the field for the reality golf show, 'Big Break Myrtle Beach'. Carolin Pineggar from Austria and Krista Puisite from Latvia were among the 12 participants in the taping this summer in Myrtle Beach. The show debuts Oct. 7 on The Golf Channel.
"Once again, the World Amateur Handicap Championship proved Myrtle Beach is an attractive and iconic golf destination worldwide," said Jeff Monday, the World Amateur Handicap Championship tournament director. "Our country count was up by more than 25 percent this year and the international competitors fared quite well, which speaks to the growing appeal of the event to international players."
Canada had the most international participants, outside of the United States, with the emerging golf nations of China (20 players) and Brazil (14 players) also well represented. Other international entries came from: Australia, Austria, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Germany, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, United States-Outlying Islands, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands.
Here are some numbers to digest from this year's World Amateur:
* 38: Courses used daily
* 61: Courses utilized for the entire week
* 76: Total number of flights
* 90: Players at each course daily
* 3,405: 2014 field size
* 5,000: Estimated participants and guests visiting the World's Largest 19th Hole nightly at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center
* 112: Estimated kegs of beer consumed for the week at the 19th Hole
* Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 2015: Dates for the 32nd World Amateur
* +4-36.4: Range of handicaps in the competition
* 15,423 kilometers: The approximate distance four Australians traveled to reach Myrtle Beach, the farthest distance of any competitors
