Kiawah Island

Special to The Sault News

BOYNE FALLS – BOYNE Golf’s own Jeff Roth had to wait an extra year to defend his record sixth win in the 29th Tournament of Champions, which starts Monday at Boyne Mountain Resort.

The 2020 edition was not presented due to pandemic concerns, but the unique tournament that includes juniors, seniors, professionals, and amateurs of both sexes, all playing for one title from different tee positions, is back with a powerhouse field of 115 golfers.

All who are invited have won selected significant Michigan golf championships, both amateur and professional, and some are on the lists of Michigan’s most decorated golfers in history.

Roth, who teaches at the BOYNE Golf Academy at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, makes all the lists. He is among the 14 Michigan Golf Hall of Fame golfers who will be in this year’s championship. He is also among seven golfers who are past champions that have returned.

And he will be among the favorites to win the traditional green sport coat presented to the winner once again. After all, at age 61 in 2019, he went wire-to-wire holding off Kalamazoo mini-tour player Barrett Kelpin, who had won the tournament in 2015.

Roth is also fresh off playing in the PGA Tour’s Michigan stop, the Rocket-Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.

The Michigan Golf Hall of Famers in the field in addition to Roth include Bob Ackerman, Ken Allard, Ron Beurmann, Brian Cairns, Greg Davies, Randy Erskine, Tom Harding, Scott Hebert, Dave Kendall, Larry Mancour, Jack Seltzer, John Traub and Tom Werkmeister.

The seven past champions joining Roth (2019, ’12, ’08, 1999, ’96 and ’95) include 2018 winner Alex Scott, 2016 winner Korey Mahoney, 2015 winner Kelpin, two-time champion Andy Ruthkoski (2013, ’14), 2009 winner Scott Hebert and 1997 winner Tom Harding.

While Roth managed to beat the assortment of younger professionals and top amateurs in 2019, the 2018 title was won for the first time by an amateur.

Scott, a former Grand Valley State University standout from Traverse City who has since turned professional, shot the best round of his life tying the course and tournament record with an 11-under 61 final round on the Alpine Course, and then won a sudden-death playoff with mini-tour player Sam Weatherhead of Grand Rapids.

Scott, Weatherhead and several other mini-tour professionals are in the field, including 2018 Michigan Open champion Jake Kneen of White Lake, and 2018 Michigan Amateur champion Beau Breault of Howell.

Ben Cook of Yankee Springs Golf Course in Wayland, last summer’s Michigan PGA Professional Champion who was the low club professional earlier this year in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, S.C., is in the field for the first time.

Bradley Smithson, the Michigan State University golfer from Grand Rapids who won the Turtle Creek Casino Michigan Open Championship earlier this summer is playing, too.

Some top women are in the field as well, including 2019 Michigan Women’s Open champion Anika Dy, 2020 Michigan Women’s Amateur champion Anna Kramer, and 2019 Michigan Women’s Amateur champion Elayna Bowser. A woman has won the championship. Stacy Snider, a former Michigan State University star who had turned professional, bested the field in 2003.

“It’s another amazing field with great champions, professional and amateur, college players, mini-tour professionals and several of our top Michigan PGA Section players and Hall of Fame members,” said Justin Phillips, the tournament director for the Michigan PGA Section, which sanctions and administers the unique championship. “It is the 29th year and it remains one of the most unique tournaments in the country at one of the top resorts in the country.”

The field will play the 54-hole stroke play championship on two courses. The Monday round and Wednesday’s final round are on the classic Alpine course, and Tuesday's round is on The Monument course. A 36-hole cut to the low 60 scorers and ties follows the second round. This year’s purse for the professionals is $65,000.

In addition to a celebration of champions, the tournament is a family affair of champions, too.

Family combinations entered include brothers Andrew and Travis Dodson, brothers Ben and Josh Proben, brothers Jeff and Steven Cuzzort, father-son Jack and John Seltzer, father-son Frank and Frank McAuliffe IV, father-son Tom and Parker Jamieson, father-son Denis and Darrin Husse, father-son Gary and Bradley Smithson, father-son Jim and Austin Dieters, brother-sister Evan and Elayna Bowser and sisters Anika and Anci Dy.

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina – The young man behind the counter at the West Beach pool helped me pick out a bike, handed me a map and told me to have fun.

What a contrast to the security attendant I encountered a few moments before, who made me feel like an interloper at the gated entrance to Kiawah Island.

I brushed aside her grouchiness and headed out on two wheels, pedaling first through the island’s leafy interior before heading to the beach, where the sand at low tide cuts an incredible coastal path along the Atlantic.

Kiawah, the mostly private barrier island about 25 miles south of Charleston, is often included on lists of the world’s most beautiful beaches. For that reason alone, I put the island on the top of my to-do list as I planned a short trip to South Carolina to try out the new Breeze Airways flights out of Akron-Canton Airport.

It’s not the simplest place to visit, however, especially if you’re not spending the night.

Staying overnight

There’s one hotel on the island, the tony Sanctuary, a gorgeous, ocean-front AAA five-diamond property with 255 rooms. Rates here run $500 and up during the summer, which was too steep for me.

Instead, I overnighted at a hotel on U.S. 17, a 30-minute drive away, and planned a day trip to the island. Shortly after arrival, however, I wasn’t entirely sure that my plan was a good one.

I had called earlier to make a reservation for the Jasmine Porch, inside the Sanctuary, one of the island’s numerous restaurants. It’s one of several ways that non-guests are encouraged to visit the island, owned primarily by the Kiawah Island Golf Resort and other real estate development companies.

I made it to Kiawah by 10 a.m. on a recent Sunday, told the woman at the gate that I had a restaurant reservation and asked for a map of the island. She told me I wasn’t to linger on the island and wouldn’t give me a map.

“But I’m planning on renting bikes,” I told her. “You’re not allowed to rent bikes,” she told me.

That came as news to the young man at the nearby West Beach pool, who told me I was welcome to rent a bicycle and to pedal anywhere I liked. “Security being security,” he said, and shrugged.

Indeed, non-guests are also welcome to sign up for recreational activities and nature programs, including dolphin encounters, kayak tours, art classes and more.

They’re even allowed to golf – and this island is well known for its spectacular and prestigious courses, including the waterfront Ocean Course, which hosted the 2021 PGA Championship in May. Five courses are open to the public, whether you’re staying on the island or not, including the Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course, Cougar Point, Turtle Point, Osprey Point and Oak Point.

I’m not a golfer, which kept my to-do list simple for my short visit: Explore the island by bike, enjoy a nice meal, check out the beach, maybe witness some wildlife.

I popped into the Nature Center, too, for some air conditioned-relief, where I saw numerous snakes, turtles, a stuffed bobcat and two infant alligators in tanks (the only gators I saw during my visit, despite omnipresent signage warning visitors to stay away from ponds and waterways).

I enjoyed almost all of it – the biking was terrific, with 30 miles of shady, flat, paved paths that rarely intersected with the roadways; and the Southern cuisine at Jasmine Porch was excellent, featuring she-crab soup and crab cakes plus bottomless peach iced tea. The beach, as expected, was absolutely stunning, massive at low tide, flat and perfect for walking, cycling, lounging, even bocce playing.

The attitude of the folks manning the security gates, however, was decidedly unwelcoming. Perhaps purposely so?

Cocktails at the Ocean Course

After we returned our bikes, my husband and I decided to have a drink at the Ryder Cup Bar, at the far east end of the island, overlooking the spectacular 18th hole of the Ocean Course. Our waitress at lunch assured us that the bar was open to the public.

There is a second security gate about midway down the island, which controls access to the eastern half of Kiawah. I told the woman at the gate that we were headed to the Ryder Cup Bar.

She saw the pass from earlier in the day on our car’s dashboard and asked us if we had been to the beach. “Um, yes,” I answered. She then told us that we should not have been on the beach. “If we let everyone on the beach, there wouldn’t be enough room for the people who pay a premium for access,” she said.

That did not seem to be remotely a possibility, given the size of the beach here. But I smiled and nodded.

In a more friendly tone, she said she would make an exception for us, and handed us a pass to proceed to the bar. I thanked her while controlling the urge to roll my eyes.

My husband was put off by her attitude that seemed to suggest we weren’t welcome. I was amused, but also confused.

Other than the security staff, everyone we encountered on the island – vacationers, homeowners, wait staff, shopkeepers – were all wonderful and welcoming. They seemed to want us around.

The drive out to the Ocean Course was stunning, past spectacular, multimillion-dollar-plus properties, along live-oak lined roadways that were draped with Spanish moss.

At the end of the drive: the Ryder Cup Bar, where I very much enjoyed a cocktail called a sweet tea mojito. I sipped my beverage and enjoyed the view.

Thirst (and curiosity) quenched, we made our way back west, toward the only public destination on the island, Kiawah Beachwalker Park, part of the Charleston County Parks system (note: parking here is $15).

While technically all beaches in South Carolina are public, private landowners can (and do) restrict access to those beaches.

Beachwalker park provides public access to Kiawah’s entire 10-mile stretch of sand. Theoretically, a visitor could access the beach here and traverse (by foot or bicycle) the entire stretch of the Kiawah coast.

I wasn’t that ambitious, walking perhaps a mile to the island’s western end, where the Kiawah River joins the ocean. I was hoping to see some dolphins strand feeding, a fascinating practice where the dolphins herd fish onto the sand then launch themselves out of the water to eat. Kiawah, nearby Hilton Head and other low-lying coastal regions are among the handful of places throughout the world where this occurs, typically just before or after low tide.

Alas, I didn’t see any dolphins, but the beach was engaging enough – wide and flat and glorious.

I could have walked longer, but my feet were tired, the sun was setting and my hotel was a half hour drive away.

If you go: Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Getting there: Kiawah is about 25 miles southwest of Charleston, an easy drive from the airport or downtown.

Staying overnight: The Sanctuary offers 255 oceanfront rooms, starting at about $500 per night during the summer. Other options include the Andell Inn, part of the Freshfields Village development, just off Kiawah on St. Johns Island.

The island also has hundreds of villas and private homes available to rent via the Kiawah Island Golf Resort or individual owners.

More information: kiawahresort.com, kiawahisland.com, charlestoncvb.com

With a win at The 149th Open Championship, Collin Morikawa claimed the final major trophy up for grabs in 2021. The Cal Berkeley product joined Hideki Matsuyama (Masters), Phil Mickelson (PGA), and Jon Rahm (U.S. Open) as the year’s major champions.

It may go down as one of the greatest major seasons in history with Mickelson’s win at 50 years old, headlining the four.

Matsuyama, Morikawa, and Rahm are three of the game’s elite players – all 20-somethings in their prime, so this season could take on even more significance, historically speaking, as their legacies grow.

Here’s a look-back at the 2021 season’s four winners, including scores, stats, and photos.

Hideki Matsuyama Wins 2021 Masters

Storyline: Matsuyama became the first Japanese golfer to win a men’s major golf championship.

2021 Masters Tournament

Dates: April 8-11, 2021
Where: Augusta, Ga.
Course: Augusta National GC
Distance: Par 72, 7435 yards

Champion: Hideki Matsuyama

Age: 29
Nationality Japan
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 190 lbs
Golf Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV
Winnings: $2,070,000
OWGR: 25th to 14th
Scores: 69, 71, 65, 73
Driving: 288.6 yards
Fairways: 64.3%
Greens: 69.5%
Scoring: 3 Eagles, 13 Birdies, 47 Pars, 9 Bogeys

Hideki’s Four Rounds at The Masters

Round 1: -3, 69, 2nd (Recap)
Round 2: -4, 71, 6th (Recap)
Round 3: -11, 65, 1st (Recap)
Round 4: -10, 73, 1st (Recap)

2021 Masters: Top 5

Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Hideki Matsuyama -10 (+1)
2. Will Zalatoris -9 (-2)
3. Jordan Spieth -7 (-2)
3. Xander Schauffele -7 (E)
5. Jon Rahm -6 (-6)
5. Marc Leishman -6 (+1)

Phil Turns Back Time to Win the PGA Championship

Storyline: At 50, Mickelson became the oldest golfer to win a major championship.

2021 PGA Championship

Dates: May 20-23, 2021
Where: Kiawah Island, SC
Course: Ocean Course
Distance: Par 72, 7849 yards

Champion: Phil Mickelson

Age: 50
Nationality: American
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 200 lb
Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X Triple Track
Winnings: $2,160,000
OWGR: 115th to 32nd
Scores: 70, 69, 70, 73
Driving: 313.1 yards
Fairways: 55.4%
Greens: 63.9%
Scoring: 22 Birdies, 36 Pars, 14 Bogeys

Phil’s Four Rounds at the PGA

Round 1: -2, 70, 8th (Recap)
Round 2: -5, 69, 1st (Recap)
Round 3: -7, 70, 1st (Recap)
Round 4: -6, 73, 1st (Recap)

2021 PGA: Top 5

Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Phil Mickelson -6 (+1)
2. Brooks Koepka -4 (+2)
2. Louis Oosthuizen -4 (+1)
4. Padraig Harrington -2 (-3)
4. Shane Lowry -2 (-3)
4. Harry Higgs -2 (-2)
4. Paul Casey -2 (-1)

Jon Rahm Claims Maiden Major at U.S. Open

Storyline: Previously the best player in the world without a major, Rahm became the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Open.

2021 U.S. Open

Dates: June 17-20, 2021
Where: La Jolla, CA
Course: Torrey Pines GC
Distance: Par 71, 7698 yards

Champion: Jon Rahm

Age: 26
Nationality Spain
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 220 lb
Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X
Winnings: $2,250,000
OWGR: 3rd to 1st
Scores: 69, 70, 72, 67
Driving: 317.6 yards
Fairways: 52.0%
Greens: 68.0%
Scoring: 15 Birdies, 49 Pars, 7 Bogeys, 1 Double

Rahm’s Four Rounds at the U.S. Open

Round 1: -2, 69, 5th (Recap)
Round 2: -3, 70, 5th (Recap)
Round 3: -2, 72, 6th (Recap)
Round 4: -6, 67, 1st (Recap)

2021 U.S. Open: Top 5

Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Jon Rahm -6 (-4)
2. Louis Oosthuizen -5 (E)
3. Harris English -3 (-3)
4. Guido Migliozzi -2 (-3)
4. Brooks Koepka -2 (-2)
4. Collin Morikawa -2 (-1)

Collin Morikawa Wins Second Career Major at The Open

Storyline: Became the First Player in the Modern Era To Win Two Majors in Less Than 10 Major Starts

The 2021 Open Championship

Dates: July 15-18, 2021
Where: Sandwich, Kent, England
Course: Royal St George’s
Distance: Par 70, 7204 yards

Champion: Collin Morikawa

Age: 24
Nationality: American
Height: 5′ 9″
Weight: 160 lb
Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5
Winnings: $2,070,000
OWGR: 4th to 3rd
Scores: 67, 64, 68, 66
Driving: 295.0 yards
Fairways: 60.7%
Greens: 75.0%
Scoring: 19 Birdies, 49 Pars, 4 Bogeys

Morikawa’s Four Rounds at The Open

Round 1: -3, 67, 9th (Recap)
Round 2: -9, 64, 2nd (Recap)
Round 3: -11, 68, 2nd (Recap)
Round 4: -15, 66, 1st (Recap)

2021 The Open: Top 5

Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Collin Morikawa -15 (-4)
2. Jordan Spieth -13 (-4)
3. Jon Rahm -11 (-4)
3. Louis Oosthuizen -11 (+1)
5. Dylan Frittelli -9 (-2)

NEWPORT — Jack Sock found love, as well as his love for tennis.

The 28-year-old Sock was a rising American star on the men’s court, and ranked among the top 10 in the world before injuries and losses dropped him not only out of the top 100, but out of the top 200 as he entered this week at No. 231.

A Nebraska native, Sock began a relationship with former Miss North Carolina USA Laura Little, moved to Charlotte and the two were married on the beach in Kiawah Island, S.C., in December.

“I don’t know how many people went from top-10 ranked to starting over,” Sock said. “To get a string of tournaments here in the states this summer makes the travel a lot easier, you’re playing in front of home fans and all that. It’s a great feeling.”

Sock fell to 35-year-old South African veteran and former world No. 5 player Kevin Anderson Thursday, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinal round of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Open.

“Mentally, it’s not easy going from the top 10, to getting byes in these tournaments and play on the weekend in a lot of them,” Sock said. “It’s not easy coming back and grinding your way through it again.

“This is the start of the second half of my career and I feel as if I have a lot to prove and play a lot of great tennis in front of me.”

Just four years ago, he was the No. 8 ranked player in the world, a season in which he won three of his four career titles. And he is well above .500 in career wins (166) as compared to losses (134), while having a 28-28 record in Grand Slam events.

His tennis life has been reduced to the Challenger circuit where he has met with mixed, but promising, results, winning five matches in June to take the Little Rock, Arkansas, title, losing first-round matches in Orlando and Tallahassee to stand at 10-6 overall.

In making his fifth Newport appearance, Sock was only entered into the field when Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin extended him a wild card invitation. Sock wilted after winning the first set, dropping serve in the first game of the second set and again in the seventh game of the third set. All the while, Anderson uncorked 20 aces and faced just two break points.

“I’ve been primarily playing Challengers this year, it’s been tougher because of that because the schedule is pretty sporadic,” Sock said. “It’s not like spending a bunch of weeks in Europe or somewhere else. With the quarantine rules and testing, it’s been a grind.”

Sock, a two-time Newport semifinalist, was making his first ATP Tour quarterfinal showing since the 2018 Masters 1000 in Paris. Sock owns a U.S. Olympic gold medal and has won both U.S. Open and Wimbledon doubles titles as well among his 14 tour doubles titles.

“Hopefully, if I keep building my ranking up, I can get in ATP events again and that would make my schedule a little easier than instead of trying to find tournaments around the world,” Sock said.

“The social media people thought that I was dead and gone in this sport and I would no longer be around. Some things I couldn’t control with injuries and COVID, there’s nothing that I can change about it now.“It’s nice to engage and have human inter-action and have fans believe in you, that want to support you and are positive with you.

“I love going out there and performing and putting my best effort out there in trying to win. I have the perfect blend of a support team to come back.”

Alexander Bublik, a finalist in 2019 and the highest ranked player (at No. 37) in the field, survived 21 aces by Ivo Karlovic, but served 22 of his own to win his first round match and then took a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jason Jung in his quarterfinal round match, hitting 14 aces and winning 85 percent (22 of 26) of his first service points.

“When you’re (ranked) 37 th and No. 1 (seed) means the field is not that strong,” the self-deprecating 24-year old Kazakhstan. “You have to treat all the players carefully – No. 1, No. 2, No. 52 you have to give your best You have to go through some hard times to enjoy (success) What pressure? From who?.”

Sock felt no pressure at all in returning to Newport, overcoming a one-set deficit to win his first match over Australian Alex Bolt 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and then upsetting No. 55 ranked and No. 3 seeded Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, winning 88 percent (23 of 26) of his first service points.

“I’ve accomplished a lot in my career, a lot of things that I’m proud of,” Sock said. “I’m out there to try to add to that. I’m playing with house money (with over $10-million in earning).”

Sock can still uncork 120 mph serves and his forehand has been clocked at 100 mph. But when your dominant right thumb can’t hold a racquet and back ailments hinder your bending, the results are losses and a tumble down the rankings, outside of the 1928 ranked players and without any ATP points.

That was a hard reality for Sock, who went 80-0 and won four straight singles titles at Blue Valley North High in Overland, Park, Kansas before turning pro at the age of 18.

He engaged with a new coach, former top 50 player Alex Bogomolov. His comeback began last September at the French Open where he won three qualifying rounds and then a main draw win over Reilly Opelka, then ranked No. 36.

“I’m showing that I can play some great tennis again – for me it’s just the beginning. I feel as if it’s easier now to go out and play and play freely. I’m in a much different place in my life.

“Obviously, I was at an incredibly high level, that I think that I can get back to.”

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The Kiawah Island Planning Department is looking to improve the bike and pedestrians lanes along a major island thoroughfare.

The road in question is Beachwalker Drive. It runs from the public beach access at Beachwalker Park to the front gate of the resort, at Kiawah Island Parkway.

Kiawah Island Planning Director John Taylor Jr. says its a goal of the town to improve infrastructure, and they’re excited to be improving the trails along Beachwalker Drive. The trails were originally added in the 1980′s.

“It’s just a nature of the Kiawah community to utilize the bike paths. We do have frequent users of the leisure trails often,” Taylor said. “At least residents, property owners, guests, folks getting out on bikes and walking dogs, I think that’s really sort of built in to being one with nature, so Kiawah’s identity.”

The island has organized a community input form for the public to give their input on the changes they’d like to see come to this area. They say the form closes Tuesday at noon.

Taylor says public input is open to any resident or guest of the island, as well as anyone who lives in the area and uses the path. He says they’ve received concerns regarding the suggested concepts as well as new ideas or suggestions folks would like to see.

Kiawah Island has worked with an engineering contractor to create some concepts of what Taylor says they would like to see improved. He says the most likely change will be widening the pathways along Beachwalker Drive to make them all the same size width.

During an analysis with an engineer, Taylor says they found some areas were too narrow for multiple bikers or walkers to travel at one time.

In some areas, Taylor says they noticed tree roots growing onto the trails and in other areas they saw a need for pedestrian cross walks and signals.

A summary of the survey comments will be presented at the July 8 Community Planning Workshop.

That will be held at 2 p.m. at the Kiawah Island Municipal Center Council Chambers and anyone in the community is invited to attend.

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