TYLER SWEET, THE SunLand Golf & Country Club head pro and general manager, recently ventured down to South Carolina to compete in the PGA Professional National Championship.
Sweet was one of more than 300 head golf pros in the tournament, each seeking one of just 20 available spots in the PGA Championship.
It isn’t 20 and ties, either. If there are ties for the 20th spot, a playoff is contested.
A 4-over-par 76 on Myrtle Beach’s Dunes Golf and Beach Club on Sunday put Sweet in position to make a run at making the cut after day two (top 90 and ties).
Sunday’s round saw Sweet begin with a bogey on his first hole, the 376-yard par-4 10th, and a double bogey on the mammoth 640-yard par-5 13th hole.
Sweet rallied back to par with three consecutive birdies on the par-4 17th, 18th and first holes, before bogeying four of his final six holes, including the final three holes to come in leaking a little oil at four-over-par.
He ended up six shots south of the cutoff after Sunday, but started off Monday at the Grande Dunes Resort Club with two pars and a birdie on the 446-yard par-4 third hole.
A spot in Wednesday’s third round however, wasn’t meant to be for Sweet after a three-hole bogey spree, led off by a six on the par-5 fourth hole.
He finished with a six-over-par 78 on Monday.
The par-5s really crippled Sweet’s shot at advancing in the tourney.
He shot seven-over-par on the longer holes, with double bogeys each day.
Sweet ended up finishing tied for 191st place, five shots off the cut.
I hope to talk with Sweet in the next few days — I was unable to reach him Tuesday — and have more details in next week’s column.
Beer and wine at Disco
Discovery Bay Golf Club near Port Townsend has made a big beverage addition: beer and wine are now available from the clubhouse.
The course also has added a newly remodeled deck with a great view of the Farm 9 to enjoy said beverages.
Owner Nicolas Hurtado, his son Tomas and daughter Maria all visited the course this month and made more plans for continued improvements to the course.
Progress was well underway when I took a spin around the track back in January, so this is a further bit of good news for one of the oldest courses in the state.
Discovery Bay manager Randy White promises more information on the improvements soon.
The course will host a four-day junior golf camp from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 11-14.
Entry is $75.
Phone the golf shop at 360-385-0704 to register.
Discovery Bay also hosts a Thursday night skins competition, a nine-hole event with KP’s.
Entry is $10 with $10 green fees for nonmembers.
Start time for the skins is about 5 p.m.
Discovery Bay is a great place to while away those late-evening hours in the summer so I endorse these skins games wholeheartedly.
Amateur at Ludlow
Port Ludlow Golf Club is hosting the Washington State Golf Association’s Women’s, Senior and Super Senior Amateur championships through Thursday.
Play began on Tuesday and the North Olympic Peninsula had a number of participants.
Port Ludlow’s Lucinda Thompson and Port Townsend’s Wanda Synnestvedt are in the Senior Amateur event.
Pat Harrop-Schumacher, Witta Priester, Carol Goodman, Cheryl Coulter and Kathy Langston of Sequim, Bonnie Vahcic and Linda Aho of Port Ludlow, and Doris Sparks of Port Angeles are competitors in the Super Senior event.
Look for scores in an upcoming edition of the Peninsula Daily News.
Joker’s Wild tourney
The Cedars at Dungeness Lady Niners will host a “Joker’s Wild” tournament Thursday, July 10.
Tourney invites were sent to Port Ludlow, SunLand, Port Townsend, Discovery Bay, Lakeland Village, Lake Cushman, Skyridge and Peninsula golf clubs.
Tournament entry fee is $50 payable to Cedars at Dungeness Lady Niners. The fee includes the green fees, cart, dinner, participation in the putting and chipping contests, a bucket of balls at the driving range and a 20 percent discount in the pro shop.
For an additional $2, each golfer can also purchase a package of one mulligan and one magic putt for use during play.
To sign up for this popular event, phone Jo Hendrickson at 360-808-3440 or email ladybugz@olypen.com.
Entries will be accepted through Thursday, July 3.
On the day of the tourney, players can check in from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Legends Room, with snacks, a special putting contest and a chipping contest planned.
A shotgun start on Cedars front nine begins at 1 p.m. with dinner and a no-host bar and presentation of prizes and awards set for 3:30 p.m.
Stars and Stripes tourney
SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim will present a Stars and Stripes Golf Tournament, a two-person 27-hole event with three separate formats, on Saturday, July 5.
A 10 a.m. shotgun start will start things off.
Players will open with a better-ball nine from the green tees, switch to a scramble format from the green tees for the back nine (playing SkyRidge’s 18th hole this time through) and finish with nine holes of aggregate play from the silver tees.
Only 28 two-person teams are available.
Green fees are $40 per person, $80 per team, and the price includes golf, range balls, food and $5 in competition money.
An optional honey pot is $20 per player and carts are $15 per seat.
Phone SkyRidge at 360-683-3673 or stop in to sign up.
Support Jefferson County sheriffs
The annual Jefferson County Sheriff’s Golf Tournament is planned for Port Ludlow Golf Club on Saturday, July 19.
The four-person scramble has gross and net divisions and will tee off in a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
Entry fees are $500 per four-person team and includes 18 holes on the Tide and Timber nines, use of cart, competition prizes, unlimited use of the practice facility and a barbecue dinner with all of the fixins after play.
Proceeds from the tourney will support the general scholarship funds for the three Jefferson County high schools: Port Townsend, Chimacum and Quilcene.
Sign ups are due July 13.
To sign up, or for more information, phone Port Ludlow at 360-437-0272.
Save the date
The second annual Friends of Olympic Christian School Charity Golf Tournament is set for Saturday, July 19, at Cedars at Dungeness.
A total of $40,000 in prizes, including shots at two big hole-in-one prizes, are available.
The cost is $90, which includes green fees, cart, range balls and lunch.
A scramble format with a 9 a.m. shotgun start is planned.
There will be two divisions, a low gross and an OCS Eagle flight.
Register online at www.olympicchristian.org, or phone 360-808-7355.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or pdngolf@gmail.com.