Pender Harbour's Merv Oleksyn finished 23rd out of 50 in his flight at the 2009 PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina recently.
Oleksyn, who has been a member of the Pender Harbour Golf Course for five years and has been playing golf since the age of 11, said he was happy with his showing against top players from around the world.
"My friend entered this tournament about two years ago. It's an event I always wanted to go to and this year I did," Oleksyn recalled. "I think I did pretty good considering it was my first year. I was playing against some people who have been playing this event for 15 years, so I'm pretty happy how I finished."
The event featured more than 3,000 golfers with an established handicap from around the world, including Italy, France and Australia. The field was made up of men and women in 70 flights with 50 people per flight grouped by age and handicap.
Now in its 26th year, the World Amateur allows everyone from scratch golfers to 30-plus handicappers to test their nerves and competitive resolve. The tournament is played on approximately 60 different Myrtle Beach area courses
The event's pulse is its nightly party, affectionately known as the "World's Largest 19th Hole." The 19th Hole, which covers the entire Myrtle Beach Convention Centre is catered nightly by Myrtle Beach's best restaurants, provides free top-shelf drinks and live entertainment. The centerpiece of the "19th Hole" is the PGA tour "superstore" a 100,000-square-foot golfer's paradise.
Oleksyn played 72 holes on four championship courses.
"It was pretty exciting to play on courses that PGA pros play on," he said. "I met a lot of nice people, some of whom are now my friends. The event was very well-organized."
