Patterson used a wealth of Lowcountry local knowledge to capture the 2013 South Carolina Open at Belfair Plantation
(OKATIE. S.C.) — Having recently returned from a two-week golf trip to Scotland, Bluffton’s John Patterson knew his game was plenty sharp as he headed into the South Carolina Open on the West Course at Belfair Plantation. The 42-year-old former professional turned amateur just wasn’t sure if it would be good enough to compete with his mostly younger competition from around the Carolinas.
Patterson’s question was answered when he came from behind to catch Carolinas PGA (CPGA) professional Patrick Rada and win the S.C. Open on a third playoff hole. Competing in the Open for the first time as an amateur, Patterson started the final round tied for second with Spencer Lawson — the 2013 North Carolina Open champion — one stroke behind Rada, who had led the first two rounds of the tournament.
On the third hole of the playoff Rada missed the green, giving Patterson the opportunity to sink a 25-footer for the win — and his effort was center cut all the way. “I tried to be patient all day,” said Patterson. “I hit a lot of good shots today, nothing went in.
“So many of these guys are 19, 20, 30 years old,” said Patterson. “I’m the senior in the group.”
Patterson — or “JP” as he is widely known — regained his amateur status in 2009, when he was named co-General Manager and Director of Marketing and Sales at Chechessee Creek Club in nearby Okatie.
Patterson reached the final stages of PGA Tour Qualifying School in 2000 and advanced to the round of 16 at last summer’s U.S. Mid Amateur Championship.
At the S.C. Open, Patterson matched the low round of the tournament on its second day, his 68 following an even-par 72. He made five birdies — including a stretch of three consecutive starting on No. 8 — and is using his CPGA title as a springboard into the S.C. Amateur, where he made the cut, as well as the U.S. Amateur and Mid Amateur qualifying at Chechessee Creek.
“I’m probably playing the best golf of my life right now,” said Patterson. “It’s fun to get back into the competitive arena again and get the juices flowing.”
Patterson said being able to regularly tackle Cheechessee Creek and its Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore-designed, classically styled green complexes has been the most beneficial element to keeping his game in competitive shape.
“Chechessee Creek is a players’ golf course,” Patterson said. “The size of the greens and the demands on iron shots has helped my game more than anything. The Coore and Crenshaw greens — the undulations in the greens — I really think they have helped my short game, my creativity around the greens and my putting.”
The other key component, according to Patterson, were the recent improvements to the Chechessee Creek practice and short-game facility, which offer members the ability to work on almost any variety of shot or lie imaginable.
“I’ve got everything I need to keep my game sharp and to take it on the road,” Patterson said. “I am carrying a plus handicap at Chechessee Creek and I think a handicap that Chechessee Creek creates carries well anywhere in the world.”
Patterson said the practice area is yet another major reason why former South Carolina and current Web.com Tour standout Mark Anderson joined Chechessee Creek, while a pair of Savannah, Ga., natives — Gene Sauers, who led recently after the first round of the British Senior Open, and Golf Channel “Big Break Greenbrier” winner Mark Silvers — are regular visitors to the club.
“The [Tour professionals] who called the Lowcountry home love to come over and spend time with us to work on their games,” said Patterson.
As the low amateur of the South Carolina Open, Patterson missed out on the $3,300 paycheck that went to Rada and he instead took home a gift certificate to the Belfair Planation golf shop. Most important, though, Patterson brought home the championship trophy.
Said Patterson: “This is something I am going to remember for a long time.”
Contact: NEOhioGolf@yahoo.com
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