Players Arrive from Far and Wide for 37th Annual World Am

More than 2,100 golfers representing each of the 50 U.S. states have descended upon the Grand Strand this weekend to participate in the 37th Annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur, “The Largest & Most Fun Golf Tournament on the Planet.”

With global travel restrictions brought about by COVID-19 essentially precluding international participation in this year’s event (the 2019 World Am, in contrast, had 20 countries outside the U.S. represented), tournament officials were encouraged by the strong level of domestic entries for 2020. This year’s players will compete in 62 flights across nine divisions, covering men’s and women’s competition as well as the “Just For Fun” flight, and play on 51 golf courses throughout the Myrtle Beach area.

Even with COVID-19 preventing this year’s World Am from hosting the “World’s Largest 19th Hole” at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, event organizers point to the quality and variety of golf courses this event continues to provide as its overriding draw. A review of a random sampling of 15 World Am participants for 2020, all of whom have played this event each of the past 10 years, underscores this point: these participants played a total of 73 different Grand Strand golf courses in that span, and were assigned a new golf course 81 percent of the time.

“But this goes far beyond the sheer volume of courses our players have experienced,” said Tournament Director Scott Tomasello. “To us, this is a compelling testament to the quality of courses, quality of customer service and exceptional value that World Am golfers have come to expect – and been the driving factor for them to return, year after year.

“When you consider how significantly the pandemic has impacted people’s lives worldwide, we’re tremendously encouraged by this year’s turnout and see it as a great sign for the World Am’s future growth. We’re looking forward to a great week.”

Tournament rounds begin Monday and continue daily through Thursday, with flight winners determined at the conclusion of Thursday play earning a spot to compete in Friday’s championship round at The Dye Course at Barefoot Resort to determine the 2020 Myrtle Beach World Amateur champion.

Stay tuned to PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com throughout World Am Week, as Charlie Rymer hosts the “Virtual 19th Hole” Monday through Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET featuring a wide range of interviews, special celebrity appearances, World Am player spotlights, playing tips from the teaching pros, and more!

Click an icon below to browse our photo gallery from this weekend’s event arrivals and check-in.