Nestled amid the pine trees of Aiken, S.C., Woodside Plantation
is one of the premier golf venues in the state and has served host
to the Peach Belt championships twice. The first time was for the
1993 tournament which comes in as the 19th greatest game ever
played in PBC history as #1-ranked Columbus State beat #5 USC Aiken
on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
In 1992, Columbus State won the national championship, the first
national title by any PBC program. USC Aiken finished fifth in
those finals and both teams were ranked in the top 10 for much of
the 92-93 season.
“Having a conference golf tournament was still a pretty new
thing at the time,” said Mark Immelman, who played on the
1993 team and is now the head coach at Columbus State. “So it
was hard to look at it as anything other than another tournament.
But coach (Earl) Bagley kept warning us about what USC Aiken was
doing and how they were a real threat.”
Woodside’s Jones Course played 7,141 yards for the 1993
championship, the second-longest setup in tournament history (and
longest ever at the time). Only five PBC schools had golf teams for
the 93 tournament, but all eyes were on the Pacers and Cougars.
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| The 1993 Columbus State Golf Team at the NCAA National Championships. (L to R): Coach Hugh Royer, Scott Clark, Martin Lonardi, Mark Immelman, Jason Hare, Tom McKay, Head Coach Dr. Earl Bagley |
USC Aiken started the first day on fire as both Brian Kassel and
David Quick fired one-over 73s with Ed Reevey shooting 76 as the
Pacers finished at 302, three shots ahead of Columbus.
“We had a players-only meeting following the first
round,” recalls Immelman. “Heading in there, coach was
telling us that we couldn’t just go cruising in and walk out
with a Peach Belt title. We knew we had a real challenge on our
hands and had to jack it up.”
With winds drying out the course, scores were up across the board
in the second round. Columbus State, down three strokes, made up
that ground in the final 18 as Tom MacKay shot a round-low 74,
shaving off two strokes from his previous days’ effort, and
Jason Hare, who also lopped off two strokes to shoot a 77, as did
teammate Martin Londardi.
“The greens had a lot of speed, by MacKay could putt with
anybody,” said Immelman. “Back in those days, if you
shot in the 290s that was considered a good score and the 300s
wouldn’t leave you too far behind. We really struggled on the
first day and by hook or by crook we ended up closing with Aiken in
round two.”
Tied at 611, the two teams played the first hole of the Jones
Course, a 380-yard par 4. All five players from each team would
play the hole with the top four scores being added up. USCA won the
coin toss and teed off first, putting three in the fairway and two
in the bunker and finishing the hole with a one-over-par 17.
Columbus State put all five drives on the fairway and three players
had birdie putts as they turned in a 15 to win the
championship.
CSU went on from the PBC to finish second at the 93 NCAA National
Championships while USC Aiken was fifth.
“All year, it seemed like everything we did was geared
towards getting us ready to make a run at another national
championship,” said Immelman. “We blew off what
everyone was saying about what Aiken and coach (Mike) Carlisle were
doing and that nearly cost us. But it started what has become a
fantastic rivalry that has helped elevate Peach Belt golf to where
it is now.”
Click here for an index of the 20 Greatest PBC Games.
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