SANTEE - Entering its 12th year, the Santee Amateur Golf Tournament continues to grow in popularity both within the state and beyond the Carolinas.

This comes as no surprise to tournament chairman Robby Robbins and the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce which sponsors the two-day event and sees it as a way to attract more people to the tourist-friendly community.

“I think it’s a good regional tournament that folks continue to enjoy,” he said. “We have three great golf courses there and Santee is an easy place to sell.”

Last year’s event at the Lake Marion Golf Course drew a tournament-record 138 participants from as far as Georgia. In the end, youth was served as 15-year-old SCISAA champion Austin Cody of Pinewood Prep broke away from Daniel Dukes and 2005 champion Mike Cobb to win the tournament by three strokes.

This year, a new champion will be crowned from a field of 108 players as the tournament moves over to Santee Cooper Country Club. While Cody unable to return to defend his title, Cobb is back as well as the former winner Cody succeeded as champion in Steve Liebler.

A conflict with the South Carolina Golf Association’s Four-Ball Championship in Camden prevented Liebler from defending his title. The last time Liebler competed in Santee in 2006, he had an opening-round tournament record score of six-under-par 66 and went on to claim the title at Santee National Golf Club.

As competitive the championship flight is expected to be, Robbins is equally anticipating the 50-player seniors field where two Orangeburg renowned golfers will look to topple defending champion Donald Hardy. Former two-time Santee Amateur seniors’ champion Bob Varn is seeking his third title in four years, while Marion Moore is competing for the first time in the seniors division.

“We’re real excited about the competition that’s developing in our senior division,” Roberts said.

Of the 50 competing seniors, 16 have a handicap of four or less. The championship flight group has 21 of 58 players with handicaps of three or less.

Tee times for Saturday begin at 8 a.m. and following the first day, each player and a guest may attend a steak dinner at the Country Club.

n T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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