Side Bar
Team Georgia:
Tyler Newsome, Colton Johnson, Coley Cassedy, Samuel Rogers, Kipp Madison, Asher Sisk
Team South Carolina:
Zim Atkinson, Connor Wolfe, Grayson Cunningham, Jack Coleman, Davis Peevy, Tucker Goff
A passion for golf, a collective competitive spirit, and years of friendship served as the catalyst for a group of families to organize the first ever Border Cup Golf Tournament in the fall of 2020. Over the course of the three-day Ryder Cup style tournament, twelve of the top junior golfers in Georgia and South Carolina competed on three different golf courses – Champion’s Retreat, the Palmetto Club, and the Chechessee Creek Club. In true border rivalry fashion, it was Team Georgia versus Team South Carolina.
“The Border Cup idea came to be because the Drive, Chip, and Putt and the Ryder Cup had been cancelled. Those are two events that kids and families really look forward to in golf,” explains Lori Madison, mom of one of the golfers.
“These boys were missing out on some big events and they needed something to be excited about in a weird year,” agrees Kat Johnson, also a mom who helped coordinate the tournament. “They are a good group of boys that are very competitive and very good, and we wanted to give them something to challenge them and keep them playing at the level they were playing.”
As junior golfers who play with U.S. Kids Golf out of Columbia, SC, these twelve young men and their families frequently spend time together on and off the golf course. “The families and boys all know each other, and rightly so,” says Lori. “In the Ryder Cup, there are relationships that exist and that’s why people play so well together. So we did have a pairing party the morning before where we announced all of the pairings for that day. Depending on how the kids played together, just like in the Ryder Cup, they might switch them out, or if two kids have great rapport and they are playing well together, they might keep them together for the second nine holes of the tournament.”
Keeping young kids interested in and active in the sport of golf serves as the ultimate goal of Border Cup parents, organizers, ands sponsors. “It’s all about getting junior golfers involved, especially here in Augusta,” says Kat. “It’s such a good experience for all of these boys. They are having the time of their lives and playing really good golf at really good golf courses.”
Border Cup parents agree that fostering a love for golf early on in your child’s life is a good thing. “You’re never too young to start with golf,” says Lori. “Our youngest started swinging a golf club when he was a year and a half old. It’s never too early to put a club in their hand, even if it’s a plastic club until they are about four years old.”
If you’re interested in getting your child or grandchild involved with golf but don’t know quite where to start, Lori says, “Junior golf has become very important to the golf industry. Just about all of the courses have great golf instructors that specifically work with the kids. Also, you can go to any of the golf stores around and buy used clubs at first and have them cut down, that way you’re not investing in an entire set of golf clubs for a six-year-old.”
Even at a young age, Border Cup participants experience the range of emotions that come with tournament play. “One of my favorite parts of the Border Cup was all of the feelings that go through you,” says Team Georgia golfer Kipp Madison. “It’s so exciting when you step onto the first tee... You’re so excited but nervous at the same time! It is extremely intense.”
Team Georgia, as the current champions, has chosen Reynolds Lake Oconee for the location of all three rounds of the 2021 tournament, which will be held in October. Staying in one location for this year’s tournament will allow the boys and their families spend less time traveling between courses and more time on the golf course and enjoying being together.
A wide range of community businesses are supporting the Border Cup including Evans Lifestyle partner RecTeq, Nextbelt, Travis Newsome Homes, Cunningham & Co., Hilton Garden Inn, Wolfe Solutions, Augusta Sportswear Brands, Brandi Ledford Properties, and Stitches Unlimited.
To see highlights, get updates, and follow the 2021 tournament, visit the Border Cup Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/bordercup.