Hacking around at the U.S. Hickory Open Golf Championship

Hacking around at the U.S. Hickory Open

Written by Bo Turocy. Photographs by Hannah Fontenot Mentz.

The 11^th annual U.S. Hickory Open hosted by the Society of Hickory Golfers just wrapped up on Halloween.  The 36-hole stroke play event was contested across the 1926 Donald Ross layout at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC.  This club may sound familiar to you.  The PGA Tour plays the Wyndham Championship there each year.  Brandt Snedeker made fame by shooting a record setting 59 in the opening round of the 2018 Wyndham a few months ago.  The U.S. Hickory Open was originally scheduled to be played closely following the tour event, but Hurricane Florence forced a month-long postponement.

I had already played in the two previous championships with mediocre to average results, finishing something like in 15^th and 12^th places (or so) respectively.  Obviously I am the only one proud of those results.  It was Walter Hagen who would always boldly announce he was playing solely for first place and it mattered not if he finished as runner up or in last place since nobody ever remembered.  Also, the legendary Ricky Bobby of infamous Talladega Nights fame learned from his father that if you “ain’t first, you’re last.”  I was ready to make my move into the arena of national spot light success.  Besides, I’ve already enjoyed a brief, but splendid international stardom with a massive defeat earlier this year at the hands of the Europeans in the Freedman Cup matches, a Ryder Cup style tournament for hickory golf.

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