So, you’re saying there’s a chance
- Updated: August 12, 2021
Sunny King Classic officials will dip into the deep waiting list to expand the field in September tournament
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
The Sunny King Charity Classic sold out faster than ever this year – for a variety of reasons – and one of the byproducts of that was a waiting list that grew faster and larger than ever before.
You know about the waiting list? It usually means wait ‘til next year.
Fear not, waiting listers. All is not lost.
In response to the outpouring of support, tournament officials plan to dip into the list to expand the field by basically one tee time per the three courses they play – Anniston Country Club, Cider Ridge Golf Club and Silver Lakes. Maybe more.
“We’re planning on doing that,” tournament chairman Brett Key said. “At this point we don’t know what the number is going to be. We’re locked at 204 right now. Historically we’ve taken it to 210. It will at least go to 210.
“We have a couple sponsors we’re waiting to fill their teams and we want to get those before we start going to the waiting list.”
Because of the tournament’s return after last year’s postponement due to COVID-19 and its move to more comfortable September (another concession to COVID), the tournament sold out in two weeks.
There are always going to be procrastinators, but getting the word this early that you’ve been shut out of an SKCC spot is as disappointing as getting the letter that you didn’t win the Masters ticket lottery this year.
“I was shocked (how quickly it filled), honestly,” Key said. “When we made the decision to move it to September I was concerned about lower numbers than usual just with football. The entire committee was surprised (by the response). I think now that we’re on the back end of it, it makes sense.”
That’s not to say the tournament will be permanently moved to the fall. It has been a fixture on the weekend after the Fourth of July since 1985 and a three-day event since becoming the Sunny King Charity Classic in 1987.
Of course, the specter of COVID’s newest variants still looms over the tournament and officials confirmed they were “looking at contingencies” in the event protocols change in the next six weeks. The contingencies mostly relate to the social events, particularly the popular Friday night social. It likely would move to a larger outdoor venue.
“As we stand today nothing has changed,” Key said. “But we are exploring options.”
As much as the committee wants as many teams to play as possible – it’s better for the tournament, better for the charities – the biggest concern with adding too many teams at this time of year is where to put them all for a round that even under normal circumstances (July) pushes the limits of time. There is 2 hours and 14 minutes less daylight on Sept. 26, the final day of this year’s SKCC, compared to July 11, the date of this year’s traditional Sunday finish.
Organizers are open to suggestions for making it work without raising entry fees from the current $325 per player ($385 with pre-paid mulligans). The solution is a lot more complicated than just starting earlier (which would challenge the maintenance crew). A four-day tournament isn’t an option. The suggestion from this corner would be to expand to four courses across the three days and rotate them through the field each year.
“Obviously, Anniston Country Club is my main concern as far as adding tee times (because of its limited space); I think the other two we’d be OK,” Key said. “We’re going to sit down with Steven (Driggers, the ACC pro) and see how creative we can get, but I don’t know how hard we can push this thing. We are hopeful.”
Practice rounds for the Classic begin Sept. 7.
CIDER RIDGE PRO EVENT: The Sunny King Charity Classic starts a busy stretch for Cider Ridge Golf Club.
Two weeks after the Oxford course helps the King crown its champion, it will welcome a visit from the Atlanta-based Rolling Red Golf Tour. The Cider Ridge Classic is Oct. 3-4 – Sunday and Monday – with a projected purse of $7,000.
It’ll be Cider Ridge’s first multi-day pro event since the Sunbelt Senior Tour visited in 2015. Former PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards won that tournament.
“The golf course is the best layout for a professional tournament within an hour’s drive,” Cider Ridge operator Cory Etter said. “It forces you to hit all of the shots. From the back tees, it’s about all you want in a golf course. And with our location, just off the interstate, we’ll draw a lot of folks.”
The course also looking to host competitive events for women and seniors and is hoping for a shot to host the Alabama Open in the near future, contingent on the success of its new greens.
“There are a lot of good women in this area who have nothing to play for,” Etter said.
STRETCH RUN STARTS: The Gadsden Invitational tees off this weekend and that means the stretch run to determine the Calhoun County Match Play Championship bracket.
The 16-man Match Play field is determined by the points a player accrues in their best five finishes in the Calhoun County Tour season. Right now, the 16th spot is at 495 points with two events to go – this weekend and the limited-field season-ending County Tournament worth 1.5 times the points in two weeks.
The 16th spot in 2020 carried 515 points (adjusted). Here are the points for the final qualifying spot since 2014 (basically, the East Alabama Sports Today era):
2020 – 515
2019 – 628.75
2018 – 510
2017 – 685
2016 – 771.75
2015 – 787.5
2014 – 797.5
Of course, several players are not likely to be available for the match-play weekend and their spots will be filled by the next available, so spots 17 though 20 have a pretty good chance of making it.
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