Linda Fuller of Richmond, Texas, shot a net 66 to win the World Championship Playoff at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club Friday afternoon. Fuller’s victory capped the 26th annual PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship, an event that began with 3,060 people on Monday morning.

The World Championship Playoff consisted of all flight winners and ties, a total of 75 golfers. There was a three-way tie for second place. Treg Hallman, Jill Ford and Thomas Wagner all finished with a net 68. Full Leaderboard

Fuller, the third consecutive woman to win the title, played to a 13 handicap in Friday’s round. Fuller’s husband, Roger, is one of 14 players to have played in all 26 World Amateurs.

“I’m pretty flabbergasted,” an emotional Fuller said. “It’s been a lot of fun. You like to have a goal and you work towards it. It’s the fulfillment of plan when it all comes together and it works.”

Phillip Sanders and Wayne Hudson shot a net 135 but were pushed to a sudden death playoff before winning the U.S. Qualifier for International Pairs Championship, and along with it a trip to St. Andrews, Scotland to compete in the IP World Championship.

Sanders and Hudson recorded a par and bogey on the Dunes Club’s famed 13th hole, while their opponents dunked the ball in Lake Singleton.

Fuller’s victory concluded a week that featured near perfect weather over the tournament’s last four days. Temperatures along the Gran d Strand never got above the low 80s as nearly 3,100 players from 49 states and 20 foreign countries participated in the 26th annual event.

The only thing remaining is tomorrow morning's World Championship Playoff at the Dunes Club. On Monday nearly 3,100 people teed off in Myrtle Beach with dreams of being crowned champion. The field has been narrowed to the 64 flight winners and ties. Enjoy day four photos.

We will get to a roundup of media coverage, but first a moment to acknowledge the coldest World Amateur in history.  After four days of (occasionally) seeing people in jackets - for you non-believers, checkout the accompanying photo, which was taken at 10:30 a.m. this morning Tidewater – I have officially declared 2009 the chilliest World Am ever.

To confirm my hunch, which was based on the fact no one wears a jacket or long sleeves in Myrtle Beach in August, save for a medical purposes, I conferred with a few of the event’s 26-year participants. Without a moment’s hesitation Bob and Don Yelton and Fred Pugh all confirmed this year’s historic lows, which plunged into the upper 60s in the morning hours.

The third round of the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship is in the books. Some golfers enjoyed the thrill of a charge up the leaderboard while others saw their dreams of a flight championship fade away. The one thing every tournament participant savored was the unseasonably cool weather. Take a look at a few photos that capture the day's events.

Confined to a hospital bed in 1988 while fighting a rare form of salivary gland cancer, Ben Witter was at a low point. He was facing one of life’s most dreaded diseases and his dreams of earning a spot on the PGA Tour had been shattered.

“I didn’t want to carry on anymore. I just wanted to push my morphine button,” Witter said. “My attitude was lousy. I felt like I was cheated. I was very angry.”

Witter’s anger was understandable, but his mother decided that his time for sulking and feel sorry for himself had expired.

Witter’s mom brought a wedge and a golf ball to the hospital – ostensibly to help him think - and told him it was time to figure out his life. Her pep talk started Witter on a path to being one of world’s premier trick shot artists. (video below)
Continue reading Ben Witter Will Amaze You.

The second round of the World Am brought near perfect weather to the Grand Strand. Temperatures were in the low 80s and humidity was non-exsistent. The 19th Hole offered its normal array of entertaining acts. Enjoy some of the scenes from Day 2 at the World Am.

Tuesday may have been the coldest day in World Amateur history. Ok, that might be a little hyperbolic, but with highs in the low 80sconditions were ideal. Tuesday's weather made Monday's rain a distant memory, but the tournament’s opening day remained a hot topic in the local media.

Enjoy a sampling of Monday’s coverage.

WMBF educates people on how to follow the event online.

The World Am's opening round brings a smile to the Myrtle Beach community's face.

WBTW's Matt Lincoln profiles trick shot artist Ben Witter.

Al Blondin says Kevin Wirth is fishing for a title.

Sun News columnist Bob Bestler discovers he has something in common with Tiger Woods.

The World's Largest 19th Hole is the tournament's pulse, providing a place for players to relive the day's events. While nearly everyone has a good time, few seemed to relish the 19th Hole and the tournament experience more than Sam Newton did on Monday.