U. S. Open Host Claims Carolinas Championship

Myrtle Beach, S.C. - Paul Jett, certified superintendent host of the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Open Championships at Pinehurst No. 2, has claimed a golf title for himself. Jett, who plays off scratch, fired a one-under par round of 71 on the Tom Fazio-designed course at Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., to win the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association championship Nov. 13.

Jett beat a field of about 330 peers from across North and South Carolina, with the resort’s Davis Love and Greg Norman courses also in play. The championship is presented in partnership with Smith Turf and Irrigation and the Toro Company.

The win was Jett’s third in the annual championship for the association that formed in 1954 and serves to promote the professional and educational advancement of golf course superintendents. Jett is also a regular contender in the championship of the 20,000-member Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. While he is yet to win the national title he has finished runner-up on four occasions. Jett’s preparation of the venerable Donald Ross-designed No. 2 course at Pinehurst won wide acclaim from players and critics alike in ’99 and ’05.

Jett, who has served as a director since 2001, was elected secretary-treasurer at the association’s annual meeting Thursday. The association’s annual budget now stands at more than $1-million.

The 1,800-member Carolinas GCSA fills Myrtle Beach Convention Center each November with about 100,000 sqare feet of trade show exhibits and more than 100 hours of formal education for members. Education topics range from course renovation to water quality and occupational safety and health. The four-day event is the largest regional event in the country for golf course superintendents.