Golf

When it comes to golf and specifically the British Open, Corbin native Scott Williamson has an interesting distinction. Aside from the Masters Tournament, which is played each year at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, most major championships in golf are played at different courses each year. The British Open, which is the oldest tournament in golf, has been played at 14 different locations throughout the United Kingdom (UK), which is composed of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The tournament is typically played now at one of 10 courses, including Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Royal Troon, Royal St. George’s, Royal Birkdale, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Muirfield, Royal...

When it comes to golf in Bell County, the course one typically hears people talk about is Wasioto Winds Golf Course at Pine Mountain in Pineville. There is good reason for this. Built in 2001, Wasioto Winds is an 18-hole championship course. It was designed by acclaimed golf architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan. He created a layout, which embraces the properties bottomland terrain and scenic Appalachian surroundings, as the Kentucky State Parks website describes it. Unlike most courses you see in Kentucky, Wasioto Winds is a links style course with lots of water and lots of bunkers. From what I recall, it is relatively flat and does not have a lot of trees...

Congratulations to Corbin High School golfers Makena Myatt and Kalyn Watkins, who recently advanced to the state finals. Myatt improved on her own personal best and set the lady’s course record firing a five under 67 at Wasioto Winds Golf Course at Pine Mountain State Park on Aug. 18 to win the Kentucky 2A Section 7 Girls’ Qualifier. Myatt sank a birdie putt on the final hole. Watkins held her own shooting an 82 on what I can personally attest is a tough golf course. I imagine the course set-up for a tournament, like this one, was even tougher than usual. (I always used to take old balls when I played Wasioto...

Back in 2014, I remember my dad and I playing golf with Thom Smith, who told us about something interesting he planned to do in the coming weeks. He was planning to take a trip to North Carolina to volunteer at both the U.S. Open Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship golf tournaments, which were being played in back-to-back weeks at Pinehurst No. 2. Many in the Corbin community are probably familiar with Thom. He used to be the transportation director for the Corbin Independent School District for several years before serving as the athletic director for the district. He is also a former golf coach at Corbin High...

Corbin High School golfers recently took a road trip to Jonesville, Virginia, to take part in the Farmers and Miners Bank Invitational high school golf tournament at Cedar Hill Country Club where they had a great showing with an individual win and a second-place team finish. Each year the Corbin High School Boy’s Golf Team and the Girl’s Golf Team join forces to play in the coed tournament. This year 87 boys and girls teed it up to crown the 2026 champions. Corbin Golfer Makena Myatt shot a bogey free four under 68 to become the 2026 Farmers and Miners champion. “She’s good. Plain and simple. Cut and dDry. We hyped this one...

Over the course of the last several years, we have had a few local golf courses close in the Tri-County area. Tri-County Country Club in Corbin was built in 1928 and closed in April 2015. Sweet Hollow Golf Course opened in 1995 and closed around 2014. Even Crooked Creek Golf Course in London, which was one of the nicest golf courses in the region, closed for a few years. Randall and Victoria Weddle purchased it in 2022, according to a Whitaker Bank Facebook post. Fortunately, it re-opened early this year as The Oaks Golf Course. One thing a part of me cannot help wondering about is the golf courses, which almost came to be...

The recent British Open certainly had an exciting finish. American Cameron Young, who birdied four out of his first five holes in the final round, got into the clubhouse early posting a score of 9-under-par for the tournament. Then he waited and waited for more than two hours to see whether anyone caught him. They did. New Zealander Ryan Fox kept plugging along birdieing Hole No. 13 and Hole No. 14. He bogeyed hole No. 15 followed by a birdie at Hole No. 16. After parring Hole No. 17, Fox went into the final 72nd hole of the tournament in a tie for the lead. By this time, Young was back on...

It has been a busy summer for Corbin middle school and high school golfers. Corbin Lady Redhound golfer Makena Myatt competed in the LPGA USGA Girls Golf National Championship by PKBGT. The three-day tournament was played at Pine Needles in North Carolina. Myatt was one of 56 girls from across 16 countries, who competed. She finished in 10th place with a 10-over-par for the tournament. Myatt also competed in the 47th Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur at Frankfort Country Club where she finished in the top 10. In addition, Myatt competed in the Kentucky Girls Junior PGA Championship at Bardstown Country Club. Over two days, she shot 8-over-par finishing tied for fourth place. In the Bluegrass Golf Tour...

As anyone, who has played much golf in their life can attest to, golf is a sport, which can help you forget about your real-world problems for a while. This may come in the form of having a really great day where you are hitting nearly every fairway and green in regulation and you have your putter going. For most of us hackers though, it is usually because trying to hit the dang little white ball is so frustrating sometimes, you just forget about everything else. Either way, you are usually not thinking about the mortgage, your high cholesterol or the stress of your job for a while when you are...

What is the difference between the Pro Golfers Association (PGA) Tour and the Senior PGA Tour, which is now known as the PGA Tour Champions? This is the heart of a question my wonderful wife, Cecelia, asked me Sunday evening as I was watching a replay of the leaders playing the back nine at the 46th U.S. Senior Open Championship at Scioto Country Club. Padraig Harrington ran away with it shooting 12-under for a four-stroke win over Stewart Cink. The biggest difference is naturally age as the old name implies. The PGA Tour Champions is for us older folks, i.e. for golfers age 50 and older. By the time most professional golfers hit...