SCGA Announces 2018 Player and Senior Player of the Year
Lutomski and Todd Receive Player of the Year Honors
The South Carolina Golf Association (SCGA) Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year recognizes those competitors who had exceptional individual and team finishes throughout the competition year. The awards are given to the number one golfer based on the SCGA Player of the Year point system at the end of the calendar year in each division. This year, the SCGA is proud to announce Robert Lutomski as the Player of the Year and Walter Todd, Sr. as the Senior Player of the Year.
Robert Lutomski of Simpsonville edged out NC State Junior Christian Salzer by eight points to claim the association’s prestigious honor. Lutomski captured one team championship and posted another high finish with partner Weston Bell. The duo won the SCGA Partners Championship played at Spring Valley Country Club and The Member’s Club at Woodcreek in early spring shooting a tournament low sixteen under par. The two would pair up again to finish in a tie for second at the Players Four Ball Championship at Columbia Country Club, finishing just four shots back of the winners.
Team competitions were not the only highlights of Lutomski’s year, as he also performed well in individual events. The 37-year-old mid-amateur began the trek to a stellar year with his best finish of the season at the 22nd Annual Tournament of Champions. Annually hosted by The Tradition Club in Pawleys Island, Lutomski secured a runner-up finish after losing in a sudden death playoff. In the SCGA’s signature event, the Amateur Championship at Dataw Island Club, he posted a tournament total one over par, leading him to a top 15 finish and an invitation to the 88th Championship at Thornblade Club in 2019.
A successful campaign continued this fall as Lutomski posted three red number rounds, finishing alone in fourth at the 37th Mid-Amateur Championship on a tough Greenville Country Club – Riverside course. It was Lutomski’s second round that gave him momentum to a top-five finish, as he carded a bogie free, six birdie effort for a smooth six under par, 65. Lutomski’s recent performances qualified him to be selected to compete on the 2018 Palmetto Cup which was played at Camden Country Club this past spring.
Just when he thought he couldn’t top his 2017 season, Walter Todd, Sr. rose to the occasion. Todd, a Laurens native, has now secured the Senior Player of the Year title for the third year in a row, joining Frank Ford, III and Rick Cloninger who also earned multiple consecutive Player of the Year honors. As he looked to trump his finishes from previous years, consistency was the key to Todd’s season.
Competing in the prestigious Jones Cup Senior Invitational, Todd began his exceptional season with a top-three and never finished outside the top 15 in competition this year. He secured a win at the Lowcountry Senior Invitational, which was conducted on three prestigious South Carolina courses (Callawassie Island Club, Old Tabby Links and Chechessee Creek Club). Todd cleared the next competitor by three strokes to take the title. He gave a run for a title he longs to capture at the 60th SCGA Senior Championship at The Patriot Golf Club. With an opening round five under par, 67 – Todd battled to add another top five finish to his profile.
It was no surprise to see name at the top of the list on the national stage as well. Todd made the cut at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Oregon and won one match before being eliminated in the round of 32 – representing the state of South Carolina proudly. Rounding out the season, Todd added a top-five at the North-South Senior Championship, a top 15 at the Senior Azalea, a quarter final finish at the Carolinas Four Ball Championship and a fourth-place finish to the SCGA Mid-Amateur Four Ball. At the completion of the season, Todd earned an 88-point advantage in receiving the SCGA Senior Player of the Year honor.
Both players will be recognized and receive awards at the 2018 South Carolina Golf Day celebration, January 12, 2019 at Columbia Country Club in Blythewood, SC. At this time, the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame Board will also induct it’s 69th and 70th members, Charles Warren and Kelly Tilghman.
The SCGA, founded in 1929, is the governing body for amateur golf in South Carolina. As a non-profit organization, the SCGA’s purpose is to promote, preserve and serve the game of golf. Made up of more than 270-member clubs and more than 50,000 individual members, the SCGA annually conducts 21 SCGA statewide championships, 71 one-day contests, ten USGA qualifiers, seven 40-plus tournaments and six special events. Other Member services offered include GHIN – the USGA Handicap Computation System, a Tournament Software System and support, Rules of Golf and Handicap education, USGA Course/Slope Ratings and Course measuring, Amateur Status information, the Palmetto Golfer Magazine and the SC Golf Hall of Fame. The SCGA also houses the offices of the SC Junior Golf Foundation and SC Junior Golf Association in a combined effort to support junior golf and grow the game’s initiatives and grow the game’s initiatives.
