Still unpacking from a glorious golf week in Branson, Missouri …
There might not have been a happier place in the United States than southwest Missouri last week following the elections. In Branson, there were/are far more Trump retail stores — at least a half dozen — than supermarkets. My favorite — “When I die don’t let me vote Democrat” — may have been a shot at the neighboring state of Illinois.
As Branson theater owner and performer Yakov Smirnov might say, “What a country!”
You may know about Silver Dollar City and Branson’s country music theaters, but did you know that three of the top 10 golf courses in Missouri, according to Golf Digest, are in Branson — three on the property at Big Cedar Lodge, the creation of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. Golfweek lists Branson as home to the top four in its rankings of the state’s public-access courses.
More on the spectacular golf and attractions in Branson (above photo from Big Cedar’s Top of the Rock clubhouse) in the next week or so. Meanwhile, let’s enjoy what’s so-far been a frost-free fall in the major Triad cities.
Other stories to come at TriadGolf.com include features on 2024 Carolinas PGA Senior Player of the Year Chris Haarlow of Precision Golf School and junior standout and Western Kentucky University recruit Leah Edwards — both Greensboro residents.
Just one complaint about Greensboro golf: The city rec department needs to some new balls for the driving range at Bur-Mil Park, one of the few public ranges still open in the area. I almost swear I had a cut gutta perch in the small bucket I paid $6 for earlier this month. The balls are ridiculously old and beaten up. I skip past the awful greens on the par-3 course until a later date …
A few players with local ties advanced from 13 first stage sites to the second round of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school, which begins next week at five warm-weather sites.
UNC Greensboro golfer Symon Balbin of Pinehurst and Tanner Bibey of Walnut Cove advanced from Bermuda Run as did podcast star George Bryan IV of Aiken, S.C. Former N.C. State player Christian Salzer was medalist in West Palm Beach, Florida; Ryan Sullivan of Advance snuck in on the cutline in Madison, Mississippi. The final stage begins Dec. 12 in Ponte Verda Beach, Florida.
The top five finishers at Ponte Vedra Beach will earn PGA Tour membership. The next 40 finishers will have early exempt status on Korn Ferry.
Mimi Rhodes of England, who played at Wake Forest, was co-medalist in the 193-player field at the second stage of LPGA Qualifying last month in Venice, Florida, and advanced to next month’s final stage in Mobile, Alabama. The top 25 players, including ties, in the 43-player field, will earn 2025 LPGA Tour membership. Rachel Kuehn of Wake Forest missed by a single stroke and Burlington’s Kayla Smith, who played at North Carolina, was two shots off the cutline.
