Brett Ringer golf tourney postponed in Rock Hill, but scholarships will be awarded
The golf tournament may be postponed until next year, but its purpose remains.
Longtime Rock Hill High School head football coach Jim Ringer told The Herald last week that the 19th Annual Brett Ringer Memorial Golf Tournament, which is traditionally hosted on the third Thursday in June, will not be held this year due to the threat of coronavirus.
That said, the tournament, which uses its proceeds to fund college scholarships, will dole out 20 $500 scholarships this year as planned.
Jim Ringer said the tournament netted more than $11,000 last year and has made enough money over the last 18 years to make this possible.
“We want to get the word out that any student who still wants to apply for the scholarship can contact their guidance counselor at each individual school, and they will have the information on what they have to do,” said Ringer, who retired in 2005 and led the Bearcats to two state titles during his tenure. “If a student wants to apply, there’s still time to do that.”
The tournament has been held at Pinetuck Golf Course in Rock Hill since 2001, the same year Ringer’s son, Brett, died in a horrific fireworks warehouse explosion in Chester. Brett Ringer had recently graduated from Clemson and was a week away from returning to Pickens County to pursue a Masters degree when the accident happened.
The Clemson football program established an award in his honor, given annually to the hardest working member of the program’s support staff, Jim Ringer said.
Six scholarships were awarded the first three years of the tournament, but that number has since grown to 20 starting last year. Jim Ringer said 10 scholarships are reserved for students from the Rock Hill area; seven are given to the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association; and three are given to the Clemson football program’s video department, where Brett worked as an undergraduate.
The tournament mostly raises money via its admission fee and its silent auction, which often features signed memorabilia from notable Clemson and Rock Hill NFL football players.
For more information, you can visit the tournament’s Facebook page.
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