MYRTLE BEACH, S. C.. -- Only a handful of top PGA golf pros have played in the same international tournament 20 years in a row -- famous names such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
But those links luminaries probably never enjoyed those events any more than the 23 men who have taken part in the DuPont-CoolMax World Amateur Handicap Championship.
The tournament, the world's largest gathering of amateur golfers (about 3,900 in 2003), is played each year on dozens of Grand Strand golf courses, with players plunking down between $465 and $505 entry fees (depending on discounts for early entries).
Players are grouped into flights according to age, sex and their certified USGA handicap scores. The top 10 players in each flight win merchandise prizes, with the flight winners playing one final round for the overall title. In addition to the the $400,000 in tournament merchandise prizes there are door prizes ranging up to a new car and vacations. Entrants and their relatives/friends are treated to a nightly 19th Hole event each evening at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, with free food, drinks, live music/dancing and dozens of golf merchandisers offering their wares.
Players each year come from every American state and dozens of foreign countries.
One of the biggest attractions is the friendships made and the camarardie displayed at each year's event. Many longlasting friendships have been established at the DuPont CoolMax events.
The year 2003 was a special milestone for the tournament as officials honored the 23 men who have taken part in each of the 20 tournaments.
The 23 who have played each year include:
Kenneth Brown, 78, Lake Worth, Fla., Paul Ciancanelli, 54, Demotte, Ind., Jack Collins, 76, Vero Beach, Fla., Roger Fuller, 64, Richmond, Tex., Daniel Getter, 65, Myrtle Beach, Russell Hobbs, 76, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Al Irons, Wilmington, Del., John Jawad, 76, Clayton, Calif., Howard Patton, 65, Richlands, Va., Harry Pawlik, 73, Winterville, N. C.,
Fred Pugh, 61, Columbia, S. C., David Riggs, 68, Tampa, Fla., Dale Russell, 75, Rockville, Ind., Raymond Slogar, 61, Mesa, Ariz., Danny Southern, Trinity, N. C., Bruce Starnes, 71, Taylorsville, N. C., Gerald States, 62, Baden, Pa., Bob Sutter, Santa Cruz, Calif., Dean Tedder, Davie, Fla., Bob Yelton, 61, Shelby, N. C., Don Yelton, 58, Shelby, N. C., and Ray Zajicek, 56, Dallas, Tex.
The tournaments have produced some interesting stories over the years.
David Riggs played in the first 14 tournaments with his brother, Marvin, as focal point for an annual reunion of the families. Marvin died in March 2003, but David has continued their DuPont CoolMax tradition. "I enjoy playing here and the competition. It's a great place to come and spend a week or two . . . and it's fun golf," Riggs told the Myrtle Beach Sun-News newspaper.
Even a broken arm did not keep 78-year-old Fred Brown of Lake Worth from taking part in his 20th straight tournament in 2003. He broke his left forearm when he tripped over a bowling ball.
"I had a splint on my arm and I didn't ask the doc if it would be okay to play in the golf tournament. I'm a retired physical therapist, so I knew he'd say no," Brown told the The Sun-News. "We come down here (for this tournament) for the fellowship. I've played with people from all over the world, South Africa, Denmark, Australia, England, Canada. We enjoy the camaraderie of it and the way we're treated. It's a truly wonderful experience."
Dale Russell, 75, Rockville, Ind., also did not allow a serious medical problem to stop his DuPont CoolMax tournament streak last year.
He had been experiencing chest pains on the golf course a few days before the DuPont event. A medical checkup showed he needed a heart bypass operation. But against his doctor's medical advise he played in the DuPont only a few days later. "As soon as I got out of the hospital I headed to Myrtle Beach. You know, first things first. The tournament was more important," he told the Sun.
Russell makes an annual family event during DuPont, with family and friends gathering in Myrtle Beach for the golf, beach, shopping and entertainment. "Everybody always has a great time. It's well worth the trip every year. In fact, I come back with some of my buddies and play several times a year."
One of the 20-year veterans had a career highlight, with Collins popping in a hole-in-one in 1997.
Roger Fuller of Richmond, Tex., had the distinction (?) of playing with a golfer who recorded the highest DuPont one-round score ever, a 159.
John Jawad of Clayton, Calif., is another one of the 20-year vets who defied medical problems to play in the tournament, undergoing five-way heart bypass surgery only two months before the event.
Brothers Bob and Don Yelton of Shelby, N.C., have played in each DuPont, even when Hurricane Dennis was threatening the Grand Strand and in 2002 when each round was played in a steady to heavy rain.
The tournament includes both male and female players and many players say the friendships that are made have proven in many cases to more than justify the relative cost of the event.
For information on the tournament contact officials at 1-800-833-8798, email at [email protected] or the web site www.playdupont.com

This story was published on 26 Sep 2003.