The Web.com Tour and the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation announced today that local resident Tip Price, the Boys 10-11 National Champion at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals last month at Augusta National Golf Club, will compete in this week’s event as an amateur participant after being awarded one of Web.com’s exemptions. The tournament, which celebrates its 18th playing this week, will begin on Thursday morning at Thornblade Club, The Cliffs Valley and Furman University Golf Club, with each professional paired with an amateur or celebrity.
“Winning my division at this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals was a dream come true, and I am looking forward to playing this week and building on that tremendous experience,” said Price. “I am excited to compete alongside some of the game’s best players and would like to thank Web.com and the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation for this incredible opportunity.”
Price was one of eight national champions crowned (four girls and four boys in separate age divisions) after advancing to the National Finals out of tens of thousands of participants nationwide. A fifth-grader at Augusta Circle Elementary School in Greenville, he won the Boys 10-11 age division with a drive of 239 yards, a runner-up finish in the chipping discipline and a win in the putting competition after hitting two putts to within 3 feet, 3 inches of the hole. Following the win, the 11-year-old was promptly greeted by 2017 Masters Champion Sergio Garcia, who said, “Congratulations. Just breathe.”
“It feels great honestly,” said Price at the time. “It’s not easy to get here, and to win it is a bonus. Everyone had a chance, and it was just about whose day it was, and today was my day.”
Price will be paired with 2018 Panama Championship winner Scott Langley at this week’s event. The duo will play each course one time over the first three rounds and will compete at Thornblade Club during Sunday’s final round if they are one of the 10 lowest pro-amateur teams in the team competition after 54 holes.
“We are thrilled to have Tip compete in the 2018 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation. He is a wonderful young man and exemplary ambassador for junior golf and why it needs to be supported across the golf industry,” said Executive Director Steve Sellery. “Since 2001, this tournament has been instrumental in developing the game’s next generation of players, while also creating a meaningful community impact in the Upstate. With today’s announcement, we are able to further advance these key objectives, while providing an amazing experience that I hope will inspire other young people well into the future.”
The 2018 tournament will again feature an impressive list of celebrity participants, highlighted by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Larry the Cable Guy, Alfonso Ribeiro, Golf Channel’s Paige Mackenzie, Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson, as well as actors Anthony Anderson, Oliver Hudson and John O’Hurley.
Since 2000, the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation has raised nearly $13 million for local and regional non-profit organizations.
