Hilton Head Sports

Wexford will host the 12th annual Wexford Intercollegiate golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 26 through Tuesday, Feb. 28. The three-day tournament will begin with a collegiate pro-am on Sunday, followed by 36 holes of golf on Monday and Tuesday.

The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing will host an additional Pro-Am on April 12 at Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III at the Sea Pines Resort. Atlantic Dunes is a complete reconstruction and recreation of the resort’s historic Ocean Course, the first golf course built on Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head Island was awarded the first International Sustainable Golf Destination of the Year award from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. The award recognizes high performance and commitment across three core areas of sustainability: nature, resources and people.

The Road Runners Club of America has selected the Hilton Head Island Marathon as the RRCA South Carolina State Marathon Championship. The RRCA Championship event series is the largest grass-roots organized running series in the U.S., attracting more than 320,000 runners each year.

Callawassie Island recently announced a five-year partnership with the Big East Conference to host the Ladies’ and Men’s Golf Championships. Callawassie is known for its private, award-winning, championship 27-hole Tom Fazio-designed course. It has hosted the Big East Men’s Championships for the past three years, and 2017 will be its second year hosting the Ladies’ Championships.

The Carolina Panthers have nominated Hilton Head Island High School’s BJ Payne as the team’s nominee for the 2016 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. The annual award honors a high school football coach who displays the integrity, achievement and leadership exemplified by Shula, who concluded his 36-year NFL coaching career as the league’s all-time winningest coach.

Payne recently completed his fifth season as head coach for the Seahawks program and was named South Carolina 2015 3A Lower State Coach of the Year

Golf fans can get tickets to the 2017 RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing at special advanced ticket pricing through March 31. The cost of each ticket option increases $20 on April 1. The PGA Tour event takes place April 10-16 at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island. Each year, the event pumps more than $96 million into South Carolina's economy.

Bill Sampson, director of golf at Old Tabby Links, recently received the Palmer Maples Teacher of the Year Award for his outstanding service as a golf instructor. Sampson hosts private and group lessons, institutes weekly clinics, conducts TPI classes for club members, hosts multi-day camps and offers free lessons to juniors who cannot afford the fee.

Bluffton High School running back Cam Bent was named to the South Carolina Football Coaches Association’s Palmetto Champions all-star team. Each year, the Palmetto Champions roster honors one running back, one lineman, one special teams player and one coach in each division.