During the second competitive round at the Kingdom Cup, held in September at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island and sponsored by Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Tom Watson pulled up a chair on the tee box of the par-3 14th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links. In between groups of golfers, he spoke with deep appreciation for the challenges that the Pete Dye layout imposes on players of all ability levels—and explained why he was so successful on the course (where he won twice on tour). “I was always a good up-and-downer,” he said, “and you need to be able to get up and down around here, because you’re gonna miss some greens.”
Fortunately, most groups didn’t have to worry about scrambling for par on the 14th, largely because teams had the opportunity to use Watson’s tee shot as their own. “As my friend Byron Nelson used to say, ‘There’s room inside that,’” Watson told one group after he struck an easy nine iron to about eight feet.
Despite the assistance from one of the game’s all-time greats—or perhaps because of it—Kingdom Cup participants focused intently on hitting the best shots of their lives on the hole. In some instances, those swings delivered quality results; other times, balls sailed wildly offline and into water. When efforts really went astray, Watson was there to offer simple swing fixes, which often did the trick, as players flushed their second attempts, hitting balls to the center of the green.
Over the course of three days, the nearly 100 lucky participants in the Kingdom Cup had the opportunity to experience such moments with Watson and much more. The tournament included two competitive rounds on a pair of Sea Pines’ championship layouts, and the winners claimed stay-and-play packages from Sea Pines Resort, not to mention putting greens by ForeverLawn and vouchers by the swimwear brand Vilebrequin.
Of course, all attendees felt like winners, as everyone had the chance to interact with several other notable golfers throughout the event. Moreover, two teams were lucky enough to witness one remarkable accomplishment.
Just as Watson hit tee shots on the 14th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links, Annika Sörenstam offered participants an assist on the par-3 fourth hole at Heron Point the day before. In fact, her son was ready to help the players on the green, too.
“So I’m going to hit the shot,” she explained to one group, “and then my son, Will, who’s up there, will make the putt.”
“Really?” one participant asked, genuinely surprised by the announcement.
“Well,” Sörenstam added, “that’s the goal.”
All morning, Sweden’s most decorated champion treated groups to smoothly struck seven irons, leaving Will with putts of varying length–—though all boasted at least some potential for birdie.
“How’s it going so far, Annika?” one participant asked, about five or six groups into the round.
“Well, I haven’t made it yet,” she answered.
But two hours later, when playing with the final group of the day, Sörenstam did just that, hitting a tee shot that landed on the front portion of the green, took one forward bounce, then rolled gently and dropped into the hole as smoothly as if it had been hit with a putter. It was Sörenstam’s seventh ace, but one that two groups could also claim as their own, as they got to write down a 1 on both of their scorecards.
Throughout that first day of competition, Kingdom Cup participants challenged golf influencer Roger Steele to a long-drive contest, then, three holes later, they received some assistance from 2023 Open champion Brian Harman, who launched 300-yard drives over the corner of a 550-yard dogleg par-5. And to cap off the first day, participants got the full PGA Tour treatment from professional caddie Geno Bonnalie, who guided them from tee to green, amusing them with funny tour anecdotes along the way.
Each evening, at striking venues that included Harbour Town’s clubhouse and the Quarterdeck, participants were treated to gourmet meals and drinks—including resplendent Caymus Vineyards wines and exclusive sips of a yet-to-be-released collector’s edition 38-year-old blended malt Scotch whisky from Dewar’s—served with a generous dose of Southern charm. Participants also received chic additions to their golf wardrobes, including Duca del Cosma shoes, Antigua Apparel quarter-zip pullovers, and performance sunglasses from Uswing, all beautifully presented in a Vessel leather weekender bag.
Of course, the opportunity to meet one of the game’s most decorated champions was an undisputed highlight of the event. Throughout the day on Saturday, Watson shared stories from his playing days, told the occasional joke, and chatted with participants about the best steakhouses and sports teams in his hometown of Kansas City.
That evening, at the awards dinner at the Sea Pines Beach Club, Watson acknowledged that he often participates in private and corporate tournaments throughout the year. For him, however, the Kingdom Cup is unlike any other. “The difference here,” he said, “is that you can tell that everyone is having so much fun.”
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