Not everybody has the chance to host a premiere event in their sport. South Carolina Women’s Golf gets to do it twice … in back-to-back tournaments … in the same month. The Gamecocks host the annual Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Tournament March 3-5 at the Long Cove Club in Hilton Head and will also be the host of the Old Barnwell Derby Match Play Tournament March 17-19 at Old Barnwell Golf Club in Aiken.

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase South Carolina golf,” said South Carolina head coach Kalen Anderson. “We’re a golf state and have some of the best courses in the country. For Long Cove and Old Barnwell to embrace collegiate golf and collegiate women’s golf is just amazing. It’s great that they want to partner with us to showcase the women’s game and help grow the game.”

This will be the 13th year of “The Darius” and the annual event is one of the most prestigious women’s college golf events in the country with a tournament field that rivals the NCAA Championship field.

“The intent of the Darius was to build the best tournament in women’s college golf and to be an event with one of the best fields in the country,” Anderson said. “It’s an experience. It has grown into something I could not have imagined. The Long Cove community dove into this and really embraced it. It’s a full-year thing in terms of getting ready for it. The venue is unbelievable. It’s one of the best golf courses in the country. They had over 5,000 spectators last year. It’s a great event for the players.”

The tournament is tied in with South Carolina alumnus and music superstar Darius Rucker, who famously performs a private concert for the sponsors, members, and tournament teams after Sunday’s practice round. What also makes the tournament a huge draw is that it is televised on the Golf Channel.

“The concert is the icing on the cake,” Anderson said. “Darius is a massive ambassador for golf and Gamecock Athletics. What he does for the University of South Carolina is tremendous. He’s an honorary coach for us. It’s a special night.

“And since we’ve partnered with Golf Channel about four years ago, it’s great to see that talent put on TV. It’s the only women’s-only tournament to be televised. It drives a lot of sponsorship and spectatorship from the community.”

Meanwhile, this will be the second year of the Old Barnwell Derby Match Play event.

“It’s a brand-new golf course in South Carolina,” Anderson said. “It’s just got ranked as the 51st best golf course in the nation. It’s very special. I spoke with the general manager of Old Barnwell, and his mission statement is very philanthropic. He has a vision for growing the game. We started it as a four-team match play tournament last year, and we asked about growing it. It’s now an eight-team match play tournament. We got the bid the bid to host the host the NCAA Regional Tournament there in 2027.”

One of the reasons to have a match play event is because that is part of the postseason competition, and more programs are looking for those opportunities.

“Part of us doing this is because we don’t have the opportunity to play match play a lot,” Anderson said. “This is right before our SEC Championships and National Championships, so it’s a chance to see our players in match play and for our players to get some experience heading into the postseason. It’s a big draw for other teams to come in and play a match play event.”

Overall, hosting these tournaments benefits the program in a lot of ways.

“We’re growing the game of golf and women’s golf, and we’re associated with wonderful people at both of these clubs,” Anderson said. “We’re creating phenomenal opportunities. My goal is to create the best competition and best opportunities for these players to grow their game and the game itself. That’s my job – to help them grow and develop.”