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The Carolina Clash might be the most eventful stop on the National Golden Tee Tour.
Every year, the Clash kicks off the tournament season with the brand-new courses, giving players only a few weeks at most to figure out how to attack them. The tournament also features the Senior Event, giving Golden Tee's 55+ players a shot at earning a Golden Tee World Championship pass.
In previous years, Saturday nights have featured the Speed Run. This year, the Clash switched things up with something a little more educational: the Chip Clip Clinic.
Add in Thursday night's Closest to the Pin, two different doubles tournaments throughout the weekend and the Main Event, and you have an incredible amount of Golden Tee packed into four days. And according to plenty of the players who made the trip, this year's Clash may have been the best one yet.
Brand-new courses. Limited course knowledge. Multiple golf balls in play. Plenty of experimentation and plenty of learning. None of that stopped players from putting up massive numbers.
Chris Longino and the Muse brothers know exactly what it takes to put together a Golden Tee tournament. The staff at Calloway's handled everything with ease, players received the signature Clash shirts that are free for everyone who attends, and the local crowd once again showed how much they enjoy both the game and the community that surrounds it.
Calloway's in South Carolina has become a blueprint for how to host a Golden Tee tournament.
The Carolina Clash welcomed 119 Golden Tee players into Calloway's, where Golden Tee PGA TOUR machines were lit up throughout the weekend. There was even a Silver Strike League Night happening alongside everything else, and that machine never seemed to stay dormant for long.
Saturday morning brought qualifying on all five brand-new Golden Tee PGA TOUR 2027 courses, which were released just weeks before the tournament. That makes the Clash a true test of Golden Tee ability.
Players have to figure out unfamiliar looks, determine when to attack and when to play it safe, and make decisions without having months of experience on the courses. The result was a wide range of scores across the field.
The best players were already finding their way into the high -20s, while others were working their way into the mid-teens. But at the top of the standings, several familiar names looked as if they had been playing these courses for months.
Andy Haas, Burak Temel, Eddie Godfrey and Sean Gervais were among the standout qualifiers across the five courses. Each player posted scores ranging from -28 to -31, putting them in prime position at the top of the Main bracket heading into Sunday afternoon. And, unsurprisingly, Andy Haas grabbed the top qualifying spot.
Haas finished qualifying at -143 with 255,599 great shot points, giving him the top spot heading into bracket play.
The 55+ Senior Bracket belonged to Kevin O'Connor. O'Connor was nearly impossible to slow down throughout the bracket. Pete Schmidt pushed him all the way to overtime early in the tournament, while Chisolm Woodson made sure the finals would be anything but easy.
In the end, O'Connor got the job done. He defeated Woodson 28-26 to secure the 2027 Golden Tee World Championship pass. Michael Hall rounded out the top three in the 55+ bracket.
There has been plenty of conversation around the Golden Tee community about golf-ball choices heading into the new courses. Are Breeze and Stouts on their way out? Are Cosmos still worth playing? None of that mattered much during the Pink Bracket finals. Both finalists stuck with Breeze/Stout golf balls, using the balls' ability to cut down the wind as part of their attack.
Stikes Paradeses and Charles Fridinger battled through the King of the Hill match, with Fridinger eventually taking the victory. But Paradeses wasn't finished. He fought his way back to the finals and then double-dipped Fridinger to capture the Pink Bracket.
The National Golden Tee Tour had been building toward a moment like this for quite some time. Luke Rataj is one of three Golden Tee Young Guns who have been making a major impact on the community, and plenty of players knew it was only a matter of time before Rataj broke through with his first National Golden Tee Tour tournament victory.
That moment arrived at the Carolina Clash. Rataj was a man on a mission Sunday.
He won every match he played, including the King of the Hill match, to put himself in position to claim the Purple Bracket. His closest match was decided by just two strokes. Outside of that, Rataj controlled the bracket from start to finish.
Randy Critchlow gave him his best shot in the King of the Hill, but Rataj wouldn't be denied.
Luke Rataj left South Carolina with his first Purple Bracket title and, more importantly, his first tournament win on the National Golden Tee Tour.
If Rataj's run was impressive, Sean Gervais' path through the Main Bracket was every bit as remarkable. Gervais didn't exactly receive an easy road to the championship. He had to get past some of the best players on the National Golden Tee Tour, including Eddie Godfrey twice and Andy Haas.
Gervais first defeated Godfrey in the King of the Hill before facing him again in the finals. Somewhere in between, he also had to find a way past Haas.
Gervais captured the Carolina Clash Main Bracket, adding another National Golden Tee Tour victory to his resume and once again showing the consistency that has made him one of the tour's most reliable players over the years.
The Carolina Clash continues to establish itself as one of the marquee stops on the National Golden Tee Tour.
The Muse brothers and Gino once again showed what it takes to put on a tournament, while the Power Events crew kept the entire weekend running like a well-oiled machine.
But as always, the biggest reason these tournaments continue to thrive is the Golden Tee community.
The Carolina Clash had everything this year. Players learning five brand-new courses. New golf-ball strategies being tested. A first-time National Golden Tee Tour winner. A veteran adding another championship to his resume. Bracket runs that went down to the wire. And 119 players packed into Calloway's to compete, hang out and enjoy another weekend together.
The Clash once again proved that you don't always need the newest golf ball to gain an advantage.
Sometimes, you just need to know your game.
And sometimes, all it takes is one perfect Sunday to announce yourself to the entire Golden Tee community.
Do you want to compete in the next National Golden Tee Tour stop?
Texas Holiday Classic
December 3–6, 2026
O'Sheas Bar and Grill
310 Grapevine Hwy
Hurst, Texas 76054
The 14th Annual Texas Holiday Classic features an $11,000 added prize pool, multiple tournaments throughout the weekend, and the Top Gun / Lil Gun Player of the Year Finals.
Schedule:
Get more information here
