The Devlin Returns to Secession for 44-Team Battle in Unique Best-Ball Format

The Devlin Returns to Secession for 44-Team Battle in Unique Best-Ball Format

Secession Golf Club in Beaufort, S.C., will host the 2026 edition of The Devlin from June 4-6, welcoming 44 two-man teams for one of the mid-amateur calendar's most distinctive events. Now in its 41st year, the tournament has built a loyal following since relocating from Texas to the South Carolina Lowcountry in 2011.

The format sets The Devlin apart: Friday and Saturday rounds are contested as best ball, with teams taking the better score on each hole. Sunday's finale switches to combined scoring, where both players' scores count on every hole. The hybrid format rewards steady partnerships that can navigate the strategic shift when pressure mounts in the final round.

Competition will unfold across two divisions. The Cannon (Championship) Division is reserved for mid-amateurs age 25 and older with a combined handicap of 5.0 or less. The Saber (Senior) Division accommodates players 50 and over carrying a combined handicap of 9.0 or less.

Recent history suggests low scoring is achievable at Secession. In 2022, Chris Hall and Rusty Strawn captured the Saber Division at 15-under 273, firing opening rounds of 65 and 68 in best-ball play before posting a combined 140 on Sunday. Drew Ditty and Steve Albright finished nine shots back at 6-under.

Jordan Sease and Walt Todd, Jr., former Winthrop University teammates, have dominated recent Cannon Division play. The duo won in back-to-back years, including a record 20-under 268 performance in one of their victories. Their ability to maintain form across the format change—posting consistent best-ball rounds before grinding through the aggregate finale—has proven the winning template.

The tournament draws its name from Bruce Devlin, the Australian professional who won eight PGA Tour events in the 1960s and 70s. Devlin has attended recent editions at Secession, adding a touch of professional pedigree to the amateur competition.

With the tournament capping entries at 44 teams and the combined handicap requirements ensuring elite amateur fields, the Devlin continues to occupy a distinctive niche on the mid-amateur calendar. The three-day format tests both individual brilliance in best-ball play and partnership endurance when every stroke counts in Sunday's combined round.

First-round tee times begin June 4.