Special Olympics South Carolina hosts Palmetto Cup golf tournament

COLUMBIA, S.C. - More than 100 Special Olympics athletes participated in the 2026 Palmetto Cup, the first year as a standalone event on Saturday.This year’s golf tournament, usually held during the state fall games, included a unified team play and a skills competition at the Spring Valley Country Club.Kara Harmon, director of communications for Special Olympics South Carolina, said that pure delight and joy is found with the athletes.Stepfather and son Bill Smalley and Adam Scrogins, among the teams, uses the tournaments as an opportunity to bond with each other.They are joined by over a 100 athletes and non-disabled peers on the green.Most teams trained for more than eight weeks for the tournament, which can pave a way to international play.For athletes David Hunter and Joey Blauvealt, they weren’t taking this moment for granted.