Supporters of the surprise US Senate candidate, Alvin Greene, better hope his political ability is stronger than his golf game.
"Oh, that wasn't a good one," said Greene as he duffed an iron shot at Indigo Creek Golf Club in Murrells Inlet.
Granted, Sunday was Greene's first time on a golf course or even swinging a club except for a "carnival putt or something like that," Greene said.
On Friday, Gerry Shea of Myrtle Beach decided to call Greene to invite him to play with his golfing group, the Kennedy Group.
"It wasn't a joke," said Shea, whose friends have said it began as a gag.
"I didn't expect he (Greene) would answer the phone. It was a number I got off the internet. I called it, and he answered the phone," Shea said.
One of the next calls Shea made was to one of his golfing buddies, Greg Howard.
"He said 'you'll never guess who's coming to play golf with us', and I said who? And he said 'Alvin Greene.' I said 'senate candidate Alvin Greene?'
Howard said Greene is a nice guy, but he said he doesn't agree with the politician's views.
"Some of us don't share Gerry's enthusiasm for bringing this guy down, though he's a nice guy, and he's been nice to play with," Howard said.
For Greene, who was too tired to finish the entire 18 holes and quit after number 13, but he shot 62 on the front nine and considered it a job well done.
"This is the first real round of golf. I think I did good, and I had fun out here," Greene said.
Greene said Sunday's visit to the Grand Strand was a chance to tout tourism.
"Tourism is the leading industry here in South Carolina. And (I'm) spending some time and meeting constituents here in Horry County and surrounding areas."
Two weeks ago, a grand jury in Columbia indicted Greene on charges related to showing a University of South Carolina student pornography last fall.
Greene wouldn't answer whether he did show porn to the student, and he insisted it was just a smear attack against him.
"It's a process. And those folks are just trying to smear my campaign ... My lawyers are leading the process, and that's all. Thank you," Greene said.
Greene won the June 8 Democratic primary to earn a spot on November's ticket against Sen. Jim Demint for one of the state's two US Senate seats.
