Tartan Day contest ensures boy badges to golf tournament

It turns out that Australian golfer Aaron Baddeley wasn't the only winner at this year's Verizon Heritage Tournament in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Four-year-old Andrew Wicklum, of Evans, also took a top honor at Harbour Town Golf Links, claiming two clubhouse badges to next year's Heritage tournament as part of a Tartan Day contest.

Andrew was named first runner-up at the tournament's first-ever Tartan Day. His mother, Amanda, said her in-laws told them about Tartan Day and the family decided to pack complete Scottish dress for Andrew to wear at the tournament April 16.

"People were encouraged to wear their family tartan, their kilts and just dress up," she said. "(Andrew) wore his kilt and his vest and my husband's kilt pin," the official pin of his family's clan.

As part of being named first runner-up in Tartan Day, Andrew got to be an on-air guest during live coverage of this year's tournament on XM Satellite Radio's PGA Tour Network.

Terry Wicklum, Andrew's father, said his family has traced their ancestry to members of the Wicklow clan, which emigrated to Canada in the 19th century.

The Wicklow tartan is a dark-green plaid with a bright, thin yellow stripe. The color and pattern of a tartan, Terry said, identifies which clan the person belongs to.

Workers at the gates of The Heritage, which awards the winner of its golf tournament a red tartan, or plaid, jacket, photographed Andrew with about 100 people Saturday as they arrived, Andrew's mother said. They found out later in the day that Andrew was first runner-up and had won two badges for next year's tournament.

Andrew said he liked being on the radio later in the day and talked about what he wore, his kilt pin, his father and friends.

Andrew said he enjoys his outfit.

"I like to wear it," he said. "It's comfortable."

Andrew's parents got him his own kilt and vest after a trip to Aiken's Highland Games last year.

"He was all about it," Terry said of the kilt. "He loved it; he wouldn't take it off."