PARRIS ISLAND, South Carolina –
The 2025 Armed Forces Golf Championship is set to begin Feb. 25 at The Legends Golf Course, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. Teams of six men and four women from each service component will compete to determine which branch is the best from tee to green.
U.S. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen will compete across a four-day 72-hole medal play tournament format, with the winner scheduled to be crowned immediately following the championship match on March 1.
“Once they get up to the Armed Forces [competition], it’s really up to them,” said Doug Quirie, golf coach of the Air Force’s Armed Forces Golf team. “They’ve got their own game, they know how to play, and these kids are good.”
This year, many of the services are fielding teams comprised of former college athletes, Pro-Am Tour competitors, and local club champions.
“I feel like I’m playing some good golf, and I have the capability to win it,” said Marine Corps Cpt. Nicholas Brediger with Officer Selection Station – Charlottesville, Va., and the 2024 defending champion. “But there’s going to be stiff competition this year with all the services having deep teams and all the talent out there.”
No matter how they finish, competitors will be looking to build camaraderie with their sister service counterparts through friendly competition throughout the week, Quirie said.
“I just can’t express how much pleasure I get out of watching them when they win,” Quirie said. “They’re all very respectful to the other teams. They all congratulate each other and shake hands whether they win or lose, and that’s the part of golf that I’ve loved for many years.”
Brediger, previously a three-time member of the All-Marine Corps Golf team, added that the tournament is a chance to build familiarity across the services through competition.
“We train a lot together, but this is another opportunity to get together with other services and get proficient in something outside of our real jobs,” Brediger said. “Military sports are important because friendly competition will always breed some excellence. We all want to one-up each other, so this is just another opportunity to compete and see who’s the best branch.”
Eligible top 10 finishers of the tournament will go on to qualify for the International Military Sports Council (CISM) Golf Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, where they will compete alongside and against partner nation teams from across the world.
“The last two of these competitions, I’ve made Team USA, so I’d love to do that again,” said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. David Banks, assigned to Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. “A good goal is obviously, make the Marine Corps team, and then I’d be satisfied with a top 10 finish in the Armed Forces Championship. And anything beyond that is just icing on the cake.”