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February 26, 2008

PGA does cut-line reversal

The PGA Tour amended its divisive cut policy, giving players on the cut line one more day of competition to separate themselves from the bottom of the pack.

Starting this week at the Honda Classic, the tour will return to a traditional 36-hole cut for the top 70 and ties. If more than 78 players make the cut, there will be another cut to the top 70 and ties after the third round.

"On the surface, that sounds like doing the same thing over again," commissioner Tim Finchem said Tuesday. "But it's really not, because the field spreads."

The cut policy changed this year to avoid large fields on the weekend, which led to 5½-hour rounds and disrupted the television window. When the cut was more than 78 players, the nearest number to 70 advanced to the weekend, while the others received last-place money.

Eighteen players at the Sony Open and 19 players at the Buick Invitational were kept from playing on the weekend under the previous policy. Anthony Kim was among them in San Diego, and it could have kept him from qualifying for a World Golf Championship.

Others complained that they didn't have a chance to move up the leaderboard over the final two rounds, if not for a chance to win, then at least to get into the top 10 and earn valuable Ryder Cup or FedEx Cup points, not to mention money.

"I just think we didn't think through the new rule," Finchem said. "It's hard to understand. People see players making the cut and not playing. Nobody's happy with that."

Not much was said about the policy until early this season. Some players acknowledged they didn't actually know about it.

The 16-man Players Advisory Council met last week at Riviera and made the recommendation, which the tour's policy board voted on Monday in Florida. The tour also will consider changing the so-called second cut to one with 65 and ties in the future.

"It's kind of a compromise, kind of half a loaf," Finchem said. "But it's the best step for right now. ... It may be that we fall in love with this. It may be that we want to reevaluate Saturdays. But everybody seems to be pretty comfortable right now going in this direction."

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posted by Oregon Golf Adventures @ 1:24 PM   0 Comments

Couples, Norman new President's Cup captains

Fred Couples and Greg Norman are the new captains for the 2009 Presidents Cup in San Francisco. It's the first time both captains have previously competed in the matches.

Golf World first reported the selection of Couples on Sunday.

Couples has played on five Presidents Cup teams for the United States, and he hit the winning shot the first two years. Norman sat out the inaugural year in 1994 because of an illness, then played on the next three teams.

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had been captains the last three matches.

The Presidents Cup will be played in October 2009 at Harding Park in San Francisco. The United States has a 5-1-1 record, winning last year at Royal Montreal. The International team's only victory was in 1998 in Australia.

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posted by Oregon Golf Adventures @ 1:21 PM   0 Comments

February 8, 2008

US Open coming to the Northwest!

In what may be the biggest golf news in the last five years for the Pacific Northwest, the USGA announced that the 2015 US Open would be played in Tacoma at Chamber's Bay! Here's the press release:

The United States Golf Association has announced that it has awarded the 2015 U.S. Open Championship to Chambers Bay, the spectacular municipal links course located on the scenic lower Puget Sound in University Place, Wash.

The USGA also announced that Chambers Bay, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bruce Charleton, will play host to the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2010.

Chambers Bay will be the third municipal course to play host to the U.S. Open, following Bethpage Black in New York (2002, 2009) and Torrey Pines in California later this year. Chambers Bay will be the first golf course in the Pacific Northwest to hold the U.S. Open.

"We are excited to take the U.S. Open Championship and the U.S. Amateur to such an awesome site,” said Jim Hyler, chairman of the USGA Championship Committee. “This is the first time the U.S. Open has been to Washington and we are confident that the golf course will provide a challenging test for the best players in the world, as well as a great spectator experience for those who attend the event and watch it online and on television.

“The local leadership provided by Pierce County has been superb and we look forward to partnering with them and the great sports fans in Washington to host a truly unique Open Championship. And, the U.S. Amateur will give us great insight into the golf course architecture and championship setup. For the first time, the National Open will be played on fine fescue grasses, including the putting greens,” continued Hyler.

Chambers Bay, opened in June 2007, is the centerpiece of a 930-acre park purchased by Pierce County, Wash., in 1992 that today features scenic trails and coastline vistas where a sand and gravel quarry once stood.

“Our hard work has paid off as we have done everything possible to attract the attention of a prestigious championship,” said Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg. “Even so, we never dreamed we’d be chosen by the USGA to host both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open championships. Especially not so close to the opening of the course. It is a true honor.”

“Chambers Bay golf course is a jewel for the entire state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest,” said Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire. “The U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur Championships will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the natural beauty of our state and share it with golf enthusiasts from around the globe. I applaud County Executive John Ladenburg for his hard work on delivering the championship events to Pierce County.”

The USGA also announced that Erin Hills Golf Course in Wisconsin will play host to the 2011 U.S. Amateur. Erin Hills is located in Hartford, Wis., about 30 minutes northwest of Milwaukee, and is also home to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in 2008 – a USGA championship awarded to Erin Hills before the golf course had opened in 2006.

Erin Hills is a links-style championship course designed by Mike Hurdzan and Dana Fry of Hurdzan-Fry Architects, and Ron Whitten, Architecture Editor of Golf Digest magazine. Golf Magazine named Erin Hills its Best New Golf Course in January 2007.

“Erin Hills is a wonderfully unique golf course that really takes a minimalist approach to the golf course design and architecture,” Hyler said. “The course is cleverly routed on a great piece of golf landscape. The venue will be a terrific test for the competitors in the U.S. Amateur.”

“On behalf of the entire state of Wisconsin, we look forward to the incredible opportunity to host the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills Golf Course,” said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle. “As a public course open to all, Erin Hills fulfills the USGA promise and is a world-class facility that showcases Wisconsin’s future as a premier golf destination.”

“Everyone associated with the journey of Erin Hills is pleased and we look forward to the unique opportunity to host the 2011 U.S. Amateur,” said Bob Lang, owner of Erin Hills.

The awarding of championships to Chambers Bay and Erin Hills was approved by the USGA Executive Committee at its Annual Meeting in Houston. The formal approval of all three championships is pending contractual agreement.

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world’s golfers and golf courses.

The Association's most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women's Amateur.

The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System and administers an ongoing "For the Good of the Game" grants program, which has allocated more than $58 million over 11 years to programs that seek to grow the game. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.

posted by Oregon Golf Adventures @ 6:50 AM   0 Comments


 
 
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