Category Archives: Featured

Spring Golf and the WHS – What Every Golfer Should Know

March 20, 2023   Featured, Helpful Hints, Local Golf, National Golf, Tournaments

By: Terry Benjamin of USGA

As more than 30 states move from the “inactive” season to “active” between March 1 and April 15, golfers across these regions are likely to encounter wet weather, shorter days or course maintenance conditions unique to the season.

Here’s everything you need to know about spring golf and the World Handicap System™ to navigate your round:

1.  Struggling to finish your round due to the sun setting earlier? As long as you play 7 holes, you can still post a 9-hole score. If you get through 14 holes, an 18-hole score can be posted. The score for any unplayed holes is par plus any handicap strokes you receive based on your Course Handicap™.

2.  Playing in tough conditions? You may see the playing conditions calculation (PCC) come into play more often than you would during the summer. The PCC compares the actual scores made each day to the expected scores of the players who made them – and if the scores are significantly higher (or lower) than expected, an adjustment to each player’s Score Differential™ is automatically applied. Just remember, at least 8 scores must be posted at a particular course on the day of play for the PCC to be calculated – so encourage your friends to post their scores as soon as possible!

3.  Are preferred lies in effect due to wet and soggy conditions? Don’t worry, you can still post your score. The Handicap Committee at the club should make this determination each day, so check with the golf shop before teeing it up.

4.  Were the greens recently aerated? If so, unless the Handicap Committee decides to temporarily suspend score posting due to poor putting surfaces, putt it out. The use of an “automatic two-putt” is not acceptable for handicap purposes.

5.  Planning to start your season with a friendly match among friends? Match-play scores are acceptable for score posting. On the holes you don’t hole out, simply record your most likely score for the hole – keeping in mind your most likely score cannot exceed your net double bogey limit.

For more information or to learn more about the World Handicap System, visit www.usga.org/whs.

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Female Firsts and the USGA

March 20, 2023   Featured, National Golf

By: Victoria Nenno of USGA

1895: With the election of Morris County Golf Club as an associate member in June, the USGA grants the then all-women’s club full voting rights in matters of the Association. The same year, the USGA conducts the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur as one of the Association’s three original championships. It becomes the country’s first national championship for women.

1898: Beatrix Hoyt of Shinnecock Hills G.C. wins her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur championship and captures the attention of audiences and writers, becoming the country’s first female golf sensation.

1916: Following the 1916 U.S. Women’s Amateur, many contestants voiced a desire for greater input on selecting the courses that would host their national championship. Immediately supportive of the initiative, the USGA Executive Committee inaugurates the Women’s Tournament Committee, responsible for the U.S. Women’s Amateur course selection. The first committee is comprised of female representatives from five different regions.

1926: Expanding the role of the Women’s Tournament Committee, the committee is renamed the Women’s Committee of the United States Golf Association and assumes responsibility for facilitating every local aspect of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, including receiving entries, registration, making pairings and arranging for press, policing and the transportation and accommodation of the contestants.

The inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur marked the country’s first national championship for women. (USGA)

The inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur marked the country’s first national championship for women. (USGA)

1932: The USGA and the Ladies Golf Union (LGU) conduct the first official Curtis Cup Match to “stimulate friendly rivalry among the women golfers of many lands.” Competing in the Curtis Cup remains one of the most prestigious honors for female amateur golfers.

1949: As younger generations take to the game in increasing numbers, the USGA inaugurates the U.S. Girls’ Junior, providing a national championship for girls under the age of 18.

1953: The USGA conducts the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time. It was first conducted by the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA) in 1946, and operated by the newly formed Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) beginning in 1949 before the USGA was asked to conduct the championship in 1953.

1956: The Chicago Women’s Golf Club is elected a regular member of the USGA, making it the first all-African American club to join the Association. CWGC member Ann Gregory subsequently becomes the first African American woman to compete in a USGA championship at the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open.

Ann Gregory, the first Black woman to play in a USGA championship, had a career full of accolades on the golf course. (USGA Golf Museum)

Ann Gregory, the first Black woman to play in a USGA championship, had a career full of accolades on the golf course. (USGA Golf Museum)

1975: Dr. Fanny Fern Davis becomes the first female recipient of the USGA Green Section Award. Davis is recognized by the USGA for her significant contributions to the field of turfgrass, including her role in developing the landmark chemical 2, 4-D and her service as acting director of the Green Section from 1943 to 1945 while Director Dr. Monteith served in World War II.

1979: Hawaii’s Lori Castillo becomes the first woman to hold two USGA championship titles simultaneously, following her 1978 U.S. Girls’ Junior victory with consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links titles in 1979 and 1980. Castillo was the first WAPL champion to compete in a Curtis Cup Match in 1980.

1987: Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected to serve on the USGA Executive Committee. Bell compiled an outstanding record as a competitive golfer as well as a leader in women’s golf as chairman of the USGA Women’s Committee from 1981 to 1984.

Judy Bell’s presidential tenure was highlighted by the establishment of the “For the Good of the Game” grants program. (USGA/John Mummert)

Judy Bell’s presidential tenure was highlighted by the establishment of the “For the Good of the Game” grants program. (USGA/John Mummert)

1996: Judy Bell is elected to serve as the first female president of the USGA, leading the Executive Committee in directing the Association’s staff and 1,600 volunteers who serve on 30 committees.

2003: After seven years of supporting LPGA-USGA Girls Golf through grants, the LPGA and USGA announce they will partner to manage this extremely successful program that provides an opportunity for girls to learn to play golf, build lasting friendships and experience competition in a supportive environment.

2012: USGA Golf Museum dedicates The Mickey Wright Room, celebrating the four-time U.S. Women’s Open champion’s impressive competitive record and lifelong contributions to women’s golf.

The medal presented each year to the winner of the U.S. Women’s Open was renamed in Mickey Wright’s honor in 2020. (USGA/Jonathan Kolbe)

The medal presented each year to the winner of the U.S. Women’s Open was renamed in Mickey Wright’s honor in 2020. (USGA/Jonathan Kolbe)

2018: The USGA inaugurates the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, providing a national championship for professional female golfers over the age of 50.

2019: At the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, the champion receives $1 million for the first time, and the purse, at $5.5 million, is the largest in women’s golf.

2022: The USGA nearly doubles the U.S. Women’s Open purse to $10 million, making it the highest in women’s golf and among the leaders in all of women’s sports.

The $1.8 million Minjee Lee netted for her 2022 U.S. Women’s Open victory was more than she had earned in any single season prior. (USGA/Darren Carroll)

 

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Special betting markets abound for Tiger Woods’ return at Genesis

February 15, 2023   events, Featured, National Golf, Tournaments

By: PGA Tour

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Tiger Woods says he’s ready to compete against the best of the PGA TOUR in his return to competition at The Riviera Country Club. But just what the betting and fantasy audience can expect from the 82-time TOUR winner remains to be seen.

The last time Woods went four competitive rounds was the Masters in April of last year, while his last TOUR start was his emotional missed cut at St. Andrews last July at The 150th Open Championship.

Of course, we’ve seen him pop up at The Match with Rory McIlroy, where they were beaten by Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, and his efforts at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie last December. But those contests were a far cry from PGA TOUR-level competition.

Woods’ return at Riviera, his first start here since 2020, brings with it some special betting options at BetMGM sportsbook. Outside of his +12500 odds to win (down from +15000 on Tuesday), Woods is +2200 for a top five finish, +1100 for a top 10, +450 for a top 20 and +150 for a top 40.

Then there are some special markets available for his opening round, where he’ll tee off at 3:04 p.m. ET alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas:

· In his 42 rounds at Riviera, Woods has been bogey-free just three times. Two of those came back in 1999. The other time Woods managed a clean sheet was way back in 2001.

· The first hole at Riviera is one of the easiest par-5s on the PGA TOUR. Woods has made birdie or better on 30 of his 42 trips around the iconic layout.

· Woods has racked up four or more par-breakers in a round at Riviera 20 times, or just under half the time. He failed to do this at all over his four rounds in 2020, when he finished last among those that made the cut, but he did so three times in 2019.

· Woods has just seven eagles from his 42 rounds at Riviera, but astonishingly five of them came in his last two appearances of 2019 and 2020. Prior to that, Woods had just one eagle in 2001 and made another in 2004.

· Woods has shot 70 or better at Riviera in 22 of his 42 prior rounds. His scoring average is 70.55 on the par-71 layout. His career-best round at Riviera is a 64 from the final round in 2004, with a high of 78 as an amateur in 1993. His highest round as a professional was his last on this course, a final-round 77 in 2020.

You can also bet Woods at lofty +400 odds against his first-round playing partners McIlroy (+105) and Thomas (+150) in a 3-ball to see who will have the best opening-round score.

On the 14 occasions Woods has played with Thomas, Thomas bested Woods 12 times. In 26 times playing together Woods has beaten McIlroy 13 times with three ties. Woods also beat McIlroy in a head-to-head match in the 2019 WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play.

Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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Awards Highlight Innovation, Volunteerism and Golf Literature

February 2, 2023   events, Featured, National Golf

By: USGA

Recognizing individuals who demonstrate exceptional efforts in volunteerism, innovation and golf literature, the USGA has announced the 2023 recipients of its Annual Awards, including the Joe Dey Award, the Herbert Warren Wind Award and the Green Section Award.

Robin Farran is the recipient of this year’s Joe Dey Award in recognition of nearly 30 years of meritorious service to the game as a volunteer. “Bless•ed One,” by James Roth, has been selected as the winner of the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Award. Roch Gaussoin is the Green Section Award honoree for introducing new technologies and processes that advance putting green construction and management.

“The game of golf is better because of the knowledge and expertise of Robin, James and Roch,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “Their contributions are helping to strengthen and advance the game for all who play – and the USGA is thrilled to showcase those efforts with this year’s Annual Awards.”

The USGA will recognize the honorees at its Annual Awards Dinner in Napa, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 25 during the organization’s Annual Meeting, which will be held in person for the first time since 2020.

Joe Dey Award – Robin Farran

Highly respected among peers for his dedication to Rules education and junior golf, Robin Farran of Chandler, Ariz., has helped grow the game over the course of 28 years of selfless service. Since attending his first PGA/USGA Rules of Golf Workshop in 1995, he has committed himself to helping others interpret the Rules by developing educational materials and officiating at more than 1,000 championships locally, nationally and abroad. Farran also regularly conducts junior clinics and has raised more than $140,000 for the Junior Golf Association of Arizona through its 100-Hole Marathon in an effort to ensure that golf continues to thrive for future generations.

Farran is widely recognized as an ambassador for the Rules of Golf and a strong reflection of the award’s namesake, Joseph C. Dey Jr., who served as the USGA’s executive director from 1934-1968 and as the first commissioner of the PGA Tour.

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Kathy Whitworth, winningest golfer in history, dies at 83

December 27, 2022   events, Featured, National Golf

By: The Associated Press

Kathy Whitworth set a benchmark in golf no one has ever touched, whether it was Sam Snead or Tiger Woods, Mickey Wright or Annika Sorenstam. Her 88 victories are the most by any player on a single professional tour.

Whitworth, whose LPGA Tour victories spanned nearly a quarter-century and who became the first woman to earn $1 million for her career on the LPGA, died on Christmas Eve, her longtime partner said. She was 83.

Bettye Odle did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that Whitworth died suddenly Saturday night while celebrating with family and friends.

“Kathy left this world the way she lived her life — loving, laugh and creating memories,” Odle said in a statement released by the LPGA Tour.

Whitworth won the first of her 88 titles in the Kelly Girls Opens in July 1962. She won six majors during her career and broke Mickey Wright’s record of 82 career wins when Whitworth captured the Lady Michelob in the summer of 1982.

Her final victory came in 1985 at the United Virginia Bank Classic.

“Winning never got old,” Whitworth once said.

All that was missing from her career was the U.S. Women’s Open, the biggest of the women’s majors. Upon being the first woman to surpass $1 million in career earnings in 1981, she said, “I would have swapped being the first to make a million for winning the Open, but it was a consolation which took some of the sting out of not winning.”

Sorenstam referred to her on Twitter as the LPGA’s all-time victory leader and a “total class act” who will be dearly missed.

“Thanks for setting the bar so high, Kathy,” she wrote.

Whitworth was the AP Female Athlete of the Year in 1965 and in 1967, when she easily beat out Wimbledon singles champion Billie Jean King. Whitworth was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982.

She was the LPGA player of the year seven times in an eight-year span (1966 through 1973). She won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average seven times and she was the leading money winner in eight seasons.

But she was identified by one number — 88.

Snead was credited with a record 82 wins on the PGA TOUR, a total Woods has since matched. Wright won 82 times on the LPGA Tour, while Sorenstam had 72 wins when she retired after the 2006 season at age 36.

“I think Mickey had the best swing, and was probably the greatest golfer,” Betsy Rawls once told Golf Digest. “But Kathy was the best player of the game that I have ever seen.”

Whitworth was born in Monahans, a small West Texas town, and learned to play golf in New Mexico. She started at age 15 in Jal, New Mexico, on the nine-hole course built for the El Paso Natural Gas employees.

She soon was a two-time winner of the New Mexico State Amateur. After briefly attending Odessa (Texas) College, she turned pro at age 19 and joined the LPGA Tour in December 1958.

“I was really fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do,” Whitworth once told Golf Digest. “Golf just grabbed me by the throat. I can’t tell you how much I loved it. I used to think everyone knew what they wanted to do when they were 15 years old.”

Wright had the more aesthetically pleasing swing. Whitworth was all about grinding, and about winning.

Whitworth won eight times in 1963 and 1965, and she had 11 victories in 1968. In none of those years did she earn more than $50,000. All these years later, the LPGA Tour total prize fund for 2023 will top $100 million.

Whitworth continued to conduct junior clinics and stay active in the game.

“I don’t think about the legacy of 88 tournaments,” she once said. “I did it because I wanted to win, not to set a record or a goal that no one else could surpass. I’m not some great oddity. I was just fortunate to be so successful. What I did in being a better player does not make me a better person.

“When I’m asked how I would like to be remembered, I feel that if people remember me at all, it will be good enough.”

 

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TEAM SORENSTAM/MCGEE THE STARS AT PNC

December 21, 2022   events, Featured, National Golf

By: LPGA

After the first round, the stars of the PNC Championship weren’t the leaders, Mike and Justin Thomas, who fired a 57 in the scramble format to take a two-shot edge over Tiger and Charlie Woods.

 

No, the players who captured the attention and the hearts of all who watched were Annika Sorenstam and the youngest competitor ever in this event, her 11-year-old son Will McGee.

 

Fans of the game know Will from Sorenstam’s few appearances on the LPGA Tour the last couple of years. She has played in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and made an appearance in the Gainbridge LPGA when it was held at Lake Nona, her home club in Orlando. In 2021, Sorenstam won the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and, as a result of that title, played in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, where she won that championship in 1996.

 

Her husband Mike McGee has been carrying her bag and offering encouragement throughout. And their children Ava and Will haven’t missed a shot.

 

Will has become a media star, offering critiques and strategies for his mom’s game in interviews on Golf Channel.

 

Now, after draining birdie putts with style and loving on his parents, Will McGee is the buzz of the PNC Championship.

 

 

 

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At PNC, Tiger and Charlie Woods are back … and you already know their goal

December 16, 2022   events, Featured, National Golf

By: PGA

ORLANDO, Fla. – The world returned to normalcy around 9 a.m. Friday. The sun climbed into the sky, swallows were swirling in Capistrano and at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Tiger Woods – on competitive hiatus since July, aside from 10 holes at The Match last weekend – stepped onto the opening tee at the PNC Championship.

Ah, a golfer again. Check that. Woods rode onto the tee, in a golf cart. Across it, actually. It didn’t matter.

This is the reality of the latest version of Tiger Woods, a man beset by painful plantar fasciitis in his right foot on top of a badly damaged right ankle and leg. Fans who gathered down the ropes four and five deep left of the opening par 4 didn’t care much how Woods got there. He could have been dropped off by Uber, or by Roman chariot. They were just really, really happy to see him.

All types were curious to get the latest on Woods, winner of 82 PGA TOUR events and 15 majors and arguably the greatest to ever play the game. Having played only nine official rounds of golf on TOUR this season – all of them at majors – what does he have in his arsenal? What’s ahead for him? Woods turns 47 on Dec. 30. The clock ticks.

“Well, I played more this year than I certainly thought at the beginning of the year,” said Woods, whose biggest 2022 goal was to play in The 150th Open at St. Andrews.

As has been the case in his last two late-year PNC appearances, what awaits Woods is mostly unknown. His plantar fasciitis makes it quite difficult to walk. He said he will shut it down after this weekend, stop pushing so hard, and get back to healing.

But this week? He wouldn’t miss it. When his lengthy pro-am round had finished alongside his partner and son, 13-year-old Charlie, he was asked to name his favorite moment. That was easy.

“The whole thing,” he said. “The whole experience of being out there with him.”

Charlie is bigger and stronger and hits it much longer than he did a year ago, when he and his father made a spirited Sunday run at the title. (He has added about 25 yards of length.) They went on a great closing run last year, Charlie hitting many of the best shots, fired 15-under 57 in the event’s scramble format, and finished two shots shy of John Daly and John Daly II.

This event delivered the first eagle that Charlie ever made, along with so many of the great father-son moments that Charlie’s famous dad seemed to miss when he was off conquering golf tournaments around the world or rehabbing from serious injuries.

Charlie, who rolled an ankle and came up 18 with a slight limp of his own, struggled with his game on Friday, which was no big deal. (“I think they’ll be ready when the gun goes off (Saturday),” said Joe LaCava, Tiger’s caddie.)

Woods proudly said his son’s biggest growth year over year is the fact he now can figure out what he is doing and fix his swing on the fly during a competitive round. Getting there included a process of understanding taught by Tiger, who was passing along a lesson from his own father, Earl.

“You have to understand,” Tiger said, “in tournament golf, you’ve got to make a switch on the fly and trust it.”

In the gallery following Woods and his son were grandparents and parents pushing young children in strollers, some guy dressed resplendently as Uncle Sam, and a man and his son dressed in full, striped tan tiger suits. Former PGA TOUR Champions standout Jim Thorpe was in the crowd. Korn Ferry Tour pro Rob Oppenheim was watching (“Why wouldn’t I?” he said incredulously.) Football announcer Booger McFarland was curious to watch Tiger rip driver on one hole.

Woods played his opening nine in a group that included Will Wears, grandson of Arnold Palmer, a legend who was so instrumental in the growth of the PNC. After Wears, a tall and powerful player, drove the green at the 350-yard seventh, Woods, seated nearby in his cart, paid him the ultimate compliment: “Just like your grandad at Cherry Hills.”

Padraig Harrington said that 15 years ago, fans would come out to see Tiger hit the shots. Nowadays, the vibe is different. They just want to see Tiger. Who knows what round will be his last? With all the tribulations he has been through – back surgeries, knee surgeries, and a near-fatal 2021 SUV accident that nearly cost him his right leg – they are genuinely happy that he is here. It helps that the PNC is played under the umbrella of the PGA TOUR Champions, which allows players the use of carts.

“It has changed. There’s no doubt about it,” Harrington said of the atmosphere. “It is a different emotional atmosphere around it. In many ways, it’s bigger.”

Tiger had his moments striking the golf ball. Early on, he made a few short shots with wedges dance around the hole, and at the 214-yard eighth, he launched one of his towering 4-irons left of the flagstick, holding the shot off into a crosswind.

His fatigue as the round moves on is hard to disguise. At the 10th, as pro-am teams switched up their pros, there was a long backup on the tee. Woods sat in his cart for some 15 minutes, fiddling on his phone, and holding a short conversation with Annika Sorenstam, GOAT to GOAT, after she had caught up in the group behind him.

When Woods went to scale a hill to the tee when it was his time to hit, he moved slowly, gingerly, his body feeling the brunt of such a delay. Of course, the son of an Army Green Beret seldom admits that he is hurting.

“How’s the foot, Tiger?” he was asked afterward. Woods answered, “Yeah, it’s good.” Clearly, it’s not. Could competing this week, even with the use of a cart, push back his recovery from his latest ailments? You bet, he said.

“You know, I don’t really care about that,” Tiger said. “I think being here with and alongside my son is far more important, and getting to have a chance to have this experience with him is far better than my foot being a little creaky.”

Tiger pretty much owns every trophy a man can win, starting with U.S. Junior Championships (3) and U.S. Amateurs (3) to his 15 major championships, which include five Masters titles. He won the career Grand Slam three times over. Jack Nicklaus owns more majors (18), but it is Woods who most consider to be the GOAT.

Alastair Johnston, the power agent from IMG who worked with Arnold Palmer and drew up the game plan to bring fathers and sons together in competition 25 years ago (and since, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, and even major winners and parents), can reluctantly accept fans considering his brainchild to be a “hit and giggle,” with a caveat: It is a “very competitive” hit and giggle. These are athletes used to competing hard, and winning big tournaments, and often it’s clear their children are similarly driven.

Johnston laughs in retelling the story from two years ago when Justin Thomas and his dad, Mike, who are close to the Woods family, dropped by the Woods’ home on Christmas Day wearing the bright red matching Willie Park belts they captured as PNC champions.

Said Johnston, “You knew right then that Tiger and Charlie were thinking, ‘We’re each going to get one of those, too.’”

Tiger never has met a tournament he didn’t want to win, regardless of his health. His son seems ultra-competitive as well. The two placed seventh in 2020, and runner-up a year ago. What would it mean for the two of them to win?

“Well, we’ve come close,” Woods said. “We’ve gotten better each year. So we’re trending.”

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The First Look: PNC Championship

December 9, 2022   events, Featured, National Golf

By: PGA Tour

  • Tiger & Charlie Woods Round 1 Highlights from PNC Championship

Tiger Woods and his son Charlie, 13, are making their third consecutive appearance at the PNC Championship. They’re seeking to go one better than last year’s thrilling runner-up finish that was highlighted by a record 11 consecutive birdies in the final round. The Woodses finished two back of John Daly and his son, University of Arkansas sophomore John Daly II.

FIELD NOTES AND STORYLINES: Twenty major champions will once again head to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando to compete in the two-day scramble tournament alongside a family member… Tiger and Charlie Woods are back. It’s been a busy stretch for Tiger, who hosted the Hero World Challenge in the opening week of December after withdrawing from the event because of plantar fasciitis. He then competed in Capital One’s The Match on Dec. 10… Three of the four participants in The Match are also playing the PNC Championship as the tournament’s “youth movement” continues. An increasing number of active players are choosing to compete alongside their fathers instead of vice-versa. That includes Jordan Spieth, reigning PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and Nelly Korda. Spieth is making his tournament debut alongside his father, Shawn… LPGA Tour legend Annika Sorenstam is set to tee it up with her 11-year-old son Will… John Daly and his son, John Daly II, are looking to become the first back-to-back winners of the PNC Championship since Larry Nelson won in 2007 and ‘08… Matt Kuchar returns to action, but this time with his 13-year-old son Carson after playing the last two editions with his elder son, Cameron… Lee Trevino, who is the only golfer to play in every edition of the PNC Championship, is back once again for 2022. The 82-year-old will play with his son, Daniel… A pair of former world No. 1s, David Duval and Tom Lehman, will play alongside their sons – Brady and Sean, respectively… Fellow Open Championship winners Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard will also play with sons Connor and Luke, respectively… Nick Faldo, who retired from his full-time broadcasting role with CBS this year, is back in action with son Matthew… A foursome of PGA TOUR Champions superstars will look to put a bow on their nice years on the over-50 circuit with Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh all playing alongside their sons… Multi-time major winners Mark O’Meara and Nick Price return to the PNC Championship… Finally, the ageless Gary Player will once again join the field at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and is set to tee it up with his grandson, Jordan.

COURSE: Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, par 72, 7,106 yards (yardage subject to change). Players will navigate a Florida layout with generous landing areas and wide fairways but boasting subtly contoured greens and strategically placed hazards.

72-HOLE RECORD: 117, John Daly/John Daly II (2021)

18-HOLE RECORD: 56, Davis Love III/Dru Love (Second round, 2018)

LAST TIME: The Daly duo held off a hard-charging Tiger and Charlie Woods. The Dalys’ tournament-record 27-under effort was enough to win the PNC Championship for the first time. The Dalys shot a final-round 57, including birdies on seven of their last nine holes, to top Team Woods by two shots. The Woodses, wearing their trademark Sunday red and black pants, made a record 11 birdies in a row in the final round and came to the par-5 18th needing an eagle to put pressure on Team Daly. They could only manage to make par, however, and finished at 25 under, good for solo second. Team Woods went bogey-free over the 36-hole competition after making two bogeys in their tournament debut the year prior. Justin Thomas and father Mike finished tied for third in their title defense.

HOW TO WATCH

Television: Saturday, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. ET (Peacock), 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Peacock), 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (NBC)

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Tiger Woods’ new normal a balancing act of rehab, rest

November 29, 2022   events, Featured, National Golf, Tournaments

By: PGA

  • Tiger Woods on his intentions to play golf in 2023

NASSAU, Bahamas – Tiger Woods, who will miss this week’s Hero World Challenge because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, got a new question at his press conference Tuesday:

“There are 206 bones in the body. Do you know each one of them by now?”

Woods, who will be 47 on Dec. 30, laughed and shook his head.

“No,” he said. “But I know each one that hurts, OK?”

The unofficial Hero, which benefits Woods’ foundation and which he has won five times, has always served as a de facto State of the Tiger get-together. Before we turn the page on the calendar, it’s a time for Woods to sit before the press and answer questions about his win streaks, major titles, swing changes, dominance.

Now, though, the main topic is human frailty.

“Well, it was a tough decision just because I want to play,” Woods said. “… Unfortunately, I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want, I just can’t walk.”

Would he have considered taking a cart this week if he’d been allowed?

“On the PGA TOUR, no,” he said. “I think walking is an integral part of the game at our level.”

The only fix, he added, is to receive treatment and, most crucially, stay off his feet.

He will ride in “The Match,” a 12-hole tilt under the lights at Pelican Golf Club in Belleaire, Florida on Dec. 10 (TNT, 6 p.m.). He and Rory McIlroy will take on unbeaten Presidents Cup duo Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Woods will also ride, and not hit every shot, as he plays with son Charlie at the father-son PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes, Dec. 15-18.

Almost as an aside Tuesday, Woods said his year has been more eventful on the medical front than anyone knew. “I had a couple surgeries, yes,” he said, but he would not elaborate.

He said the plantar fasciitis is a residual effect of the severe injuries he suffered in a single-car accident in Los Angeles in early 2021. He has teed it up three times this year, making the cut at the Masters Tournament (47th), making the cut but withdrawing at the PGA Championship, and missing the cut at The Open Championship.

He went into The Open, he said Tuesday, thinking he could win. “I was doing everything right” he said, “and then, all of a sudden … my leg just wasn’t working properly.”

Although his health has improved since July, he said, it’s still not where it needs to be. And so he continues to toe the line between working his way back to health and working so hard that he inadvertently makes himself worse.

“It’s a balancing act, right?” he said. “How hard do you push it to make progress while not pushing it too hard to go off the edge and you set yourself back two, three days, and that’s been the balancing act the whole year. And trying to do that, get ready for this event, I did a lot of beach walks trying to simulate the sand out here and my foot just did not like that very much.”

For Woods, the winner of 82 PGA TOUR events, including 15 majors, this is the new normal.

“The goal is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more,” he said. “That’s it. I mean, physically that’s all I can do. … I don’t have much left in this leg.”

When he does play, he continued, he’ll just hope to catch lightning in a bottle and remember how to close. It will be hard, he added, relegating himself to tournament hosting duties this week.

“When I was at home,” he said, “I was shooting 4, 5, 6, 7 under par like it was nothing, but I was in a cart. Now you add in walking and that goes away.”

When it returns, so will Woods, but for now the wait continues.

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Men’s Golf Finishes Ninth at ODU/OBX Intercollegiate

November 25, 2022   events, Featured, National Golf, Tournaments

By: Old Dominion University

POWELLS POINT, N.C. – The Old Dominion men’s golf team couldn’t make up much ground after a disappointing second round as the Monarchs finished ninth Tuesday at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate at Kilmarlic Golf Course.

“We were hoping to be in contention for the title in our own tournament at Kilmarlic this week,” said head coach Murray Rudisill. “We did not play well, and our youth and inexperience showed up, especially in the second round. Hopefully our team will be able to get some great practice in before the spring season starts in February.”

The Monarchs were tied for third at 10-over par 294 following Sunday’s opening round that saw the 16-team field battle rain and wind throughout the day. While the conditions improved on Monday, a round of 302 saw the team fall to 11th. A final round of 289 was enough for the Monarchs to make a slight jump up into ninth with a 54-hole total of 33-over 885.

North Dakota State led the Intercollegiate from wire-to-wire as the Bison ended up at 14-under with an 838. Additionally, NDSU’s Nate Adams was the tournament champion at 10-under 203. A 10-under 274 on Monday and an 11-under 273 on Tuesday helped SIU Edwardsville grab runner-up accolades. The Cougars were seven strokes behind the Bison at 845 (-7). Drexel rounded out the top three with a one-under 851, and the Dragons’ Drue Nicholas came in second place at seven-under 206.

This was NDSU’s second victory in the past three iterations of the Intercollegiate after the Bison won the team title in 2019 with a final of 26-under par 826. The ODU/OBX Intercollegiate wasn’t played in 2020 due to COVID and Delaware won last year’s tournament. This was also the second year in a row that Nicholas received a trophy as he shot a 12-under 201 to win in 2021.

Kaijun Ma was the top finisher for ODU, tying for 14th at two-over 215. The freshman from Macau, China started off the tournament with a one-over 72 before posting a three-under 68 and four-over 75 in rounds two and three. Jakob Henriksson had his best round on Tuesday with a one-under 70. He carded a six-over 219 to tie for 27th. Philip Minnehan was one stroke behind Henriksson and tied for 33rd at seven-over 220.

Kazuki Yamauchi turned in scores of 77, 75 and 72 to tie for 48th at 224 (+11). Aleksander Bjorge was next as his three-round tally of 225 (+12) tied him for 51st. Jakob Chicoyne started off with an even 71 but couldn’t repeat the effort as he tied for 55th at 226 (+13). Jacob Gunther’s total of 231 (+18) tied for 65th. Competing in his first tournament after missing last year due to injury, Michael Minnehan fired a round of 83 for his first trip around the course, but was forced to withdraw after that.

The Intercollegiate marked the final tournament of the fall season for the Monarchs. ODU had three Top-10 finishes through four tournaments played.

Team Results
1. North Dakota State (282-278-278 – 838) -14
2. SIU Edwardsville (298-274-273 – 845) -7
3. Drexel (295-284-272 – 851) -1
4. Longwood (296-287-284 – 867) +15
5. Georgetown (294-284-292 – 870) +18
6. Navy (297-294-289 – 880) +28
7. Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) (302-285-294 – 881) +29
8. Radford (311-278-294 – 883) +31
9. Old Dominion (294-302-289 – 885) +33
T10. Omaha (306-295-285 – 886) +34
T10. Villanova (302-293-291 – 886) +34
12. North Dakota (311-284-293 – 888) +36
13. Drake (293-310-286 – 889) +37
14. St. Francis (Pa.) (304-293-296 – 893) +41
15. Hartford (295-304-300 – 899) +47
16. St. Bonaventure (312-299-301 – 912) +60

ODU Lineup
T14. Kaijun Ma* (72-68-75 – 215) +2
T27. Jakob Henriksson (77-72-70 – 219) +6
T33. Philip Minnehan (73-74-73 – 220) +7
T48. Kazuki Yamauchi (77-75-72 – 224 +11
T51. Aleksander Bjorge* (74-73-78 – 225) +12
T55. Jakob Chicoyne (71-81-74 – 226) +13
T65. Jacob Gunther (73-81-77 – 231) +18
83. Michael Minnehan* (83-WD-WD – 83) +12

*Competed as individuals

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PLAYERS MENTIONED

Michael Minnehan

5′ 8″ Junior

Kazuki Yamauchi

5′ 7″ Freshman

Jakob Henriksson

Freshman

Jakob Chicoyne

5′ 7″ Junior

Kaijun Ma

Freshman

Aleksander Bjorge

Freshman

Philip Minnehan

Sophomore

Jacob Gunther

Sophomore
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