U.S. Women's Am Champ Survived 12-For-2 Playoff, Three Matches After Falling 2-Down

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You have to admire the resilience of U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Jensen Castle surviving a playoff and several down moments, only to prevail in Sunday’s finale at Westchester CC. Oh, and she opened stroke play qualifying with a 79!

Adam Woodward’s game story from Harrison, New York included this:

After surviving a 12-for-2 playoff just to advance from stroke play, Castle was apparently meant to be a champion. For the third time in six matches this week, the Kentucky junior came back from 2-down, this time against Arizona junior Yu-Chiang (Vivian) Hou, to win the 121st U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2 and 1.

“It still hasn’t registered. I mean, it feels like just another tournament,” she said moments after the win on just one hour and 45 minutes of sleep. “But then I sit back and I’m like, ‘This is a USGA event with so much history.’ All the exemptions I didn’t even realize. I was just lucky I could play.”

David Shefter’s game story for the USGA official site touches on the incredible nature of Castle’s win given all of the holes she put herself in, becoming the Castle is the third No. 63 seed in USGA history to win a title since seeding began in the mid-1980s.

Castle defeated Yu-Chiang (Vivian) Hou, 2 and 1 in Sunday’s 36-hole final at Westchester CC.

Bandon Dunes, USGA Form Long-Term Agreement: '29 Walker Cup, Men's And Women's Amateurs In Same Year

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What a great thing for amateur golf (or whatever we’ll call it as members of Team TaylormadeFilaSxrionCallaway and TeamAcushnetFJUnionGreen descend on Bandon Dunes in 2045).

Most exciting besides the 2029 Walker Cup and the 2038 Curtis Cup in which most of the contestants were just born, are the men’s and women’s amateurs going there in 2032 and 2041. It’ll be interesting to see how those are structured—they have time!—but it’d be neat to have the stroke play starting for one as the other is wrapping up (check out dates are non-negotiable for all but the finalists!).

The full USGA release on a substantial commitment to the resort over the next 24 years but starting almost immediately:

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to Host 13 USGA Championships 

Long-term relationship kicks off with 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (July 20, 2021) – The USGA and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort today announced an agreement that will bring 13 USGA amateur championships to the resort over 23 years. The relationship will begin with the 74th U.S. Junior Amateur in 2022 and run through the 2045 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships, with eight different championships being played at the resort, including the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, the Walker Cup Match and the Curtis Cup Match.

The 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur will be conducted from July 25-30, with Bandon Dunes serving as the host course for both stroke play and match play, and Bandon Trails serving as the second stroke-play course. Dates and courses for the other championships will be announced in the future. 

The resort will host both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Amateur in 2032 and again in 2041, marking the first time those two original USGA championships will be contested on the same site in the same calendar year. The resort will also host the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior in 2045, which will mark the fourth time those championships will be conducted at the same facility in the same year. The agreement also includes the 2029 Walker Cup Match and the 2038 Curtis Cup Match. 

“With five championship-caliber courses and incredible support from the resort’s ownership, Bandon Dunes is the perfect location for these USGA championships,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships. “Mike Keiser has been an incredible advocate for amateur golf and his ongoing support for the USGA and our mission served as the vision for this partnership. We are excited to work together for years to come.”

The 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will be the first U.S. Junior Amateur and eighth USGA championship hosted by the resort, making Bandon Dunes the first site to host eight different USGA championships. It will be the 39th USGA championship held in Oregon. 

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort previously hosted the 2006 Curtis Cup Match (Pacific Dunes), the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur (Bandon Dunes), the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (Old Macdonald and Bandon Trails), the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (Pacific Dunes), 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (Old Macdonald and Pacific Dunes), and the 2020 U.S. Amateur (Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails). 

“I love amateur golf. What the USGA does for amateur golf and to grow the game is exceptional. I built Bandon Dunes for all amateurs to enjoy the great experiences and spirited competition that golf provides, and we are thrilled to be hosting the USGA’s signature amateur championships for years to come,” said Mike Keiser, the owner of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. “We are particularly grateful to Mike Davis, who has been an advocate for Bandon Dunes since the resort’s earliest days. Amateur golf will always have a place at Bandon Dunes, and this commitment from the USGA is significant. We welcome all the great championships that the USGA will bring to the resort as Bandon Dunes is the home of amateur golf.”

The 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship is being played this week at the Country Club of North Carolina in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. 

Future USGA Championships at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort:

2022     U.S. Junior Amateur

2025     U.S. Women’s Amateur

2029     Walker Cup Match

2032     U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur

2035     U.S. Girls’ Junior

2037     U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball

2038     Curtis Cup Match

2041     U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur

2045     U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior

Whew: College Golfers Can Unveil Their Brand Rollouts ASAP, Other Am's Must Wait Until January

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I know many of you are clamoring to buy some NFT’s and personal-logoed items from top college golfers and Ryan Herrington reports on the USGA paving the way for players to cash in.

The unlocking of NCAA name, image and likeness started immediately for most sports, with athletic departments creating in-house teams to develop logos and brand campaigns for both current athletes and recruits. What could go wrong there?

Anyway, non-college golfers can climb aboard the gravy train while other amateurs must wait for relaxed USGA/R&A amateur status rules to take hold in January. Let the merch flow!

College Golfers May Have To Delay Their Brand Rollouts

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Hoping to buy a line of logoed stuff from your favorite college golfer now that the NCAA has been forced to let them cash in?

According to GolfChannel.com’s Brentley Romine, the rules of amateur status will likely slow down efforts by any college golfer to begin their brand unveiling until the USGA and R&A update their Jan. 1, 2022 softening of amateur status.

The NCAA's interim guidelines, which defer rule-making to the states and individual universities, will remain until official NCAA and/or federal legislation is passed.

However, college golfers must still abide by the Rules of Amateur Status set by golf's governing bodies. Though the USGA and R&A back in February announced modernized rules that don't figure to conflict with any state or school policies in regards to NIL, those new rules aren't slated to go into effect until Jan. 1, 2022.

So, what will college golfers do for six months?

Talk to their prospective agents about fine tuning their logos and online shops? Sorry, go on…

"While the NCAA’s announcement is not directly related to our own work to modernization the Rules of Amateur Status, we applaud the NCAA for making a positive step forward for collegiate athletics and note that their interim policy is closely aligned with where the Rules of Amateur Status will be come January 1, 2022," the USGA statement read. "We are now in contact with NCAA staff to seek clarity on a number of items related to their interim policy and will provide an update to the entire golf community as to how NIL related activities will affect a student-athlete’s amateur status no later than Tuesday, July 6."

Programs are already letting recruits know that if they are looking to help players grown their name, image and likeness, oh and help them get an education, too:

Ratings: 2021 Wells Fargo, Walker Cup, Regions Tradition

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Sunday’s Wells Fargo won by Rory McIlroy finished with a 1.77, up a tick from the 1.58 that the AT&T Byron Nelson earned on a similar weekend two years ago (no 2020 event was played due to the pandemic). CBS is touting it as the most watched round of the Wells Fargo since 2015 (Tweet below).

The Walker Cup conclusion drew a disappointing .16 in a Sunday evening window, but did outdraw the first senior major of 2021.

Showbuzzdaily.com has all of the Weekly Sports ratings here.

As always, I’ll note streaming numbers are not available.

A Few Ways To Make The Walker Cup Better Even After Another Sensational Match

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Golfweek’s Adam Schupak offers four suggestions to make the Walker Cup even better and I wholeheartedly endorse three of them, with one addition.

I’m on the fence about Schupak’s call to move the matches permanently to early May. This works around the NCAA Championships and ensuing June and July pro debut weeks for top college golfers. I get the concept, but a lot may change with amateurism in the coming years. This also feels like a nod to the PGA Tour’s untenable wraparound schedule and the pro tournament exemption game, two things that could easily change and which are way less important to golf than the Walker Cup.

Schupak also calls for expanding the rosters to 12 as they did this year due to COVID. That move saved the matches after a severe outbreak of an unexplained virus, allowing the governing bodies to take advantage of the extra bodies on hand. That kept the matches going and entertained those of us who watched some terrific golf given the weakened state of most players, the pressure of a team event and the challenges of Seminole. Challenges being a euphemism for borderline goofy.

Anyway, the alternate spots also gave some worthy young men a special experience they would not have gotten sitting at home.

Schupak’s most sensitive suggestion revolves around Team GB&I. He’d like it to be Team Europe.

While GB&I put up a noble fight, losing 14-12, the U.S. now holds a 38-9-1 all-time record in the competition. It isn’t quite the Harlem Globetrotters dominance of the Washington Generals, but it is lopsided enough to resemble Alabama over the rest of the SEC. Four years from now when GB&I returns to the U.S. for the matches at Cypress Point, it is likely that none of the competitors will have been born since GB&I last won on U.S. soil (in 2001). We’ll never know how much of a difference Spain’s Jon Rahm and Norway’s Viktor Hovland would have made, but I’d love to find out from the next generation of continental Europe stars and put to bed the nickname of “the Walk-over Cup.”

I was pondering a post about this very topic but when the matches got close and I chickened out. Before moving on I looked up the Official World Amateur ranking to see what kind of team would have been fielded.

This year’s GB&I team by the ranking:

1 of the top 20

4 of the top 30

6 of the top 50

The one top 20 player went 0-4 so the rankings only mean so much (but that was a terrific, hard fought 0-4 if such a thing is possible).

If the team had been expanded to Europe it would have looked like this on paper:

4 of the top 20

9 of the top 20

12 of the top 50

The likely adds to the roster assuming a European team of twelve and not too much politicking:

5. Ludvig Aberg (Sweden)

13. Vincent Norman (Sweden)

18 David Puig Currius (Spain)

23 Mattias Schmid (Germany)

30 Alvaro Mueller-Baumgart Lucena (Spain)

32 Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra Coto (Spain)

36 Jose Luis Ballester Barrio (Spain)

This would mark a huge change for the R&A to grapple with. I can’t fathom the first world ramifications Martin Slumbers and friends would have to deal with given the times (Brexit). The change would also be a tough sell given how valiantly this year’s team played and how close they came to winning.

As for the one non-Schupak suggestion that’s all mine: honorary Seminole memberships for all 24 players.

Why?

Besides putting on a great show, the simple act of not spilling their guts out on the course and revealing from where the “stomach bug” originated. Given that media outlets blamed The Breakers or worse, the players were saints for not saying more.

Memberships for everyone! Oh and not to worry about Nathaniel. He’s already got one.

A Real Gut Check! USA Holds Off GB&I For Dramatic 14-12 Win At Seminole

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2021 USA Walker Cup Team (USGA)

2021 USA Walker Cup Team (USGA)

It was a slimming week on top of a victorious one for Team USA. Both teams put on an incredible performance given the amount of time spent in uncomfortable situations fending off a mysterious “virus” that has not been explained. Mercifully, everyone was able to play and perform admirably on magnificent if overcooked Seminole.

GolfDigest.com’s Ryan Herrington summed up the moment this way:

When you look at the pictures of the celebration five or 10 years from now, you’ll have no idea from their expressions just how difficult it was for this group to take possession of the Walker Cup, what the means to this end truly involved. That, instead, will be something they can tell their friends and family over beers.

Actually, I’d save the 2021 Walker Cup stories until after dessert is consumed. Anyway…

Despite the “bug”, it was an incredibly close match not decided until the final moments. As Julie Williams notes for Golfweek, the GB&I squad pretty much blew a hole in the world amateur rankings.

Asked if talk of rankings discrepancies lit a fire under his team, GB&I captain Stuart Wilson said he was unaware of it.

“There were a lot of comments about us hanging in well and fighting really hard,” he said. “I was more of the opinion we were letting the Americans away with it. My mindset on the whole thing, the guys played well and played really well. I think on another day, the match would have been a totally different result.”

Greg Midland and Joey Geske with the USGA game story and USA Captain Nathaniel Crosby’s reaction.

The 10 afternoon singles matches would therefore decide the first Walker Cup Match played in Florida, and the final result was in doubt nearly to the end. The USA eked out a 5½-4½ advantage in those matches to retain the cup.

“It was such an evenly matched contest and our guys were really fired up,” said USA captain Nathaniel Crosby. “I've been blessed to be part of their lives here for a few years and it's been so great.”

Mike Trostel with the three big takeaways from the final day.

Chris Keane and Scott Halleran’s incredible image gallery from the day.

The Sunday results:

JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Results from Sunday’s foursomes and singles matches at the 48th Walker Cup Match at the 7,256-yard, par-72 Seminole Golf Club:

United States def. Great Britain and Ireland, 14-12

Morning Foursomes
Mark Power and John Murphy, GB&I def. Pierceson Coody and John Pak, USA, 1 up
Ricky Castillo and William Mouw, USA def. Alex Fitzpatrick and Barclay Brown, GB&I, 1 up
Angus Flanagan and Ben Schmidt, GB&I and Davis Thompson and Cole Hammer, USA, tied
Matty Lamb and Jack Dyer, GB&I def. Stewart Hagestad and Tyler Strafaci, USA, 6 and 5

Afternoon Singles
Austin Eckroat, USA def. Mark Power, GB&I, 7 and 6
Pierceson Coody, USA def. Alex Fitzpatrick, GB&I, 3 and 1
Joe Long, GB&I def. John Pak, USA, 1 up
Matty Lamb, GB&I def. Davis Thompson, USA, 2 up
Quade Cummins, USA and Barclay Brown, GB&I, tied
Angus Flanagan, GB&I def. William Mouw, USA, 1 up
Ricky Castillo, USA def. John Murphy, GB&I, 2 and 1
Jack Dyer, GB&I vs. Tyler Strafaci, USA, 1 up
Cole Hammer, USA def. Ben Schmidt, GB&I, 4 and 3
Stewart Hagestad, USA def. Ben Jones, GB&I, 4 and 2

Stewart Hagestad secured the win with this putt (though Cole Hammer secured a tie and Cup retention a bit prior):

Ricky Castillo joins an elite group of 4-0 Walker Cuppers:

Salmonella At Seminole: Walker Cup Set For Sunday Shootout

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The Walker Cup was expected to be a Team USA route given a much stronger roster on paper. But whether it’s the mystery and still unexplained virus plaguing both teams, Seminole’s intricacies, or the value of world rankings, but Team Great Britain and Ireland trails by just two points headed to Sunday’s final day.

Golfweek’s Julie Williams with the day one recap here for Golfweek

Adam Schupak on Pierceson Coody sitting in the morning and overcoming the mystery illness to win in front of grandfather Charles.

Tyler Strafaci tried to warm up but as Craig Dolch reports, bowed out of his Saturday singles match, replaced by William Mouw (who won 4&3).

Good news though: GolfDigest.com’s Ryan Herrington reports on Strafaci’s rough Saturday but says the U.S. Amateur champion is penciled in for 36 holes Sunday.

Mike Trostel with three things to know from the day.

And a super photo gallery with images from Chris Keane and Scott Halleran.

The broadcast was uneven, with some tech issues and little in-depth storytelling other than Steve Burkowski’s always-spot on factoids and backstories. Uninterrupted by commercials thanks to Rolex, John Pak’s 13th hole birdie putt to win the hole was interrupted to tell us about the uninterrupted coverage.

It’s hard to complain without ads and with memories of the last Walker Cup on Golf Channel airing late at night via one-hour highlight shows. And the show was solid on Saturday when matches reached the intricate and volatile finishing holes. When the finishing hole didn’t happen in the afternoon singles, a painful twenty minutes of filler meant the return of a past venues graphic we’d seen at least twice, plus Buddy Marucci’s insipid observations and an awkward attempt to preview Sunday’s possible 18th hole pin.

Actually, a forensic of the 17th green would have been better given that it seemed borderline unplayable. Heck, I’d watch ten minutes of Notah, Bones and Curt Byrum in a putting contest on 17 instead of telling us yet again that the Walker Cup goes to amazing courses.

As always, the aerial views were spectacular. When the late light set in and the impossibly beautiful blue Atlantic looked spectacular, you wished the drone crew looking for Quail Hollow beauty could be at Seminole instead.

Also, real reporting on the virus outbreak would have been nice. Are health officials in the area alarmed that 18 of 24 young men (and their captains) came to town, convened at both a luxury hotel and an ultra-private golf club, only to be met with brutal symptoms requiring trips to the hospital?

That’s potentially a national news story. While not much fun, should have been more thoroughly explained, if nothing else to reassure the USGA’s guests at The Breakers the breakfast buffet is safe.

Anyway, your highlights and celebrity sightings:

Walker Cup TV Schedule: Get Ready To Flip But It Should Be Worth The Trouble

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Seminole (USGA)

One frustration of the cable/streaming universe will be on full display with Golf Channel’s coverage of the 2021 Walker Cup.

While this event has really gotten the short end of the TV window world (other than Fox in 2017), this year we will get more broadcast time than possibly ever before, including Friday’s opening ceremony.

But when the golf starts, the schedule is positively schizophrenic and it doesn’t have to be that way. I reached to ask Golf Channel reps for clarification but did not hear back.

In a nutshell, if you want to watch all of the matches, you’ll have to do a lot of switching between Peacock and Golf Channel. Or if you’ve cut the cable, Peacock and NBCSports.com. They are, in case you did not know, owned by the same company. So why the streaming coverage cannot be consolidated into one viewing experience is anyone’s guess.

Anyway, For Immediate Release:

GOLF CHANNEL AND PEACOCK PRESENT NBC SPORTS’ LIVE COVERAGE OF THE WALKER CUP THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Seminole Golf Club to Host Storied Biannual Amateur Competition Between U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland

Flag-Raising Ceremony to be Presented Live on Television for First Time in 20 Years This Friday at 6 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel

Former President George W. Bush Narrates Opening Tease

Walker Cup Kicks Off NBC Sports’ 2021 Coverage of Nine USGA Events

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 5, 2021 – NBC Sports begins its first full season of USGA championships and events with live coverage of the Walker Cup this Saturday and Sunday from Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

The Walker Cup, which is being contested on U.S. soil for the first time in spring, is a biennial 10-man amateur team competition between the USA and a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland. Nathaniel Crosby returns to captain this year’s U.S. Walker Cup team after leading the 2019 U.S. Walker Cup team to victory. The team includes 2020 U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci as well as three players from the 2019 U.S. Walker Cup team: John Pak, Cole Hammer and Stewart Hagestad.

The event’s storied Flag-Raising Ceremony will be presented this Friday at 6 p.m. ET during a special edition of Golf Central on GOLF Channel, marking the first time that the procession will be televised live in 20 years. All 20 players, both captains, and former Walker Cup players and captains will be in attendance.

Walker Cup morning coverage will feature foursomes matches, followed by singles matches in the afternoon. Peacock will present two hours of free, exclusive coverage on both Saturday and Sunday. For more information about golf on Peacock, click here. 

Former President George W. Bush narrates the opening tease that will be featured throughout Walker Cup coverage. Click here to view the piece. Bush’s great-grandfather, George Herbert Walker, helped found the event while serving as USGA President in 1922. 

Famed amateur and Seminole Golf Club member Buddy Marucci will serve as a captain insider throughout the weekend. Marucci, a former Walker Cup player and captain, has participated in over 60 USGA championships and famously battled Tiger Woods to the final hole in match play at the 1995 U.S. Amateur. 

GOLF Channel/Peacock Broadcast Team 

  • Play by Play: Dan Hicks

  • Analyst: Paul Azinger

  • Tower: Steve Burkowski

  • On-Course: Notah Begay / Jim “Bones” Mackay / Curt Byrum

  • Interviews: Steve Sands

  • Captain Insider: Buddy Marucci

How To Watch – Saturday, May 8 – Sunday, May 9 (all times ET)

Date GOLF Channel Peacock

Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 5:30-7:30 p.m. 10-11 a.m.; 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 5:30-7:30 p.m. 10-11 a.m.; 4:30-5:30 p.m.

The Walker Cup tees off NBC Sports’ USGA championship coverage, throughout 2021, totaling nearly 150 hours across nine events. Upcoming marquee events include the U.S. Open from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego (June 17-20) and the U.S. Women’s Open from The Olympic Club in San Francisco (June 3-6). 

In June 2020, NBCUniversal reacquired USGA championship media rights as part of a new partnership and aired all four of the USGA’s championships last year. 

All GOLF Channel coverage also streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

Again, we’re thrilled with all the coverage, but a streamer leaving NBCSports.com to go to Peacock should not have to do so when the same company owns both.

Walker Cup: Getting You In The Mood For Seminole

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This week marks a rare late spring Walker Cup to coincide with Seminole’s “season”. Before we get to learn more about the teams and match prospects, the course will take center stage.

Granted, ayear ago we saw the course during the Taylormade Driving Relief fundraiser, but it’s still nice to get a refresh.

Seminole is not the easiest course to photograph and even when well documented, the elevation changes or nuances get lost. Yet Fred Vuich’s images at the USGA site do a super job of showing off the green elevations and other neat touches that hopefully play a role in the upcoming matches.

If video is your preferred medium, the Golf Digest and the PGA Tour have these aerial tours, the former narrated by USA Captain Nathaniel Crosby.

R.I.P. Bob Lewis Jr.

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Bob Lewis Jr. (left) (John Mummert/USGA)

Bob Lewis Jr. (left) (John Mummert/USGA)

A couple of nice remembrances have been posted paying tribute to the former Walker Cup captain and lifelong amateur golfer Bob Lewis Jr.

Lewis was the 2021 recipient of the Bob Jones Award last week according to Ryan Herrington of GolfDigest.com, who noted this about his role in reinvigorating the Walker Cup:

Lewis, however, perfected a sales pitch honed over four decades of playing top-level amateur golf. Sure you could turn pro, but why forgo a chance to compete in the game’s biggest amateur event? Regardless of how many zeros might appear on your first few paychecks, you’ll never be able to buy the memories you’d be sacrificing. The Walker Cup is two days that can last a lifetime.

“I remember him saying how you’ve got 40 years to play professional golf, why can’t you wait a few more weeks to get started,” said Jeff Overton, an Indiana University All-American who was one of five graduating seniors Lewis convinced to remain amateurs through the summer of 2005 and who secured the winning point at Chicago G.C. “He sold me on what an experience it could really be.”

David Shefter at USGA.org offered this on Lewis’ playing career:

Bob Lewis Jr., the 2021 recipient of the USGA’s Bob Jones Award and a veteran of a combined six Walker Cup Matches as a competitor and captain, died on March 23 at the age of 76. A three-time USGA runner-up, including the 1980 U.S. Amateur, Lewis, who competed in 31 USGA championships, was one of the game’s best amateurs to have never claimed a USGA title. Nevertheless, his skill, integrity, competitiveness and sportsmanship made the Ohio native one of the most respected people in the amateur game.

Lewis, who received the Bob Jones Award on March 19, played on four victorious USA Walker Cup Teams – 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987 – compiling an impressive 10-4 overall mark.

The USGA posted this tribute video:

2021 U.S.A Walker Cup Team Set, Matches A Go For May

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The Walker Cup’s May playing at Seminole got the best sign yet it’s full steam ahead with the naming of Team USA.

Brian DePasquale has all of the details and team bios here. No teens and no one over 29. Stewart Hagestad, John Pak and Cole Hammer are holdovers from the American’s winning effort in 2019 at Royal Liverpool.

The release announcing Team USA also provided this update on attendance:

Due to health and safety guidelines, attendance at the Match will be limited. Information on the availability of public tickets will be posted in the spring on walkercup.org.

Television times have not been published yet.

Amateur Status Proposal: "Eliminating all sponsorship restrictions"

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The USGA and R&A announced a streamlined amateur status update and the headliner: “eliminating all sponsorship restrictions.”

This would appear to be in anticipation of a forthcoming Supreme Court case and possible NCAA changes that might allow athletes to be paid via sponsorship money.

For Immediate Release:

THE USGA AND THE R&A MODERNIZE AMATEUR STATUS RULES

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., USA and ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Feb. 22, 2021) – The USGA and The R&A have announced proposals for significant changes to the Rules of Amateur Status that govern the game worldwide. 

These proposals result from a modernization initiative that has identified a clear need to bring the Rules up to date to reflect today’s global amateur game and ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply.

The proposed Rules, along with explanations to key changes, have been posted on usga.org and randa.org and the organizations are now inviting feedback from golfers and stakeholders. Comments will be accepted through Friday, March 26, with the new Rules scheduled to be adopted on January 1, 2022. 

A comprehensive review of the Rules of Amateur Status began in late 2017, focusing on three main goals: to ensure the Rules are in the best interests of the game, reflect the modern game, and are easily understood and applied.

This review reaffirmed amateur golf’s important position in the game and the value in maintaining amateur status Rules to safeguard all the ways golf is played and enjoyed. 

The result is a set of Rules that redefine the distinction between amateur and professional golf and provide a condition of eligibility – amateur status – for amateurs who compete in golf competitions. 

As part of the modernization effort, it is proposed that the new Rules will identify only three acts that will result in a golfer losing their amateur status:

  • Accepting a prize in excess of the prize limit.

  • Accepting payment for giving instruction.

  • Accepting employment as a golf club professional or membership of an association of professional golfers.

To achieve this simplified approach, the following key changes are proposed:

  • Eliminating the distinction between cash prizes and other prizes.

  • Using the prize limit as the only way an amateur can lose amateur status through their play (meaning that entering or playing a competition as a professional would not, of itself, result in the loss of amateur status).

  • Removing restrictions from the Rules surrounding competitions such as long-drive events, putting competitions and skills competitions that are not played as part of a tee-to-hole competition; and

  • Eliminating all sponsorship restrictions.

“Golf is unique in its broad appeal to both recreational and competitive golfers,” said Craig Winter, USGA Senior Director, Rules of Golf and Amateur Status. “We understand and value how important amateur status is, not only to those who compete at the highest level of the amateur game, but for the millions of golfers at every age and skill level who enjoy competitive events at their home courses. These updates should help simplify these Rules and ensure the health of the amateur game.” 

Grant Moir, Director of Rules at The R&A, said, “The Rules of Amateur Status play an important role in protecting the integrity of our self-regulating sport but the code must continue to evolve. This is particularly so in relation to the modern elite amateur game, where many of the players need financial support to compete and develop to their full potential, and the proposed new Rules will give much greater scope for this.”

The proposed new Rules are accompanied by an overview document and explanations that detail the rationale for why changes are being proposed and, in some instances, why they have stayed the same. 

Materials regarding the proposed new Rules, as well as a link to provide feedback can be found at usga.org/amateurstatus or randa.org. 

Rustic Carnage Caught On Tape: 60 MPH Gusting Santa Ana Winds For SGCA Championship

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I’m not sensing a good time was had by all at Monday’s SCGA Tournament of Club Champions.

The event was held this year at Rustic Canyon where I spent over 200 days on site and never experienced the Santa Ana’s that in recent years prompt course closures on days like this. But I digress.

Christopher Powers at GolfDigest.com wraps up the Tweets and video postings by some, including the postings by 100-shooter Andy Ho, the club champion at The Vineyard who enjoyed the course during Sunday’s low 70s, wind-free practice round (just saying).

Powers writes:

The wind was so bad that it caused 24 players to withdraw, in addition to one DNF (did not finish) and one NS (no start). It's hard to blame them after hearing what it was like from someone who played in the event. Andy Ho, who won his club championship at The Vineyard GC and shot 100 on Monday, tweeted out some inside info:

The full, agonizing video of the antics at 16 green were posted here by Ho.

And there was this:

Incredibly, Ho's 100 was not the high score of the event. Six players shot higher scores, including a 51-over 123. Just two players broke 80, the winning score a six-over 78 from Silver Lakes CC's Ricky Montanez. In another tweet, Ho claimed that there was just one birdie carded in his foursome the entire day, and it came from a player who also made a 10, 12 and an 18. That player is Grant Beachley, who shot the 123:

But a huge tip of the cap to Beachley for finishing the round and posting. You have my full admiration and the Golf Gods must some day reward your persistence.

Sound on:

Masters, R&A, USGA Cancel 2021 Latin America Amateur Due To COVID-19

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Noteworthy and unfortunately for multiple reasons, including—I believe—as the first significant 2021 tournament cancelled due to the pandemic. (Here is a list of 2020 events cancelled courtesy of GolfDigest.com’s Ryan Herrington.)

The organization’s previously cancelled the Asia Pacific Amateur scheduled for this fall.

For Immediate Release:

2021 LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Future championship plans to be announced at a later date

LIMA, Peru – The 2021 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) has been canceled due
to complications presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LAAC, conducted by the USGA, The R&A and the Masters Tournament, was scheduled to
be played January 14-17, 2021, at Lima Golf Club in Lima, Peru. Future championship plans will
be announced at a later date.

Founded in 2014 by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the LAAC was established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The event annually moves to top courses throughout Latin America and showcases the sport’s rising talent in the region.

Notable alumni of the championship include 2018 LAAC champion Joaquin Niemann of Chile,
Sebastian Munoz of Colombia and 2019 champion Alvaro Ortiz of Mexico.

Niemann competed on the 2019 Presidents Cup International team and became the first Chilean to win a PGA Tour event with his victory at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in September 2019. After winning the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2019, Munoz finished in a tie for eighth in the 2020 PGA Tour playoffs. Last year, Ortiz became the first player from Mexico to compete in the Masters since 1979, finishing as the Low Amateur Runner-Up.

The champion of the LAAC receives an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament, The
Open, The Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA
amateur championship for which he is eligible. The champion and runner(s)-up also receive an
exemption into final qualifying for the U.S. Open.