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Rahm’s big finish underscores his impact on the LIV Tour

Trophies, rings — and cash– highlight Jon Rahm’s big day. (Joy Sarver Photos)

The PGA Tour was reeling when the LIV Tour signed stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson for its first season in 2022.  The most devastating loss came early this year, however, when Jon Rahm jumped ship for a contract worth well over $100 million.

The exact amount that convinced Rahm to make the jump is uncertain, but getting a young star of his stature gave the Saudi-backed LIV circuit a huge boost, and Rahm didn’t disappoint, either.

He wasn’t an immediate hit.  He needed 11 tournaments to get his first LIV win, but that victory in the United Kingdom set the stage for Rahm’s rousing climax to the season on Sunday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Winning the LIV Individual Championship isn’t as impressive as winning any of golf’s four majors yet, but it was special – and unique.

Not only did Rahm, 29 and a pro golfer since 2016, pick up an $18 million bonus for winning the season-long title, he also captured the LIV/Chicago crown.  That meant another $4 million. Rahm’s rookie LIV season produced winnings of $34,754,821.

Where the two-championship day fits into the Rahm legacy is to be decided later, but it pads a record of accomplishment that includes the 2023 Masters, the 2021 U.S. Open and DP World Tour wins in 2017, 2019 and 2023.

Rahm’s only opponent for the LIV Individual title was Chile’s Joaquin Niemann.  No one else was mathematically eligible after 11 world-wide tournaments.  Niemann made birdies on two of his first three holes and battled to the end.  Still Rahm was three strokes better.

Sergio Garcia, from Spain – just like Rahm – was the main challenger for the LIV/Chicago title.  Garcia and Niemann were two shots back and still hopeful until Rahm rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the 17th to seal the deal.  With rounds of 69, 64 and 66 Rahm was 11 under par for the 54 holes and had a three-shot victory margin over both rivals.

Rahm also captains the Legion XIII team, and that unit made the podium – a LIV tradition for its first three finishers in the individual and team events at each tournament. Legion XIII  finished second to Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers.  They’ll battle again in the season-ending  LIV Team Championship Sept. 20-22 in Dallas.

Winning golf tournaments was nothing knew for Rahm, but captaining a four-man team was. Though Rahm didn’t get a win for a few months, Legion XIII won in the first tournament.

“I wasn’t sure how that was going to go,’’ said Rahm, `but it wasn’t that big of an adjustment.  It’s been a lot of fun.’’

Rahm caught a flight home Sunday night to join his family.  The arrival of the Rahms third child is imminent.

With just one tournament left in the season Rahm reflected on his dramatic decision to leave the PGA Tour.

“LIV is different than any other golf tour out there, but yet it’s closer to any other sport out there,’’ he said. “I enjoyed all the places we went to this year.  It was fun.  I absolutely love being out here. It’s been a fantastic experience for me and my family.’’

It wasn’t by any means an easy season, though.  His wife Kelly experienced complications in her pregnancy that was disconcerting. His driver wasn’t working in the early part of the year, and the problem wasn’t solved until he changed shafts at mid-season.  Winning – or lack there of – was also frustrating.

Though he had 10 top-10 finishes that first win didn’t come until the season was winding down.  He got it at the United Kingdom, then one got away at  West Virginia’s Greenbrier when he lost in a playoff to Brooks Koepka.  Those two events led into the visit to Bolingbrook, a course with no big-tournament history. Rahm made only one bogey in the tournament, and none in the weekend rounds.

“During the practice rounds I thought that would be impossible,’’ he said. After that he was a clutch player.  On Sunday he not only picked up big money, he also took home two trophies and a dazzling ring.

“This season wasn’t a bumpy road, but it was a windy one,’’ he said. `I wasn’t clutch in the season, but I was here. When I decided to join LIV I felt I could make an impact. I accomplished a goal.’’

 

 

 

Rahm could be the big winner in LIV/Chicago climax

 

A 64 on Saturday has put Jon Rahm in position to win two titles on LIV Tour. (Joy Sarver Photos)


A golf tourney’s never over until the last putt drops, and that won’t happen in the LIV Individual Championship until late Sunday.

After Saturday’s second round at Bolingbrook Golf Course, however, a couple things seem likely:

Jon Rahm figures to win the $18 million bonus for his play through the 13-event regular season, which concludes with the 54-man shootout at Bolingbrook.  Only Joaquin Niemann can beat him, and he must overcome a three-shot deficit in the final round.  Rahm goes into it with 235.17 points to Niemann’s 208.20.

Rahm started the tournament with a slight lead in the standings.  Niemann passed him after shooting one stroke better in Friday’s first round and Rahm answered with a bogey-free 64 on Saturday to Niemann’s 69.

That means Rahm is in prime position to win both the LIV Individual Championship as well as the third playing of LIV/Chicago. The first two LIV/Chicago champions – Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau — were crowned at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove.  Bolingbrook, hosting the biggest competition in its 22-year history, has proven to be tougher than expected.

Rahm is at 7-under-par 133 as the 36-hole leader and he has a one-shot lead over Sergio Garcia, who posted a 65 on Saturday. They’ll play together in Sunday’s final round with Brooks Koepka, the first round leader who followed his opening 62 with a 73 and is in third place.

Those three will start at No. 1 in the LIV’s shotgun format that has all players starting their rounds at the same time.  Sunday’s start is at 12:05 and Niemann will start his round off No. 1, too, but in the second group with Adrian Meronk and Ian Poulter as his partners.

This missed putt on his final hole on Saturday kept Sergio Garci from a share of the LIV/Chicago lead.

“It’s going to be a fun day, no matter what,’’ said Rahm. “It’s a weird combination – a championship within a championship.  It’d be nice to play with (Niemann) so I can see what’s going on. I’m looking forward to it, but at the end of the day it’s what we work for all year.’’

Rahm jumped from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed circuit at the start of this season. His departure was a huge blow to the PGA Tour, and LIV was a challenge for him.  He won only one tournament in 11 starts but was top-10 in the others. His long-awaited first win came in the United Kingdom two starts ago.  He lost to Koepka in a playoff in Greenbrier, in West Virginia, leading into the Bolingbrook stop.

Garcia and Rahm, both from Spain,  have won the Masters. Garcia, 44, did it in 2017 and Rahm, 29, in 2023.  Rahm also has a big win in Chicago, capturing the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields in 2020.  That was a pandemic year and the tournament was played with no fans in attendance.  Rahm’s win was dramatic, coming when he rolled in a 65-foot putt to beat Dustin Johnson in a playoff.

Like Rahm, Garcia has only one win on the LIV circuit. It came this year at Valderrama, the world-famous course in Spain.  Garcia, who has played all three LIV seasons, sees similaries between Valderrama and Bolingbrook.

“(Bolingbrook) isn’t playing easy,’’ said Garcia.  “It’s been a combination of a bit of wind with small, hard greens.  You have to be very precise, and I appreciate all the opportunities I get with LIV and in the majors. At my age I still feel I’ve got some game in me.’’

Only 18 of the 54 players are under par for the first 36 holes.  That impressed Rahm, who has played two rounds without making a bogey.

“I didn’t see scores being that high at all,’’ he said.  “On paper the course should be fairly easy, but the chips can be tricky. That makes it a bit complicated.’’

Saturday’s round featured a hole-in-one by England’s Tyrrell Hatton on the No. 6 hole.  LIV said attendance was “more than 15,000 and reported it was the biggest LIV crowd for a tournament at a United States venue.

The team title in the tournament will also be decided on Sunday, with the defending champion Crushers and Cleeks tied for the lead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arthur Hills influence perks up golf options in Daytona

The par-3 16th  hole at Florida’s Cypress Head course doesn’t look like much — but sometimes looks can be deceiving. That’s the case with this one. (Joy Sarver Photos)

DAYTONA BEACH, FL. – Because we do what we do, it’s golf that is our first target when we make our visits to the Daytona Beach area, and that’s a shame.  Daytona offers so much more than golf.

There’s the beach, of course – 11 miles of oceanfront famous for its wide, firm sands that allow for vehicle usage. There’s even been automobile speed trials and stock car races there.

Then there’s the Daytona International Speedway, of course. It houses the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America but the stagings of the Daytona 500 since 1959 are the primary reason the facility has been dubbed the “World Center of Racing’’ and the “Birthplace of Speed.’’

Significant signage highlights some of  the Daytona area’s must-see spots — Millie’s Restaurant (upper left) and Buc-ee’s (upper right) and Tiano’s Restaurant at New Smyrna Beach.

Those attractions are tough to beat, but golf can’t be ignored – especially when LPGA Boulevard is one of the main drags as you exit I-95. The Ladies Professional Golf Assn. has called Daytona home since 1996 and that’s somewhat where our golf journey begins this time. The late Arthur Hills is one of the most popular course architects of this generation, and he designed one of the two 18-holers at LPGA International.

The LPGA’s Hills Course had been closed for five months, primarily for a comprehensive greens renovation project that restored the putting surfaces to their original size and U.S. Golf Association specifications.  The result was that the greens netted an additional 26,600 square feet.  Prior to the installation of the new TifEagle bermudagrass the Hills Course had 65,340 square feet of putting surface.  Now it has 92,000 square feet.

TifEagle had previously been installed at the LPGA’s Jones Course and was found to be ideally suited to Daytona Beach’s climate.  The Hills project, though, was more extensive.  The bunker complexes were also restored with the addition of 300 tons of sand and the cart paths were resurfaced.

We’re also happy to report that we uncovered another Hills design that we weren’t aware was in the area on our previous trips.  This one is at the Cypress Head course in Port Orange. Hills, who died in 2021, designed it in 1992 with assistance from Mike Dasher.

Hills’ courses are always fun, but are also known for the architect’s quirks.  His designs usually have one hole that might be called goofy. Hills outdid himself at Cypress Head, widely acclaimed to be one of the best municipal courses in the South.

This one has back-to-back par-3s at Nos. 6 and 7 and back-to-back par-5s on the finishing holes, Nos. 17 and 18. Any back-to-back holes with the same par are unusual, and two such pairs is extremely rare.

But there’s more to the Hills’ touch than that at Cypress Head. The No. 16 hole is a par-3 that measures 178  yards from the back tees but only between 55 and 103 yards from the other  markers.  In other words, it seems like a nothing hole – too short to be much of a challenge for most players.  The only thing is, it’s not!

Assistant professional Dylan Quintrell is filled with stories about how that hole confounds all types of players – from beginners all the way up to pros like himself.

The Cypress Head staff added to the unique nature of the course by conducting a survey of patrons last year to give names to each hole.  The short 16th is “NightnDay.’’ Some of the others are “Double Trouble,’’ “Bigfoot’’ and “Alley Oops.’’

Chicago-based KemperSports has managed the city-owned facility for 22 years. Oregon’s Bandon Dunes and former U.S. Open site Chambers Bay, in Washington, are among the 140 courses managed by Kemper nation-wide.

The other course on this year’s Daytona schedule was an old favorite, New Smyrna. It’s a player-friendly layout featuring Donald Ross’ trademark turtle-back greens. This is one of Ross’ last creations.  He died in 1948, but New Smyrna didn’t open until 1953.  The facility also has had a well-regarded Tiano’s Restaurant for the past 16 years.  Another Tiano’s location is included in the new OneDaytona  complex.

For lodging there’s no shortage in Daytona.  We tried an oceanfront facility for the first time, the Bahama House.  It was great for ocean viewing and would work well for golf groups.

This family of red-headed cranes had no fear of the golfers playing at Cypress Head.

Dining is in abundance, too. Our biggest dinner was at Millie’s, a restaurant recently-featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives’’ TV show on the Food Network. We also hit Crabby’s Oceanside for a post-round meal, and it was a hopping place. Four Rivers Smokehouse is another hotspot, especially for barbecue buffs. And, if you haven’t already experienced one of those Buc-ee’s massive gas station-convenience stores, Daytona has one of those, too.

For those looking for more than golf courses and good restaurants Daytona has the Museum of Arts & Services, which tells you all you all want to know about Central Florida’s art, science and history.

The Jackie Robinson Ballpark is an historic treasure.  Now the home of the minor league Daytona Tortugas, the park was where Robinson played his first spring training game in 1946.  The park opened in 1914. It’s part of Daytona’s rich cultural heritage that also includes the African American Museum of the Arts.

Newest attraction is the Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure, located down the street from the Daytona International Speedway. The 55,000 square foot facility has 40 exhibits.  They include a 100,000-gallon shark tank and a 12,000-gallon stingray touch pool.

Watching the tide rolling in is the key to ocean viewing. Here’s the day and night difference in the views from the balcony of our room at the Bahama House.

 

 

Rahm still winless on LIV Tour but remains a Masters threat

 

Greg Norman, executive director of the LIV Tour, jokes with Jon Rahm. (Joy Sarver Photos)

 

MIAMI, FL. – Last year’s Masters was the first tournament where PGA Tour players competed against those who defected to the LIV Golf League.  The LIV guys got the better of that one.

Four current LIV players finished  one -two-three and a tie for fourth.   That spoke well for the Saudi-financed circuit that is now in its third season. Spain’s Jon Rahm will defend his Masters title this week at Georgia’s Augusta National. He won last year when he was still a PGA Tour member.

Rahm hasn’t won an individual title as a LIV member, but team he captains – Legion XIII – won its second title in five starts on Sunday on the rugged Blue Monster course at Trump Doral and Rahm contributed several key putts to that victory. At least that’s some momentum to take into this week’s Masters.

Knowing a four-stroke lead was slipping away in a tight team battle with Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats, Rahm touched more on a clutch putt he rolled in down the stretch rather than dwell on his individual play.

“I was just trying to two-putt,’’ Rahm said, “and the putt just kept going.  We won by one stroke, so obviously that putt meant more than I had thought it would.’’

It also doesn’t hurt that Rahm has been solid, despite not winning by himself.  He’s the only LIV player to finish in the top 10 of all five tournaments of 2024. He tied for fourth Sunday, three strokes behind South African Dean Burmester and Spain’s Sergio Garcia.

Former president Donald Trump, LIV executive director Greg Norman and Trump’s son Eric enjoy the action around the first tee during the final round at Trump Doral.

Burmester took the individual title in a two-hole playoff, the third loss in extra holes  for the winless Garcia in LIV play. Burmester and Garcia played the regulation 54 holes in 11-under-par 205. Both failed to par the final holes, necessitating their playoff.

Now the focus is solely on the Masters.

If LIV shows as well at this year’s Masters it’ll likely be because of the players who weren’t  so impressive

Sergio Garcia (left) and Dean Burmester matched shots in a tense two-hole playoff.

 

 

 

Malnati’s win at Valspar was a lifestyle-changer

Now Peter Malnati will stand out for more than just playing with a yellow ball. (Joy Sarver Photos)

PALM HARBOR, Florida — “Cinderella Story’’ is a term used way too much in the sports world. Peter Malnati certainly fit that description when he won the Valspar Championship on Sunday, however.

Here was a 10-year member of the PGA Tour getting his second victory nine years after capturing his first. In seven previous Valspars he had made the cut only once. He had played in only three major championships but now he’s expecting his first invitation to the upcoming Masters.

There was no reason to think Malnati could win the Valspar.  This season he missed four cuts in eight starts, shot 81 in the last round of The Players Championship the week before his win on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and had only one top-10 – a tie for ninth at the Cognizant Classic of the Palm Beaches, the first of the four events on the Florida Swing.

Until Sunday Malnati was notable mainly for being one of the few players to use a yellow instead of a white golf ball.  At least it seemed appropriate for a player with a colorful ball winning the “most colorful event on the PGA Tour.’’

There’s a lot more to Peter Malnati than being a PGA journeyman who finally ended a winless dryspell, however.  Malnati is a photogenic guy with an infectious smile. That’s a good thing, because he’ll likely be taking interviews for something more than being a PGA Tour champion in the coming weeks.

Malnati, 36, has recently been named one of six player directors on the PGA Tour Policy Board. He’ll be closely involved with the seemingly endless negotiations toward a merger of the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League.

Malnati was all smiles en route to his first win in nine years, but he also showed his serious side.

He didn’t make any political statements on that issue during his speech at the Valspar trophy presentation on the course, but he opened up a bit in a more in-depth session afterwards.

“I’ll say something in here that I didn’t say out there because I think it’s important and relevant,’’ said Malnati. “When my son Hatcher was born in 2019 I removed all my social media from my phone.  I don’t do social media anymore, and I’m a happier person because of it.  Not that it’s bad, social media isn’t bad.  But for me I didn’t use it particularly well because I always read comments and I wanted to use it to be interactive.  It wasn’t healthy for me, so I removed it.’’

The result is that Malnati doesn’t “know specifically what is being said about me, about the PGA Tour, about our sport in general.  But I know the direction that it has been going for the last couple years.’’

His feelings about the influx of bigger money, smaller field events seemed clear.  That concept has a downside.  On the Florida Swing the Cognizant Classic of the Palm Beaches and Valspar weren’t weren’t signature events like the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship.

The API had a $20 million purse and The Players $25 million.  The Cognizant was at $9 million and the Valspar at $8.4 million. That’s a big discrepancy.

“We don’t have tournaments to play in if we have communities that think these tournaments don’t matter,’’ said Malnati. “I just want them to know that every event on the PGA Tour matters because it matters to the community where you play, and we’re going to make a difference. That  was something I felt like I needed to say.’’

Malnati won’t take a week off to celebrate his win.  He’ll tee it up in the $9.1 million Texas Children’s Hospital Houston Open this week. After that comes the $9.2 million Valero Texas Open.

Those are the lead-ins to the Masters, first of the year’s major championships with a hefty purse that won’t be announced until the week of the event, and the $20 million RBC Heritage Classic.

Malnati can play in all of them now.

“That’s really important,’’ he said.  “We put an emphasis – and I think rightfully so – on getting the top players in the world to play together more often. I have work to do to consider myself in that group.’’

Malnati found a swing that works after some years of struggling on the PGA Tour.

 

Walters’ `Gambler’ is about a lot more than Mickelson

This, most recent, book that merits your attention had some unusual pre-release promotional literature. “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk’’ by Billy Walters with Armen Keteyian  (Avid Reader Press) hinted that it was more about golfer Phil Mickelson than it was about Walters, who created his own autobiography.

If that was intention it worked with me. I wanted to know more details about Mickelson’s long reported gambling habits so was quickly on Barnes & Noble’s waiting list for its arrival.  Walters, who had a five-year gambling relationship with Mickelson, provided some insight – mostly in the 20th of 28 chapters in the 356-page book.

Walters claimed that Mickelson once owed him $2.5 million and, during the 2012 Ryder Cup matches at Medinah Country Club, asked him to place a $400,000 bet for him on the U.S. team to win. Walters said he refused the request and Mickelson later denied making such a bet.

According to Walters, Mickelson wagered more than $1 billion during the past three decades and believes the golfer could have helped him avoid a five-year prison sentence for insider trading. Instead Mickelson told Waters that “his (Mickelson’s) lawyers didn’t want him to face questions on the stand.’’

Walters said all he wanted Mickelson to do was to tell “the truth’’ and – after the jail time was over — he said Mickelson apologized.

Anyway, enough about Mickelson.  This book is all about Walters and he has led a very interesting life. He came out of extreme poverty growing up in Kentucky to become successful – and very rich – in the gambling industry. He did well in other ventures, among them golf.

Walters details how his company revived or developed courses across the country, a list of 13 that includes Golf Club of Illinois, Burr Hill, Black Hawk and Eagle Brook in the Chicago area.

He also was successful in building 22 car dealerships and some ventures in residential and commercial real estate.

In his autobiography Walters is especially willing to share his secrets on sports gambling.  I certainly learned a lot about that from reading this book.

Walters did  more learning than that: “I beat my addictions and overcame my worst vices to become a successful gambler, entrepreneur, businessman, investor, philanthropist, father and husband.’’

Walters is a complicated man with a story to tell. In “Gambler’’ he does it well.  His book is interesting, and – more importantly – well worth reading.

Streelman stays in the hunt after Round 1 at the JDC

Nick Hardy greets young fans after opening with a 71 in the John Deere Classic. (Rory Spears Photo)

SILVIS, IL. – Kevin Streelman, Chicago’s most prominent PGA Tour player, isn’t having one of his best years on the circuit, but the veteran from Wheaton wasn’t bothered by his 2-under-par 69 in Thursday’s first round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.

“I’m not happy with how I hit it.  My swing wasn’t quite there,’’ said Streelman.  “Still, it was a solid day – though I didn’t have my best stuff.’’

A 2-under-par effort isn’t usually a cause for celebration in the JDC, a tournament known for its particularly low scoring.  This year’s may be different, however.  Though J.T. Poston fired a 9-under-par 62 to claim a two-shot first-round lead, the scoring wasn’t as low as it usually is in Round 1 thanks to some day-long windy conditions that made club selection difficult.’’

Streelman,  an uncharacteristic No. 112 in the FedEx Cup standings with only one top-10 finish this year, is also  disappointed that he didn’t qualify for this week’s Irish Open or the upcoming British Open. He is feeling good about his play in last week’s Travelers Championship in Hartford, CT., however.

That was the last tournament he won on the PGA Tour (2014), finishing with seven straight birdies in that victory, and last week he finished the tournament with three straight rounds of 67 en route to a tie for 25th finish.

While Streelman, 43, is a PGA veteran and seemingly one who might be enticed by the big money offered by the new LIV Tour, he denies any interest in the circuit that is conducting its first tournament on American soil in Portland, Oregon, this week.

“That’s exhibition golf.  There’s no historical benefit to it,’’ said Streelman, who has spent several years as a member of PGA Players Advisory Board  “Shorter fields, shotgun starts, no-cut tournaments – that isn’t real golf.  I would never be interested in playing that tour.’’

Streelman, however, is very interested in the Illinois Junior Golf Associations first Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at Cantigny, the Wheaton course where he played extensively as a youth.  He’ll be one of five inductees and will also give a youth clinic as part of the festivities.

While Streelman didn’t feel in danger of missing the 36-hole cut that follows Friday’s second round, there are local players in danger – most notably Northbook PGA Tour rookie Nick Hardy who has been on a role the last three weeks.

Recovered from a wrist injury, Hardy last a Korn Ferry Tour event in a playoff at The Glen Club, then advanced to the U.S. Open after being the first alternate in a sectional qualifier.  He made his appearance in the finals at The Country Club in Massachusetts, finishing in a tie for 14th, before nabbing his first top-10 on the PGA Tour with a tie for eighth at Hartford.

Stymied by a double bogey on the par-3 sixteenth, Hardy carded a par 71 on Thursday and will likely need a better showing Friday to play on the weekend.

First-round leader Poston was also tied for the first round lead at Hartford last week  and finished in a tie for second behind Xander Schauffele.

 

 

 

 

No Ryder Cup captaincy for Donald, but his game seems on the upswing

These are trying times for Luke Donald, the Englishman who starred on Northwestern’s teams before eventually enjoying a long run as the world’s No. 1 golfer.

Now 44, Donald’s best days as a player are probably over but he is still a force in the game both in the Chicago area and world-wide.  Though now a Florida resident, his presence in Chicago is still felt through his extraordinary support of the Northwestern and First Tee programs.

More recently he was in the spotlight for something he didn’t do; he was expected to be named the European Ryder Cup captain for the 2023 matches in Italy, but he wasn’t.

Donald had all the credentials for the job.  He made four appearances as a player for Europe and never was on a losing team.  He also served twice as Europe’s vice captain and seemed a shoo-in after Padraig Harrington, Europe’s captain in last year’s matches at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits, gave him a resounding endorsement.

“Luke would be great,’’  Harrington told The Daily Mail, a London newspaper.  “Behind the sceneshe does a terrific job.  His managements style, he’s got the experience.  I’d thoroughly recommend him.’’

So did Graeme McDowell, who served with Donald as Harrington’s vice captains in Wisconsin.

Donald was “very humbled’’ when he heard that and gave a 30-minute presentation to the European Ryder Cup selection committee.  It included the captains of the last three European teams – Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Harrington;  Keith Pelley, chief executive officer of the DP World Tour, and David Howell, chairman of the European Tour players committee.

Actually Donald would not have been the first choice.  Lee Westwood appeared the front-runner until he took himself out of consideration. Still, the five-man committee – perhaps stung by Europe’s 19-9 whomping at Whistling Straits – went for Sweden’s Henrik Stenson as captain instead.

Donald was confronted about that selection at last week’s Valspar Championship.

“I thought I had a good chance this year,’’ he told GolfWeek.  “Hopefully, that’s not my chance gone.’’

It could be, though.

Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter – as well as Westwood and McDowell – have been keys to Europe’s previous domination of past Ryder Cups.  They’re still playing, but will be captain’s candidates not far down the road.  Garcia, given his past battles with New York’s boisterous fans, would especially seem an attractive choice when the matches are played at New York’s Bethpage Black in 2025. That would be Donald’s next chance to be a Ryder Cup captain.

While his Ryder Cup future may be in limbo, his playing days might be on the upswing.

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Still dealing with back problems, Donald had dropped to No. 547 in the Official World Golf Rankings prior to last week’s Valspar Championship in Florida.  Donald won that tournament in 2012 when it was called the Transitions Championship, and it came at a crucial time in his playing career.  It restored his position as golf’s No. 1 at that time. Donald spent 56 weeks as world No. 1 in 2011 and 2012.

Last week he finished in a tie for 16th in the Valspar Championship – his best showing in the PGA’s 2021-22 wrap-around season that has  included six missed cuts in 10 starts.  In a pro career that began in 2002 Donald has earned $37 million with five PGA Tour wins and eight more on the European circuit.  He was the leading money-winner on both tours in 2011.

His nezt start figures to be the RBC Heritage Classic in South Carolina April 14-17 – the week after the Masters.  Donald has four runner-up finishes and two thirds in the Heritage.

 

 

 

 

GOLF TRAVEL NOTES: Two long-time favorites are changing course

 

 

First of all, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all of our traveling golfers from our place in Florida’s PGA Village.

We are now in the heart of the holiday season and we hope that all our friends will enjoy these days to the fullest. Golf travel wasn’t so easy in this pandemic year, but we’re sure that better days are ahead. Len Ziehm on Golf wanted to remain on your radar when it came to providing the latest from travel destinations. To do that we have made three driving trips in 2020, visiting seven states after the pandemic clicked in big-time on March 12.  Spending 37 days on the road for those jaunts isn’t much, compared what we’ve done in our previous 10 years driving around the country to report on golf travel. We have one trip, albeit a short one, remaining in 2020.  Next week we’ll be going to Sebring, Florida — a great place for golfers who want to play a lot and still enjoy the many benefits that a small town offers.

IN THE MEANTIME, here’s updates from some of our favorite places that we visited recently.

California’s LaCosta Resort, the scene of lots of big tournaments in the past, has been named the site of the NCAA Championships three years in a row.

DESPITE THE problems caused by the pandemic there were three big stories in the world of golf travel in 2020.  Two involved long-famous destinations, the other a Texas town that is certain to become one.

Back in the day Ohio’s Firestone and California’s LaCosta were among the very best PGA Tour stops.  Firestone, a long-time private club, hosted big tournaments since the 1950s and LaCosta was on the pro tour calendar from 1968 through 2007 before focusing on resort play.

Now things have changed.

Firestone, now open to non-members, is offering stay-and-play packages, and LaCosta, with its 36 holes, is back in the tournament business – or at least it will be soon.  Following a renovation of its Champions Course by Gil Hanse – the game’s hottest architect at the moment, the resort will host the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s championships from 2024 to 2026.

We’ve been to both places, but not in recent years.  I’ve played the Firestone courses and reported on tournaments there.  LaCosta was a key part of a five-week driving trip through western states in 2015 that included stops at prominent destinations in California, Washington and Arizona.

LaCosta was a name from the past even back then.  It had hosted 25 PGA Tour events and two LPGA tournaments in those more high-profile times.

From 1968-98 it was the site of the Mercedes Championship – also known as the Tournament of Champions. Tournament rounds consisted of nine holes on the Champions Course and nine of the Legends Course, and a great list of champions included Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Lanny Wadkins, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Then that event moved to Hawaii.

LaCosta wasn’t tournament-starved for long. A year later the Accenture Match Play Championship, a World Golf Championship event, moved in and was staged there until 2006 (minus one year when the event was played in Australia in 2001). Then it moved to Arizona.

In came the LPGA with its Kia Classic, in 2011 and 2012, but then it switched to Aviara, another  course in the Carlsbad, Calif., area.

Losing those big ones was a blow to the resort, which had been taken over by the Omni hotel chain. LaCosta celebrated its 50th anniversary while we were there and Champions, originally designed by Dick Wilson, was notable for its steep bunkers (78 had been put in during a redesign for the WGC arrival).  Now Hanse and partner Jim Wagner will begin another upgrading with the NCAA Championships in mind.

As for Firestone, it was the site of such biggies as the World Series of Golf, three PGA Championships, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and – most recently – the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. Its underdoing a renovation, too, with 18 bunkers being removed from the Fazio (formerly West) Course and the remaining 51 being reshaped and enhanced by the Better Billy Bunker system to improve drainage.

There’s also been a management change. Jay Walkinshaw, who held management positions at –among others – California hotspots Olympic Club and  Pebble Beach, is now the general manager and Tommy Moore is the new director of golf.

A potentially bigger splash  is being made in Frisco, Tex.  The PGA of America announced it was moving much of its headquarters there from its long-time home in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The PGA is making big plans for the facility in Texas, and the first two of its courses there – the East, designed by Hanse, and the West, designed by Beau Welling — are almost finished.  They won’t be open for a while, however, as the PGA wants to a full year for the courses to grow in  and maintenance practices established.

The projected opening for the courses is June of 2022 and the first tournament scheduled in Frisco is the Senior PGA Championship in 2023.

MORE TIDBITS, FROM HERE AND THERE

We’ve hit lots of shots on lots of courses in Myrtle Beach, but this was one time a free drop was mandatory,

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – As always, lots is going on in this golf mecca. The Myrtle Beach Preseason Classic, a two-man 54-hole team event, will tee off on six courses from Feb. 1-3.  The 150-team field is already full…..The March Championship has a new name.  It’s now the World Amateur Q School….Three-time World Long Drive champion Sean Fister is now on the staff of the Dustin Johnson Junior Golf Academy….Mystical Golf, which has three courses (Man-O-War, The Witch and The Wizard), has overseeded its layouts with Ryegrass and that means wall to wall emerald green fairways, rough and putting surfaces as opposed to the usual dormant brown conditions found on most courses during the cold weather months.

STREAMSONG – KemperSports has expanded its role at this three-course central Florida destination. The Chicago-based group has been involved with the Streamsong golf operation since the resort was launched in 2012. Now Kemper will manage all resort operations.

PINEHURST, N.C. – The U.S. Golf Association and Kids Golf Foundation both announced they’re setting up headquarters in this golf hotbed, but there’s more. The Dormie Club is getting a 16,600-foot clubhouse, a stand-alone pro shop and 15 cottages to enhance its Bill Coore-Ben Creshaw designed course. Improvements have been made to the course, too.  All the projects are to be completed by June, 2021.

BANDON DUNES – Oregon’s very special facility has announced its championship events for 2021.  The Bandon Dunes Cup is May 2-5, the Golf Digest Open June 6-9, the Links Championship June 27-30 and the Fall Match Play Oct. 20-23.

BARTON CREEK – This Omni resort and spa in Austin, Tex., will host the PGA Professional Championship – the world’s largest all-professional event – on its Fazio Foothills and Coore-Crenshaw courses in April of 2022.

EAGLE RIDGE – Illinois’ premier resort has won the Stella Award from North Star Meeting Group for the second year in a row.  Its Gold award  in the regional hotel category honors the “Best Golf Resort in the Midwest.’’ Eagle Ridge has four courses, headed by The General.  The resort’s attractions also include the new Highlands Restaurant and Lounge 289.

 

 

 

 

Palmetto Traverse isn’t your usual putting green

This unique putting green in Santee, S.C., is good for both competition and putting practice.
Putting courses aren’t exactly new. Many golf facilities – even storied St. Andrews in Scotland – are adding them as a extra amenity at their facilities. The one that we played Monday in Santee, S.C., is one of the better ones. It’s called Palmetto Traverse.

Santee is a town of barely 1,000 residents but its golf – three good courses within just a few miles of each other – is big-time. The recently-constructed putting course has 18 holes built over 35,000 square feet near the Lake Marion course. We visited Santee in 2015 and liked the golf atmosphere there then. We like it more with the putting course designed by Kris Spence, an architect base in Greensboro, N.C., with help from Santee marketing director Robbie Wooten.

Rather than call it a “putting course,’’ Palmetto Traverse been labeled as a “putting experience.’’ You putt from black “tee’’ markers and holes are labeled with white flags. A 260-foot putt is possible but the layout offers putts breaking in all directions, some steeply uphill and some sharply downhill. Two bunkers are also included. There isn’t much of a walk between holes, making Palmetto Traverse a nice diversion after a round as well as a challenging pre-round exercise.