Tuesday, May 10, 2016

2016 Tourney Time for McConnell Golf

The Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open returns to Raleigh’s TPC Wakefield Plantation, highlighting a run of 11 elite championships contested at McConnell Golf venues across the Carolinas in 2016

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — The Web.com Tour’s 2016 Rex Hospital Open — scheduled May 9-15 for the 16th consecutive year at Raleigh’s TPC Wakefield Plantation — highlights a run of 11 professional, collegiate, amateur or elite junior level events contested on highly regarded courses owned by McConnell Golf this year.

McConnell Golf’s TPC Wakefield opened in July 2000 and one year later began hosting the popular Web.com event. Another McConnell property, Raleigh Country Club, served as the event site for three years starting in 1998, when the Web.com was known as the Nike Tour. Dalton Rich, a McConnell Golf assistant pro at Durham’s Treyburn Country Club, won a qualifier at Tom Fazio’s marvelous design to earn a spot in this week’s field.

In other recent events contested over McConnell Golf courses, Treyburn welcomed today’s scholastic stars at the 10th North Carolina High School Invitational, won by Myers Park of Charlotte. Meanwhile, at MCG’s Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, N.C., host team East Carolina won its own Pirate Intercollegiate by 23 shots.

Some of the recent high school invitational participants donned their new school colors when Old North State Club in New London hosted the ACC Men’s Golf Championship for the 15th straight year. Clemson won its 10th conference championship and first since 2004. At the 2016 ACC Women’s Golf Championship at Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club Ross, Virginia defended its title after becoming the first-ever champion last year from outside the state of North Carolina.

The Sedgefield Ross also hosted the 39th Carolinas Club Pro-Am Championship won by Will Dennis and Wesley Harden of Greenville (S.C.) Country Club. Another McConnell Golf property, The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., welcomes the 90th Carolinas Women’s Amateur from May 16-18.

Greensboro takes center stage this summer and fall. On June 13-17, 84 of the world’s best junior boys will compete in the AJGA Haas Family Invitational, contested for the ninth time at Sedgefield Ross. And the sister Sedgefield Dye Course plays hosts to the prestigious Cardinal Amateur from July 22-24 and Guilford College’s O’Briant-Jensen Memorial tournament in October. McConnell Golf’s 2016 tournament run continues at the PGA Tour’s FedExCup finale from August 15-21, when United States Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III defends his Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Ross.

As for historic tournament triumphs, Byron Nelson won the 1945 Knoxville Open at Holston Hills Country Club as part of his PGA Tour record 19 wins that season.  However, Nelson’s title at the highly regarded Donald Ross-designed golf course and fixture in Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses was not part of his 11 straight victories run.

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