Troon Celebrates Women's Golf Month with Clinics, Social Events in June

(Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Troon, the leader in golf course management, development, and marketing, will celebrate “Troon Women’s Golf Month” throughout the month of June at Troon facilities around the world. While Troon focuses on growing participation among all genders and age groups throughout the year, Troon facilities, Troon Golf Academies and their respective teaching professionals are joining together to host introductory golf clinics, fun social events, and special playing opportunities all month long. Now in its third year, the goal of Troon Women’s Golf Month is to introduce more golfers to the game.

Examples of Troon Women’s Golf Month programming include:
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club - Maricopa, Arizona
Troon Women's Golf Month group lessons every Saturday in June from 8 AM – 9 AM for $20 per adult. Plus, a complimentary Junior Clinic will be running concurrently so mom can drop off the kids to learn the game. www.akchinsoutherndunes.com

The Club at Cordillera - Vail, Colorado
Tim Mahoney, Troon's Global Director of Education will be conducting two events a week for Women's Golf Month: Margarita Monday and Cosmo Wednesday www.cordillera-vail.com

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club - Abu Dhabi, U.A.E
Every Monday in June Mom's Play for only AED $100, and receive complimentary use of the practice facilities. Optional participation in Monday Ladies Competition. Ladies Learn Golf Package (4 individual golf lessons for AED $1000 plus they can bring a guest for free) www.sbgolfclub.ae

Silverado Resort - Napa, California
"Mimosa Moms" clinics every Friday throughout the month of June. Plus, Margarita Mondays in June (with Junior Clinics running concurrently so mom can drop off the kids to learn the game too). Silverado’s Ladies Crash Course is a three hour introduction to golf aimed at getting out on the course as soon as possible. www.silveradoresort.com

During the month of June (and throughout the year), Troon facilities will continue to offer new “Get Into Golf” clinics. The Get Into Golf program provides all the tools necessary to give golf a test run, including golf clubs and golf balls, practice range time, a weekly ‘intro to golf’ clinic and ending with a three-hole test run – so participants can get a taste of what it’s like to be on a golf course in a friendly, fun and non-competitive atmosphere.

“The goal with Women’s Golf Month and our other ‘Play Troon’ initiatives is to make the entry point into golf more accessible, inviting and fun, while introducing more players to the game,” said Mike Ryan, executive vice president, co-chief operating officer, Troon. “Our Troon facilities and teaching professionals will amplify their efforts in June to grow the game through specific playing opportunities, Nine & Dines, and additional Get Into Golf clinics.”

Visit www.TroonGolf.com/Women or call the club nearest you to learn more about specific Troon Women’s Golf Month programs. For more information on all of Troon’s “grow the game” initiatives, visit www.PlayTroon.com.

Events in June are geared towards women, but all are welcome to participate. Troon and Troon affiliated facilities do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation.

For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.

Honma Golf Announces FY2017 Annual Results

Revenue Grew by 12.7% on Constant Currency Basis;

Net Profit Rose by 38.9%, Hitting JPY5.0 Billion

(Hong Kong) - Honma Golf Limited, one of the most prestigious and iconic brands in the golf industry, announces the consolidated results for the year ended 31 March 2017.

Fueled by the various growth initiatives, the Group continued to deliver solid and profitable revenue growth. During FY2017, the Group’s revenue rose by 8.4% on reported basis and 12.7% on constant currency basis to JPY24.2 billion. Gross profit increased by 10.3% to JPY14.5 billion and gross profit margin reached 60.0%. Net profit rose by 38.9% to JPY5.0 billion and net profit margin expanded to 20.5%. The Group proposed a final dividend of JPY3.00 per share, representing approximately 40% of the Group’s distributable profit for FY2017.

Mr. Liu Jianguo, Chairman of the Board, President and Executive Director of Honma Golf Limited said, “FY2017 marks an important milestone in the Group’s mid-term growth plan. The successful IPO has allowed the Group to tap into the international capital market, strengthen its capital structure and accelerate the execution of its mid-term growth plan. Driven by a rooted principle of pursuing profitable and sustainable growth, we managed to deliver a delightful set of results as a newly listed company, which clearly illustrates our Group’s strong brand equity, sensible planning and robust execution capabilities. The strong cash flow generation and the confidence in the Group’s continuous future growth enable us to propose a dividend of JPY3.00 per share.”

Looking ahead, the Group will continue to build a world-leading golf lifestyle company on the foundation of its craftsmanship heritage, product excellence and brand equity. The group will accelerate the expansion into North America and Europe which are nascent to the Group yet account for a significant share of the global golf products market. The Group will also leverage on the strength of its brand equity to pivot growth in balls, apparels and accessories with the aim to increase the value share of its non-club business to industry average.

Revenue by Geography During FY2017, Japan, Korea and China (including Hong Kong and Macau), which are our home markets, were the primary drivers of the Group’s revenue growth and contributed to 85.8% of the Group’s total revenue. Revenue for these three markets increased by 8.9%, 21.7% and 18.8%   respectively on constant currency basis, which firmly demonstrates the Group’s strong performance in achieving sustainable growth in our home markets.

Robust Revenue Growth in All Three Main Product Categories The Group recorded robust revenue growth in all three main product categories during FY2017. Revenue for golf clubs, golf balls and bags, apparels and other accessories increased by 11.4%, 83.4% and 11.9% respectively on constant currency basis while golf clubs continue to account for more than 80% of the Group’s total revenue. In particular, revenue for Be Zeal and TOUR WORLD rose by 120.4% and 13.0% on constant currency basis, respectively, reconfirming the Group’s strategy to penetrate deeper into the high growth consumer segments. The Group also established dedicated sales teams for its non-club product categories and further expanded its sales and distribution channels in home and new markets.

Financial Highlights:
- Revenue rose by 8.4% on reported basis and 12.7% on constant currency basis to JPY24.2 billion, continuing to demonstrate solid and profitable growth;
- All three main product categories achieved double-digit growth on constant currency basis:
  * Golf clubs – 11.4% year-on-year growth;
  * Golf balls – 83.4% year-on-year growth;
  * Bags, apparels and other accessories – 11.9% year-on-year growth;
- All our home markets continued to present robust growth on constant currency basis:
  * Japan – 8.9% year-on-year growth;
  * Korea – 21.7% year-on-year growth;
  * China (including Hong Kong and Macau) – 18.8% year-on-year growth;
- Gross profit increased by 10.3% to JPY14.5 billion and gross profit margin reached 60.0%;
- Operating profit improved by 19.8% and operating profit margin grew by 1.9 percentage points, reaching 20.4%;
- Net profit rose by 38.9% to JPY5.0 billion and net profit margin expanded to 20.5%;
- Net cash flows generated from operating activities amounted to JPY3.7 billion, representing a 160.0% improvement;
- Inventories nudged lower to JPY6.3 billion, down by 14.8%;
- Proposed final dividend of JPY3.00 per share, amounting to approximately a total of JPY1.8 billion and representing approximately 40% of the Group’s distributable profit for FY 2017.

Oklahoma and Oregon to Meet in NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championship Match

(SUGAR GROVE, Ill.) – Defending national champion Oregon will face Oklahoma in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championship match after the Ducks and Sooners each won a pair of matches on Tuesday at Rich Harvest Farms.

No. 5 seed Oregon defeated Oklahoma State, 3-2, in the morning quarterfinals before downing No. 1 seed Vanderbilt, 3-2, in the afternoon semifinals. Oklahoma, the No. 2 seed, upended Baylor, 3-2, in the quarterfinals to open the day before topping third-seeded Illinois, 3-1-1, in the afternoon.

Making its fourth appearance in match play at the NCAA Championships, Oregon improved to 7-2 all-time with its two victories today.

“Wow, it's an incredible feeling to be back here and to do it last year at the home course was amazing, at our home course,” said Oregon head coach Casey Martin. “But then to do it here in Chicago and trying to back it up, it's hard to put into words, and I'm proud of the guys and how they've played all year, and then in particular how they battled to get here because we were way on the outs, and here we are. So it's pretty cool.”

Norman Xiong opened the afternoon match against Vanderbilt with a 3 & 2 victory for the Ducks. After Theo Humphrey recorded a 5 & 4 win in the fourth pairing to give the Commodores a point, Wyndham Clark scored a 4 & 3 victory to get Oregon within a point of the final.  John Augenstein pulled Vanderbilt back level with a 19-holes win as the match came down to the final pairing of the day between Sulman Raza and Matthias Schwab. Leading by one heading to the 18th, Raza posted a birdie to win the match 2-up and advance Oregon to the final.

In the morning quarterfinals, Oregon and Oklahoma State split the first four points in their match. Viktor Hovland won 2 & 1 for the Cowboys in the opening match. Zachary Olsen won the second point for Oklahoma State, 3 & 1, while Oregon posted points via Edwin Yi’s 1-up victory in the second pairing and Ryan Gronlund’s 2 & 1 win in the fourth twosome of the match. With the match tied, Raza completed a 2 & 1 victory in the last quarterfinal pairing to move the Dukes into the afternoon semifinals.

Oklahoma’s path to the final went through the crowd favorite Illinois in the afternoon semifinals. In the first pairing out, Blaine Hale put the Sooners in front with a 4 & 3 victory. Oklahoma was within a point of the final when Max McGreevy won the 17th hole in his pairing to claim a 2 & 1 win. The Sooners completed their semifinal triumph when Rylee Reinertson won the third pairing, 3 & 1, as he clinched with a win on the 17th.

“Well, obviously we're really excited about what's going on,” said Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl. “It's been a great week for us. We've been playing good golf all week long, and our guys did something really special this morning, whenever we were playing against Baylor. We fought hard and got back into all the matches and ended up getting three points, one closing it out on the 19th hole, which was really special.”

In the opening match of the day, Oklahoma trailed Baylor in all five matches early in the round before coming back to win, 3-2. The Bears won the first two points as Cooper Dossey was a 1-up winner in the opening pairing and Braden Bailey won 2 & 1 in the second. The Sooner stormed back in the final three pairings to take the match. Reinertson was a 1-up winner, Grant Hirschman trailed by as many as three before coming back to take his match, 1-up, with an eagle on the 18th. In the final pairing, Baylor’s Matthew Perrine forced a 19th hole after chipping in for birdie on 18, but Brad Dalke won the match for Oklahoma with a par on the 19th.

The Sooners are making their second all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships match play, they fell to Texas last year in the quarterfinals.

“We're excited about tomorrow, the challenges, and trying to soak all this up at the same time, and hopefully we're going to go play some good golf tomorrow,” said Hybl.

In the other two morning quarterfinals, Illinois was a 3-1-1 winner over Southern California while Vanderbilt rallied for a 3-2 win over UNLV.

Live coverage on Golf Channel of Wednesday’s final will begin with Golf Central Pre Game beginning at 12:30 p.m., followed by live coverage of the championship match at 3 p.m. CT.

Team Match Play, Semifinal Match Results:
- Oregon defeated Vanderbilt 3-2
- Oklahoma defeated Illinois 3-1-1

Team Match Play, Quarterfinal Match Results:
- No. 1 Vanderbilt def. No. 8 UNLV, 3-2
- No. 2 Oklahoma def. No. 7 Baylor, 3-2
- No. 3 Illinois def. No. 6 Southern California, 3-1-1
- No. 5 Oregon def. No. 4 Oklahoma State, 3-2

Championship Match, May 31:
- Oregon vs. Oklahoma, 2:10 p.m. CT

Golf Channel Wednesday / NCAA Team Championship Schedule (all times CT)
- Golf Central Pre Game - 12:30-3 p.m. CT
- Championship Match - 3-7 p.m. CT
- Golf Central - 7-8 p.m. CT

Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss Wins NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual Championship

Top-Eight Teams Advance to Match Play

(SUGAR GROVE, Ill.) – Coming into the day trailing by two strokes, Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss carded a final round one-under par 71 on Monday to win the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf individual title at Rich Harvest Farms. Thornberry, who became the first player in Ole Miss history to win the national championship, finished with an 11-under par total of 277.

“It was a really special week,” said Thornberry. “Really just from the start, got off to a great start, six-under through the first 12 of the week, and that kind of got me started off on the right foot and really just went from there and tried to stay patient. The lead kept kind of creeping up. I tried to just stay in position until today and play a good round, and I was right there.”

In difficult, windy conditions where the course played more than five strokes over par, Thornberry got off to a good start with a birdie on the par-three third hole. On the sixth, Thornberry drove the green and holed his putt for an eagle as he made the turn at two-under, four strokes ahead of the field.

The sophomore from Olive Branch, Miss., dropped a pair of shots in his first five on the back nine but ended the round with a birdie on the 18th to win by four strokes over Mason Overstreet of Arkansas (-7, 281).

“I drove the ball really well, which is really important on this golf course,” Thornberry said of his final round. “I think the first fairway I missed was maybe on the 15th hole or so, so I really should have been doing better than I was even, playing from the fairway all day. But that's just kind of the key to this golf course, and fortunately I was hitting it straight today, so that made life a little bit easier.”

Matthias Schwab and Theo Humphrey of Vanderbilt, along with Scottie Scheffler of Texas, finished in a three-way tie for third at six-under, 282.

In the team competition, Vanderbilt posted a team total of 293, tied for the best round of the day, to finish with a 72-hole total of 1139, 12 strokes ahead of second-place Oklahoma. The Commodores will meet UNLV in Tuesday’s quarterfinals after the Rebels posted a final round of 312.

“We got off to a good start and I thought that was really important,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “In these final rounds of tournaments you really want to get your feet on the ground. We came into the final round in a good spot but you still don’t want to be in a position where it is a dog fight the whole way, so I was proud of how we hung in there.”

No. 2 seed Oklahoma will meet a familiar conference foe, No. 7 Baylor, in the quarterfinals; the Bears finished with a Monday round of 304.

Oregon made the biggest move of the round, tying Vanderbilt’s total of 293 to improve eight places and reach the match play as the No. 5 seed. The defending national champion Ducks will face No. 4 seed Oklahoma State in Tuesday’s match play quarterfinals.

Illinois improved two places in Monday’s round to earn the No. 3 seed; the Fighting Illini will square off against No. 6 seed Southern California in the quarterfinals.

Golf Channel will begin its coverage of Tuesday’s match play at 8:30 a.m. CT with Golf Central Pre Game, followed by live coverage of the quarterfinals beginning at 10 a.m. CT.  Golf Central Pre Game will return at 12:30 p.m. CT ahead of match play semifinal coverage, which will begin at 3 p.m. CT.

Golf Channel / NCAA Tuesday airtimes:
Quarterfinals – Team Match Play 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT
Semifinals – Team Match Play 3-7 p.m. CT
           
Schools advancing to team match play quarterfinals include:
- Vanderbilt
- Oklahoma
- Illinois
- Oklahoma State
- Oregon
- Southern California
- Baylor
- UNLV

Quarterfinal Matchups, May 30:
No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. No. 8 UNLV, 7:50 a.m. (Hole No. 1)
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Baylor, 7 a.m. (Hole No. 1)
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 6 Southern California, 7 a.m. (Hole No. 10)
No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Oregon, 7:50 a.m. (Hole No. 10)

Semifinal Matchups, May 30:
1:30 p.m. – Winner of Vanderbilt-UNLV vs. Winner of Oregon-Oklahoma State
2:20 p.m. – Winner of Oklahoma-Baylor vs. Winner of Oklahoma State-Oregon

Borst and McDonagh Upset Medalists in Round of 32 at 3rd U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship

(VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C.) – Brendan Borst and Thomas McDonagh eliminated medalists Clark Engle and Will Grimmer in what turned out to be a Big Ten showdown during Monday’s first round of match play in the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.

Earlier on Monday, Borst and McDonagh earned the 32nd and final berth in the match-play draw via an 8-for-6 playoff that lasted three holes. A few hours later on the iconic par-70, 7,161-yard Course No. 2, the two former Penn State golfers registered the biggest upset in the Round of 32.

Borst, 27, of Philadelphia, Pa., and McDonagh, 28, of Norwalk, Conn., never trailed in their 3-and-2 victory against Ohio State University teammates Engle, 22, of Springfield, Ohio, and Grimmer, 20, of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Buckeyes, who never registered a bogey in two rounds of stroke play, opened the door early by losing the second hole to a birdie. It would portend a tough day for the duo who shot 12-under 139 over the weekend to garner the No. 1 seeding.

“There were a couple opportunities they had to jump back in on us, and we kind of hung tough,” said McDonagh who birdied the 11th hole to give their side a 3-up lead. McDonagh also converted a clutch par putt on No. 13 to keep the momentum going after Grimmer birdied No. 13 to trim the deficit to two holes.
“I think the key shot in the match might have been the par putt I made on 13,” added McDonagh. “That kind of kept the momentum in our favor.”

The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by five rounds of match play, with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals to be played on Tuesday. The semifinals and 18-hole championship match are scheduled for Wednesday.

Wilson Furr and Davis Shore, who lost medalist honors to Engle and Grimmer by one stroke, easily advanced with a 5-and-4 victory over Micah Dean and Alex Rodger. All square after six holes, the two 18-year-olds reeled off four consecutive birdies from No. 7 to take a commanding lead. Shore, of Knoxville, Ala., and No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™, was responsible for three of those birdies.

With potentially two rounds of match play the next two days, the two future University of Alabama teammates feel more than ready to handle the marathon. Furr hails from Jackson, Miss., and like Shore, is accustomed to playing golf in hot and muggy conditions.

“When we’re home practicing, we probably both play 36 holes a day, so I think we’ll be used to it,” said Shore. “We both probably need to hit the driver a little straighter tomorrow. We didn’t hit quite as many fairways as we did in stroke play. But we played well from off the fairways.”

Patrick Christovich, 38, of New Orleans, La., and Garrett Rank, 29, of Canada, called on their experience as mid-amateur players to defeat Wake Forest, N.C., teenagers Shay Bhatia, 15, and Grayson Wotnosky, 16, 1 up. Christovich and Rank, who made it to the semifinals last year at Winged Foot, advanced out of the morning playoff with a birdie on the second playoff hole, the par-3 16th, before holding off the youngest side to make match play.

“They were great players, and they played really well,” said Rank, who just completed his first full season as a National Hockey League referee, working 75 regular-season games. “Patrick and I have a lot of experience, so when you get to this stage of a USGA championship, throw the seeds out the window and just go out and play because anyone can win on any given day. It is just whoever plays the best. Unfortunately for them, we played quite well. We were [just] one better at the end of the day.”

Two other notable mid-amateur sides also advanced on Monday. Inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions Nathan Smith, 38, of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Todd White, 49, of Spartanburg, S.C., needed some late heroics to beat Andrew Medley and Ken Tanigawa. Smith, a four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion converted a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to help the side earn a hard-fought 1-up victory, a match that saw Tanigawa hole out a shot from the fairway on No. 3 for an eagle-2.

Scott Harvey and Todd Mitchell, semifinalists in 2015, had an easier time, eliminating Daniel and Matthew Wetterich, 5 and 4.

“I’m just happy to be playing tomorrow” said White, a high school history teacher who teamed with Smith on the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team.

Mitchell, the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up who played briefly in the New York Yankees’ farm system, contributed four birdies to his team’s win. Harvey, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team, got the team going quickly by holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole. The team built a 3-up lead after five and was never seriously threatened.

“It was way less stressful today,” said Harvey, 38, of Greensboro, N.C. “We were both in more holes and for whatever reason we were swinging better.”

On Monday morning, eight sides who had tied at 1-under-par 140 in stroke play participated in a playoff on Course No. 2 for the final six places in the match-play field. Three of those sides – Borst and McDonagh, Christovich and Rank, and Kenny Cook and Sean Rowen, advanced to the Round of 16.

First played in 2015 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Engle and Grimmer are Medalists at the Third U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship

(VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C.) – Ohio State University teammates Clark Engle and Will Grimmer carded a 6-under-par 64 on Pinehurst Resort & Country’s Club’s Course No. 2 on Sunday to earn medalist honors by one stroke in the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

The duo posted a 36-hole stroke-play total of 12-under 129, which included Saturday’s 6-under 65 on Course No. 8. The par-70, 7,161-yard Course No. 2, which has hosted three U.S. Opens, and par-71, 7,073-yard Course No. 8 were both used during stroke play.

Grimmer, a rising junior, and Engle, who just completed his college eligibility, bested 18-hole leaders  Davis Shore and Wilson Furr. Both sides easily qualified for match play, which begins Monday at 9 a.m. on Course No. 2. An 8-for-6 playoff for those tied at 1-under 140 will commence Monday at 7 a.m. to determine the final match-play berths in the 32-side draw.

The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play, with the low 32 sides advancing to match play. The championship is scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final Wednesday afternoon. It is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Engle, 22, of Springfield, Ohio, and Grimmer, 20, of Cincinnati, Ohio, birdied five holes on Course No. 2’s outward nine, which last hosted the U.S. Open in 2014 when Grimmer, then 17, was the youngest player in the field. While Engle drained five of the pair’s six birdie putts Sunday, he credited his teammate with setting them up to claim the No. 1 seed.

“Will’s been hitting first off the tee, and usually hitting a really great shot,” said Engle, who graduated earlier this month. “So, there hasn’t been a lot of pressure on me to hit the green. Most of the time, he’s telling me, ‘I’m in close, you can be aggressive now,’ so I just go right for the pin. That helped me play well on the front, and we just went from there.”

The two Buckeyes also achieved their goal of not making a bogey during stroke play. In the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Winged Foot, where they eventually lost in the Round of 16, they made four bogeys in stroke play.

“We actually haven’t made any bogeys the last four days, including practice rounds,” said Grimmer who admitted his six-foot uphill par putt on the 18th green Sunday seemed a little longer on account of that objective. “We really wanted to come out and attack stroke play, and we did that, so now we have to stay focused and try to get through each match, and, hopefully, come out on top this Wednesday.”

The pair also has a history of playing well individually at Pinehurst. Grimmer shot Pinehurst’s only known 59, in the 2013 North & South Junior Amateur on Course No. 1, and Engle carded a 65 on Pinehurst No. 2 in the 2015 North & South Amateur, where he was a semifinalist.

“For both of us to come in with such great history playing here, we want to win this,” said Grimmer.

Added Engle: “We were at dinner, and someone said, ‘Welcome home,’ which was interesting. And, then we were teeing off today, and I thought, ‘I really do feel at home on this course.’ Today was one of the most fun days of golf I’ve had. Playing great on Course No. 2 with Will, I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

Eighteen-year-olds, Furr, of Jackson, Miss., and Shore, of Bloomington, Ill., who led Saturday after firing the championship’s low round, an 8-under par 63 on Course. No. 8, followed with a 67 on Course No. 2 to take the second seed.

“This course [No. 2] definitely played tougher than [No.] 8, at least for us,” said Furr who is playing at Pinehurst for the first time this week. “Out here, you just have to hit fantastic shots to get it anywhere close to the hole. We did really well avoiding mistakes, but just weren’t spot on – still feel good about it though.”

Furr and Shore, who are set to be roommates this fall at the University of Alabama, carded their first and only bogey of the weekend on the par-4 second hole. On No. 3, Shore, who is the highest ranked player in the field at No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™, holed a 20-foot birdie putt to pull them even. They added consecutive birdies on Nos. 8 and 9.

One of three father-son teams in the field, Ben, 23, and Dan Corfee, 52, matched Engle and Grimmer’s 64 on Course No. 2 Sunday, helping the UC-Davis alumni (Ben graduates in two weeks) from El Macero, Calif., advance to match play. Their round, which included seven birdies, six on Ben’s ball, followed a less-than-desirable 1-over-par 72 the previous day on Course. No. 8.

“I made him play with me this year,” said Dan who has played a round of golf with Ben every weekend for the last decade, but only one other four-ball event. After that tournament, Ben told his father he’d never partner with him again. “I said, ‘You have to play with your dad one time [in a competition] before I get too old.’ And he begrudgingly accepted. That’s a true story. He would definitely play with somebody else, happily.”

Shay Bhatia, 15, and Grayson Wotnosky, 16, of Wake Forest, N.C., the second-youngest team in the field, posted 8-under 133 to share the third seed with Floridians Chip Brooke and 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up Marc Dull. Both sides played Course No. 8 Sunday, with the teenagers counting five birdies against one bogey, while Brooke, 41, of Bartow, and Dull, 31, of Winter Haven, backed up Saturday’s 65 with a 68.

Both Brooke and Dull are employed by Streamsong Resort, which hosted the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Dull, the grandson of two-time U.S. Senior Amateur champion Dexter Daniels, works as a caddie, while Brooke was instrumental in developing the resort’s caddie program.

The 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions Nathan Smith, 38, of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Todd White, 49, of Spartanburg, S.C., safely advanced to match play by following a first-round 69 on Course No. 2 with a 67 on Course No 8. Members of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team, Smith and White notched four consecutive birdies to start their round on Sunday.

“To me, you had to get the course before 7 and 8 [holes],” said Smith on the team’s early attack. “It just seemed to get really, crazy tough, especially with the wind.”

Stewart Hagestad, the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and low amateur in this year’s Masters, missed the cut by one stroke with University of Southern California teammate Sam Smith. Other notables to miss the cut include 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball runners-up Sherrill Britt and Greg Earnhardt, and 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion Doug Hanzel and Bob Royak.

Titleist Introduces New Cameron & Crown Putters by Scotty Cameron

(FAIRHAVEN, Mass.) – Master Putter Maker Scotty Cameron, following up on the success of last year’s Cameron & Crown introduction, is offering four new models for 2017.

Cameron & Crown putters by Scotty Cameron are precisely crafted at 33 inches and specifically weighted for the player whose setup demands a shorter putter. The 2017 Cameron & Crown line includes popular head styles from Scotty’s tour-proven Select and Futura putter families – Select Newport, Select Mallet 1, Futura 5MB and Futura 6M – providing modern blade, mid-mallet and high-MOI mallet options to satisfy a variety of strokes, styles and preferences of players at every level of the game.

“Our initial Cameron & Crown release was very well-received, and we continue to hear great feedback from golfers who are benefitting from the 33-inch setup,” Cameron said. “I’ve always said that the length sets the eyes, and the eyes set the path. For those men, women and juniors who need a shorter putter, it gets their eyes in the right position to make a proper stroke while maintaining good posture and balance.”

Available in golf shops beginning June 16, Cameron & Crown putters deliver the craftsmanship, quality and tour-proven performance that have made Scotty Cameron putters the choice of many of the world’s best players for more than two decades:
• Each Cameron & Crown putter is custom designed at 33 inches and matched with properly weighted heads and smaller diameter gray Matador grips. This configuration ensures a correct swing weight, providing optimal feel and balance throughout the putting stroke.
• Multi-material technology – utilizing 303 stainless steel and 6061 aircraft grade aluminum for face inlays, face-sole components and flange constructions – is performance-matched to each putter style to provide ideal forgiveness and feel.
• A raw stainless steel finish with a unique Silver Mist treatment creates a radiant, yet glare resistant, appearance. Cameron & Crown graphics blend Scotty’s familiar three milled dots left unpainted in misted stainless steel with an elegant white, gold, gray and black color scheme applied to engravings.

“When we pioneered the adjustable weighting system, it became possible to match the putter head weight relative to the length for a balanced stroke,” Cameron said. “Cameron & Crown models are purpose-built 33-inch designs, not manipulated 35-inch putters, with properly-matched sole and back weights to ensure the swing weight and feel of these putters are consistent with their longer counterparts. We then developed a smaller Matador grip to match that performance and feel. These are crucial details when it comes to making a confident stroke.”

2017 CAMERON & CROWN MODEL OVERVIEW:
Select Newport: Classic heel-and-toe weighted blade with a plumbing neck, shorter rounded contours, a 303 stainless steel face inlay and sight line in the flange.
Select Mallet 1: Rounded, flowing mid-mallet with 6061 aircraft aluminum wrap-around face-sole technology, sweeping single-bend shaft, and pop-through flange alignment system.
Futura 5MB: Classic, elegant “muscle-back” rounded mid-mallet with face-sole technology, and completely solid stainless steel flange.
Futura 6M: Stable and balanced high-MOI mallet offers the ultimate in forgiveness and resistance to twist on mishits with dual-purpose alignment. (Available in RH and LH configurations.)

AVAILABILITY: Cameron & Crown putters are available through Titleist authorized golf shops beginning June 16 (North America) and July 21 (worldwide). U.S. MSRP: $410. MAP: $379.

· ON THE WEB: www.scottycameron.com
· YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/ScottyCameron
· INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ScottyCameron
· TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/ScottyCameron

New Leaders Highlight Second-Round of Play at NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship

(SUGAR GROVE, Ill.) - After a stormy opening round forced abrupt delays on Friday, a full day of sunshine soaked the second-round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at Rich Harvest Farms as UNLV and Texas’ Scottie Scheffler moved atop the leaderboards.

While the field finished its first-round in the morning and near perfect conditions existed throughout the day, 3,250 fans flocked to the course, leading to scenes on the fairways and putting greens that felt like the PGA Tour with roars and cheers sporadically echoing across the 1,800 acre course.

Temperatures in the 80's and winds near idle speed made for prime scoring conditions in the morning and early afternoon, allowing 17 teams to post rounds below par.

While Ole Miss’ Braden Thornberry tied the collegiate course record at 66 yesterday, Florida State’s Harry Ellis and UCF’s Kyler Tate matched the feat on Saturday as Ellis carded six birdies and 12 pars while Tate tallied five birdies and followed up his 17th hole bogey with an eagle on 18.

LSU improved nine-places in the standings to finish in a tie for seventh with a day-best 277 (-11). UNLV proved to be the day’s winner, however, as the Rebels moved into first place in the team standings at -14 with a one-stroke lead over second place Oklahoma following their second-round 279 (-9).

Shintaro Ban carded a 68 (-4) to lead UNLV in the round, while Harry Hall, Taylor Montgomery and John Oda round out the scorers, finishing at even par or better. Oda recorded a 69 (-3), followed by Montgomery’s 70 (-2).

While Ban led the group, UNLV coach Dwaine Knight pointed to the groups play on No. 17, a hole that has caused problems for the entire field and is statistically ranked the most difficult so far this tournament.

"It's a hard shot and you just have to really hit a really good shot there and we seemed to have pulled it off yesterday and today. The golf course, you can accept and challenge but you can really pay the price also. The first two days here we've been able to make some birdies where some other teams kind of struggled through that,” added Knight.

Also taking advantage of the scoring conditions was Scheffler, who finished 11 holes during the rain soaked opening round. The 2016 U.S. Open participant shot two-under in his final eight holes to record a 68 (-4) in the round.

Scheffler repeated in the afternoon with another 68 (-4), entering the clubhouse tied for first with many of the teams still on the course. His score held at day’s end as the field dropped off, putting the junior in sole possession of first place.

Finding a rhythm of play was a key in Scheffler’s eyes as inclement weather yesterday forced him out of sync he said.

“It was kind of a weird (first) round. We played four holes, waited an hour, played another hole, waited another hour and a half then played six more and finished up this morning. I was able to get into more of a flow today.”

After the first-round this morning, Vanderbilt closed with a team-best score of -10 as all four scorers finished under par, paced by Matthias Schwab’s 67 (-5) which put him in a tie for second entering the second-round. Schwab is in a four-way tie for second with 137 (-7).

The third-round of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship will tee off at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow morning. Follow team and individual results at www.ncaa.com/2017-di-mens-golf-leaderboard and for tournament central news, www.niuhuskies.com.

Solar Eclipse Charity Golf Classic to Celebrate the First Total Eclipse North America Has Seen Since '79

(Kansas City, KS) - Together with the Kansas City Royals and GreatLIFE KC, area golfers will hit the links at 24 courses throughout the Kansas City and Missouri area to celebrate the first ever solar eclipse North America has seen since 1979. Funds raised from the event will benefit children through Royals Charities and the GreatLIFE Cares Foundation.

Bryan Minnis, Chief Development Officer for GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness says the rare event is something golfers should add to their bucket list. “It’s going to be a great day supporting countless children in Kansas City while experiencing perhaps the coolest event of our lifetime. I’ve played golf 40 years but never under the stars midday. This is a unique and rare opportunity.”

The moon and the Earth will be perfectly aligned for a few minutes on Aug. 21, 2017. The path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country's independence. You have to go all the way back to the total solar eclipse of 1257 in order to find another eclipse which touched only American soil. Participants will use special solar eclipse viewing glasses while playing golf throughout the day to see a dramatic darkening of the sky, with Venus appearing near the Sun. The entire process takes nearly 3 hours. Eleven of the tournament courses are in the path of totality, lasting from 50 seconds at Drumm Farm to over 2 minutes at Staley Farms, St. Joseph Country Club, Liberty Hills and Hail Ridge.

Minnis explains how the idea for the tournament grew so quickly “GreatLIFE prides itself on trying to make a difference in people’s lives, especially those of children. We own and/or operate over 20 golf courses in the Kansas City area and think this unique event is a great opportunity to experience something really cool while doing something really great for Kansas City kids.”

The event will be held on Monday, August 21 with a choice of a 7:45 am or 1:45 p.m. shotgun start. A solar eclipse watch party and luncheon will be served between the morning and afternoon sessions. Registration includes golf, cart, continental breakfast, a welcome gift bag and awards luncheon or dinner. There will also be raffle tickets and an online auction available for golfers at all locations throughout the day. Proceeds will benefit Kansas City youth through the KC Royals Charities and GreatLIFE Cares Foundation.

“We’re going to keep the celebration going,” adds Minnis. “Players who sign up by July 16th will receive a ticket to the GreatLIFE Golf Day at the K! featuring the Kansas City Royals vs. Colorado Rockies on August 22nd.”

Registration information with a list of participating courses and sponsorship opportunities, is available at www.solareclipsegolfclassic.com, www.greatlifekc.com or any one of the 24 GreatLIFE KC participating courses.

First-Round Play Suspended at 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships

(SUGAR GROVE, Ill.) - Afternoon weather delays forced the suspension of Friday’s first-round at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships at Rich Harvest Farms. The two delays, totaling three hours and one minute, resulted in half the field being unable to complete their opening round.

Auburn posted the low round of the day among morning wave of 15 teams, recording a team total of six-under par 282.

“We got off to a really great start,” said Auburn head coach Nick Clinard. “We started on 10 and did really well on 10 and 11. Eleven was a pretty easy par five. We hung in there, played 18 well and then we struggled a little bit coming down the stretch. We dropped some shots on seven and eight; we had four bogies on eight and we played seven two-over. We could have had a really, really good day, but it was a good start to the week. It's a long week so we will take it."

Playing in the first pairing of the morning off the 10th tee, Auburn was led by Jacob Solomon’s five-under 67, the second-best round of the morning, and a three-under 69 from Matt Gilchrest. Solomon carded seven birdies in his opening 18 holes while Gilchrest posted a trio of birdies as well as an eagle on the par-five 18th.

Ole Miss and Alabama are tied for the second-best round of the morning as the Rebels and Crimson Tide each posted a one-under par 287.

Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss is the leader in the clubhouse after carding a six-under 66. Thornberry, who recorded six birdies and no bogies in his round, tied the course collegiate record set by Zach Seabolt of Winthrop in the first round of the 2014 Northern Intercollegiate and Thomas Detry of Illinois in the second round of the 2015 Northern Intercollegiate.

“I really just never got in trouble, never really was close to making any bogeys, was sitting in the fairways and when I did miss (I) was lucky enough to get a few good lies and go from there,” said Thornberry. “(I) kept it in front of me and made some putts, really try to make it an easy day.”

Among the afternoon wave, Vanderbilt is eight-under par with all players through a minimum of 15 holes. Four players that started in the afternoon are currently tied at four-under; Vanderbilt’s Matthias Schwab and Southern California’s Justin Suh are both four-under through 15 while Sam Burns of LSU and Michael Feagles of Illinois are four-under through 14.

First-round play will resume on Saturday morning, May 27, at 6:30 a.m. CT, followed by second-round play beginning at 7:15 a.m.

First-round scores and second-round pairings are attached. Follow team and individual results at www.ncaa.com/2017-di-mens-golf-leaderboard and for tournament central news, www.niuhuskies.com.

Val Skinner Foundation’s 18th Annual LIFE Event Has Olympic Ring To It

Host Val Skinner to honor figure skating icon Scott Hamilton; seven LPGA Olympians to participate

(BAY HEAD, N.J.) – When former LPGA professional Val Skinner’s 18th annual LIFE Event (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate breast cancer) tees off on June 5, there will definitely be an Olympic feeling in the air. Joining Skinner and being honored as a LIFE Hero is 1984 Olympic Gold Medal figure skater Scott Hamilton. In addition, seven LPGA Professionals who played in the 2016 Olympic Women’s Golf event in Rio will also be in the field. The Val Skinner Foundation has raised more than $11 million for breast cancer awareness, education and research.

“The Olympic theme is fitting this year as we continue in our fight to eradicate breast cancer,” said Skinner. “Having Scott Hamilton here as a LIFE Hero and having so many great LPGA players and Olympians on hand is a show of force and support for all of our initiatives.”

In addition to Hamilton, the other Olympians on hand include Gerina Piller (U.S.), Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Sandra Gal (Germany), Gaby Lopez (Mexico), Laetitia Beck (Israel), Giulia Molinaro (Italy) and Mariajo Uribe (Columbia). Other LPGA stars past and present will include:
- Brittany Lincicome
- Sarah Jane Smith
- Alison Walshe
- Danille Kang
- Marina Alex
- Mo Martin
- Tiff Joh
- Jodi Shadoff
- Kathleen Ekey
- Vicky Hurst
- Christina Kim

At the event, Skinner will honor Hamilton, who survived testicular cancer 20 years ago and was diagnosed with his third brain tumor in 2016, for his tireless work as an advocate for cancer patients and their families through his Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation. Hamilton’s mother passed away from breast cancer in 1977.

In addition, Skinner will recognize Kriss Fierro as a LIFE Hero. Fierro, who came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 15, was diagnosed in 2014 at age 34. Despite going through ongoing chemotherapy and raising her family, she attacks each day with a positive attitude and a desire to help other patients at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

“Kriss is every much a hero as all of the Olympians who will be at LIFE..she is so special and has a heart of ‘gold’,” added Skinner. “Like Scott Hamilton, she embodies the spirit of a champion. It’s going to be a great – and emotional – day.”

Over the past 17 years, the Val Skinner Foundation LIFE Event has been one of the largest single-day breast cancer fundraisers in the country. The foundation has served as a driving force in the development and implementation of significant awareness and education initiatives including:
• Coordinating with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to fund Susan G. Komen On the Go, a mobile educational experience tour making stops at universities, festivals and other events across the country.
• Creation of Young Women Walking, in coordination with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which was a series of walks targeting women ages 16-23.
• Funding for peer support and education programs for Young Survival Coalition designed for young women living with metastiatic breast cancer.
• Development, in coordination with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, of BOLD (BioCONECT Oncology Leadership Development), an inquiry-based biology curriculum for high school students.

Today, the event continues to support precision medicine and clinical services programs at the LIFE Center at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the continued partnership with Discovery Education to promote the Decoding Cancer curriculum, which is based on BioCONECT, that is taught in high schools across the country.

Because it’s essential to support the study of cancer in the classroom and facilitate meaningful discussions among high school teachers, students and families, the Val Skinner Foundation, in collaboration with the LIFE Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Rutgers School of Public Health and Discovery Education, last year created Decoding Cancer. An interactive biology and genetics education initiative, Decoding Cancer helps students and their families understand the science behind cancer and supports the improvement of students’ science literacy.  In addition, through innovative biology and genetics-focused digital content, this innovative partnership introduces students to future careers in solving the cancer epidemic.

Decoding Cancer is powered by BioCONECT. The BioCONECT curriculum was developed by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in collaboration with the Center for School and Community-Based Research and Education at the Rutgers School of Public Health. It is an integrated curriculum supplement that enhances learning by encouraging students to transfer their knowledge of biology and genetics to real-life situations using breast cancer as the context.

Since its launch in 2016, Decoding Cancer has reached an estimated 1.1 million high school biology students with a first-of-its-kind precision medicine Virtual Lab that includes health and biomedical career profiles aimed at inspiring the next generation of cancer professionals. Discovery Communication’s TLC Network has also helped to spread Decoding Cancer’s message and impact to millions more.

Skinner played on the LPGA Tour for 21 years, won six times and spent seven years ranked in the top 15 in the world. She is a member of three golf Halls of Fame and has received numerous awards for her philanthropy and advocacy for breast cancer research. In addition to overseeing her Foundation’s work, Skinner has competed on the Legends Tour and worked for more than 12 years with the Golf Channel.

More information on the Val Skinner Foundation, LIFE Event and programs funded by the event can be found at www.valskinnerfoundation.org.

Zero Friction Named Official Golf Glove, Golf Tee for World Long Drive Competition

World Long Drive Competition Airs on NBC Sports/The Golf Channel

(OAK BROOK TERRACE, IL) - Zero Friction, maker of technologically advanced performance golf products, has been named the official golf glove and tee of the World Long Drive Association.

Emerging as one of golf's most popular grass-roots competitions, the new partnership between Zero Friction and the WLDA coincides with the heart of the Long Drive season, which includes the "Clash in the Canyon" in June, the first of three television events set to air on Golf Channel in 2017.

"I am thrilled to have our brand associated with World Long Drive, and to have an amazing opportunity to introduce our gloves and tees to the Long Drive community, both on-site at events throughout the season and to those following along on Golf Channel," said Zero Friction President John Iacono.

Zero Friction first entered the glove market in 2014 with its one-size-fits-all compression fit golf glove which allows for greater feel, comfort and shot accuracy. Hall of Famer Johnny Miller was so impressed when introduced to Zero Friction in 2015 that he took a stake in the company and helped designed the Johnny Miller Motion-Fit Glove.

Last year, Zero Friction unveiled its new DistancePro GPS Glove, the first wearable GPS technology on a golf glove. Powered by Bluetooth, the device sits comfortably on the glove flap and weighs less than half an ounce.

Zero Friction has retained the 5th position in market share for golf gloves with both on course and off course retailers in the U.S. for the past two years.

For more information, visit zerofriction.com, or call 847-436-4262.

NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships Tee Off Friday

Thirty Teams and Six Individuals in Action at Rich Harvest Farms

(SUGAR GROVE, Ill.) – Just one day after Arizona State claimed its eighth national championship, culminating six days of exciting collegiate women’s golf action at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, host Northern Illinois University welcomed 30 NCAA Division I men’s teams, along with six individual participants, to the “Home of the Huskies” Thursday.

Thursday’s practice round saw all participants get their first official look at the course, which will play at 7,300 yards and par 72 for the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships.

On Friday (May 26), first round action for 30 teams and six individuals who qualified from six regionals across the country, gets underway beginning at 6:45 a.m. (CT). Tickets for every day of the NCAA Championships are on sale at the Rich Harvest Farms entrance off of Granart Road and online at NCAA.com.

The entire field will play 18 holes each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 26-28) before the top 15 teams and nine individuals (not on one of those teams) play an additional 18 holes of stroke play on Monday (May 29), after which the individual medalist will be crowned and the eight teams who will advance to match play will be determined. The match play quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Tuesday (May 30) beginning at 7 a.m., with the team championship determined on Wednesday (May 31).

Top-seeded Southern California leads the field of 30 teams that includes seventh-seeded Illinois, defending national champion and No. 8 seed Oregon and Mid-American Conference Champion Kent State. In-state products Nick Hardy (Illinois) from Northbrook, Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim (Texas) and Trent Wallace from Joliet, who is playing as an individual representing Illinois State.

Prior to Thursday’s practice round, the participants and coaches attended a Welcome Breakfast at the Pavilion at Rich Harvest Farms, where owner, and course designer, Jerry Rich, NIU President Doug Baker and NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier welcomed the participants and coaches to the Championships.

Golf Channel will have extensive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. Live coverage begins Monday, May 29 with Golf Central at 2 p.m., followed by the live broadcast of the final round and individual championship from 3-7 p.m. (CT).

During Thursday’s breakfast, Sam Uhland of Jacksonville University was presented with the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award for Division I Men’s Golf.

The Elite 90 Award honors the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.

International Women's Golf Day Experiences 68% Growth in One Year

International Women’s Golf Day Expands to 46 Countries

(West Palm Beach, FL) - From the US to Australia, South Africa to Switzerland, International Women’s Golf Day has grown in scope and size, increasing its global reach 68% in only its second year. Thousands of women from Silicon Valley to Wall Street to the Square Mile in London will converge in 46 countries at more than 691 locations for the one day event on Tuesday, June 6.

The 2017 event venues include public and private golf courses, driving ranges and retail outlets around the globe. All locations will conduct a two-hour golf clinic or offer a nine-hole round of golf, and will culminate with a two- hour social affair where the expected 50,000+ participating women can network and socialize.

“We’ve discovered that female business professionals who take up the game of golf soon recognize the value it brings when it comes to customer engagement and future business development,” said WGD Founder Elisa Gaudet. She added “It’s important that women have a positive experience when playing golf, regardless of their level of experience and Women’s Golf Day caters to all levels and imparts camaraderie.” Gaudet is thrilled at the rapid expansion, but not surprised by the worldwide interest. “For a while the industry was looking at ways to engage women, I am elated and proud that this one day international event has introduced thousands of new female golfers to the sport and impassioned existing golfers while transcending language, culture, religion, and race to celebrate golf, women, and community.”

“It is also important for the golf industry to understand women make up 85% of all consumer purchases and the important role they play as economic influencers for the family. The big-ticket items for the golf industry are home purchases in golf communities, country club memberships, and golf vacations where women have a definitive say in the making of those decisions,” Gaudet said.

“We’re thrilled at the opportunity to support this global movement and encourage women to see the benefits of golf for enriching relationships,” said PGA TOUR Superstore CMO Matt Corey. Corey continued, “We stock our stores with more equipment, apparel and footwear specifically for women than any other golf store on the planet, and we do that for a reason.”

Partners and supporting organizations of the transnational event include the International Golf Federation, World Golf Foundation, LPGA, LET, European Tour Properties, TPC, NGCOA, EGCOA, ClubCorp, Billy Casper Golf, PGA TOUR Superstore, Ahead, EWGA, WIGI, International Council of Nurses, All Square, Expert Golf, and Troon International.

For more information about the WGD global initiative or to participate on June 6, visit womensgolfday.com.

Luxury Palm Desert Resort Launches New 'Surf & Turf' Golf Getaway Package

(RELEASE) - JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa just launched a Surf & Turf package featuring exclusive use of GolfBoards - the golf cart alternative, providing the same exhilaration as snowboarding while increasing the pace of play. The 450-acre luxury resort, located in the heart of the Coachella Valley, is one of the only hotels to offer use of this high-tech and rare golf amenity.

Golf courses overlook Venetian-inspired waterways, set against the majestic Santa Rosa Mountains. Whether a couples’ trip or a bachelor party, the Surf & Turf package offers all the necessities for a fun getaway.

Package includes:
· Two Golfboards, otherwise known as the “surf board” of the golf course
· Unlimited golf on two Ted Robinson-designed championship courses with 18 holes of golf
· Golf Cart Munchies delivery featuring a selection of craft beers from Coachella Valley Brewing Co. and homemade popcorn and toffee from Palm Springs-based confectionary shop Brandini – all to take onto the courses
· $50 credit that can be applied to the golf shop, on-site nightclub, or any of the restaurants on property (you can sail to dinner in one of the property’s gondolas)
· Deluxe accommodations

Guests can complete their trip with by relaxing at one of six spacious pools, relaxation at the Spa at Desert Springs, enjoy a night of craft cocktails at the on-site nightclub and lounge, or take a gondola ride to dinner at Rockwood Grill or the new speakeasy restaurant Time & Temperature.

Learn more about the Desert Springs golf program HERE.

Club Car and U.S. Kids Golf Foundation Partner to Grow Junior Golf Development

Club Car to become exclusive golf car provider for U.S. Kids Golf Foundation

(Augusta, Ga.) – Club Car, the global leader in golf and utility vehicles and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, announced a partnership with U.S. Kids Golf Foundation, the world leader in junior golf development, competition and coaching.

Through the partnership, Club Car will become the official golf car and personal transportation vehicle of the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation and Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines, making Club Car the worldwide exclusive official golf car and personal transportation vehicle for all of U.S. Kids Golf Foundation activities related to junior golf.

“As a world leading golf car manufacturer, Club Car is committed to the $70 billion industry and the game of golf from the start and we are excited to kick off our partnership with the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation to help grow the game among junior golfers,” said Marc Dufour, president of Club Car. “We are excited to be part of the initiatives U.S. Kids Golf Foundation drives, from the new Longleaf Tee System to coaching young children to be avid golfers.”

As part of this relationship, Club Car will use the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation-owned Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines as a product demonstration and test site for new vehicles and emerging technologies. Longleaf Golf & Family Club features the New Longleaf Tee System that is designed to make every round more fun and playable for golfers of all talent levels.

“Our singular mission is to serve kids and families both on and off the golf course,” said
Dan Van Horn, president of the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation. “Club Car’s devotion to growing the game of golf is evident with their support of junior and family golf initiatives as well as the products they produce. We are honored to begin our relationship with one of the leading global brands in the world of golf.”

The U.S. Kids Golf Foundation will promote Club Car’s products and commitment to golf to its worldwide customer community, certified coaches, tournament managers, officials, and the thousands of kids and families who participate in U.S. Kids Golf events.

Club Car will have an active and visible presence at the U.S. Kids Teen World Championship and the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, the world’s largest junior golf tournaments with more than 2,300 participants from over 50 nations. The World Championships are held each July and August in the Pinehurst and Southern Pines area.

For more information, visit www.ingersollrand.com or www.clubcar.com. For more information on the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation, visit www.uskidsgolf.com.

Product Review: Srixon Q-Star Tour

I’ve played golf for three decades and rarely put any extra thought into what golf ball I should play. While finances dictated my decision-making process through high school and college, once I was able to afford a premium ball, I just threw my money at the proverbial No. 1. I was following the herd.

Over the last couple years, however, I’ve been on a personal journey to find the right ball for my game. Sleeve after sleeve ... I’ve played some balls I never would have considered in the past. I’ve had mixed results, of course, as you would expect when switching from ball to ball.

My favorite method is the “Devil’s Round” - 6-6-6. I’d start the round with one ball and switch to another after six holes and do the same with six holes remaining. My scores have suffered (going from a 7.8 GHIN to a 9.4), but I think it has been for the greater good.

I’ve eliminated a lot of balls from consideration during this trek. I’ve also learned that the ball I played for the better part of 20 years isn’t, necessarily, the best ball for me.

So, where have I landed? Drumroll, please ... Srixon Q-Star Tour.

This was a bit unexpected for me for a couple reasons. First, I hadn’t really considered the brand in the past. And second, my inclination has always been to go to a company’s most expensive ball as the top option. After all, you get what you pay for ... right? Not so fast, my friend.

The Q-Star Tour retails for only $29.99 per dozen. That’s nearly $20 less than what I’ve been paying and $10 less than a couple other Srixons I tried - the Z-Star and Z-Star XV. While I was impressed with the performance of both Z-Star options, I’m not sure they gave me the WOW factor I needed to make my final decision. The Q-Star Tour did.

What is it about the Q-Star Tour that jumped out at me? It was the trifecta of performance - distance, accuracy and feel. Combine those three and you’ve got a no-brainer.

My driver swing speed ranges between 97-102 mph. Some maintain that you need to reach a magical speed of 105 mph to fully receive the benefits of a high-compression ball. The Q-Star Tour is a three-piece ball with a slightly lower compression. This ball, seemingly, jumps off the face of my driver.

I’ve played distance balls in the past, but hated having to sacrifice feel. Because of that, I found myself giving up the 5-10 yards off the tee so I could enjoy softer feel into and around the greens. Problem was, of course, losing distance off the tee leads to longer shots into the greens. An extra club means a lot for me. Reclaiming that distance - and even adding a bit - has considerably upped my accuracy. Just being happy to hit the green has given way to pin seeking!

Perhaps the best feature of the Q-Star Tour ball is Srixon’s spinskin technology. As a mid-handicapper, I’m prone to missing greens. On a good day, I’m generally missing half the greens. The ability to get up and down from around the green can be the difference between a 77 and an 82. I feel like this ball stays on my wedges for a split second longer, adding the control I need when pitching and chipping.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a little more about the Z-Star and Z-Star XV. While both boast the same, incredible spinskin coating of the Q-Star Tour, they are designed for golfers with higher swing speeds (as in the aforementioned 105 mph). They have a 338-dimple design (versus 324 on the Q-Star Tour), but the Z-Star XV is a four-piece ball, as opposed to the Z-Star being a three-piece ball. I would favorably compare them to the premium ball I was playing, but surely didn’t receive the complete benefits off the tee and on full shots based upon my swing speed.

As with any review, don’t take my word on it. Golf balls are the easiest piece of equipment to test for your game. Buy a sleeve and do your own 6-6-6 test or side-by-side with your current brand. Based upon your swing speed, I’m confident one of these three balls will match or beat anything in your bag.

Find out more at srixon.com.

Tagmarshal Pace of Play Integrates to EZLinks Golf – the Industry’s Leading Tee Sheet Provider

(Las Vegas, NV) – Tagmarshal – the pace-of-play and revenue-optimizing system used by Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Whistling Straits, Erin Hills and other top golf courses – is now integrated to EZLinks Golf. The integration to the EZTee Pro tee sheet allows EZLinks clients working with Tagmarshal to seamlessly review and access pace analytics and player data.

The programmatic integration of Tagmarshal to the EZTee Pro tee sheet allows mutual customers like Billy Casper Golf and Crystal Springs Resort to offer more personalized services. For example, routinely fast players, determined by Tagmarshal tracking, can be rewarded with incentives. Pace profiles are automatically accessible to course managers upon tee time reservation and at check-in, allowing for proactive service.

“We empower our partners to achieve business goals around course flow and player management,” says Craig Kleu, Chief Operating Officer of Tagmarshal. “Tying our system into club technology creates further efficiencies and ROI value.”

EZLinks is the latest integration for the rapidly expanding Tagmarshal. Last month, Golf Weather started sharing forecast readings for robust pace-of-play measurement based on rain and daylight hours. Tagmarshal also works with other tee-sheet and booking providers.

“EZLinks regularly invests in integrations to bring additional value and insights to our clients,” says Gary Cohen, CEO of EZLinks Golf, a PGA TOUR affiliated company. “Pace of play is an important issue to many golf courses and the Tagmarshal software helps clients to tackle this issue with innovative insights and reward solutions.”

Utilized at premier golf destinations globally, including three of Golf Digest’s Top-10 U.S. courses, Tagmarshal’s unobtrusive GPS tags track walking and cart rounds. Course operators streamline pace to deliver more consistent round times, add tee time capacity and generate incremental revenue.

A recent USGA survey shows 74% of golfers believe pace is “critical” to their enjoyment of rounds. Fittingly, the Tagmarshal solution improves average round times, reduces slow play and enables courses to optimize revenue opportunities. Superintendents use Tagmarshal to better manage pin placements and hole set ups which lead to less golfer stress, better scores and repeat play.

More information: ezlinksgolf.com and tagmarshal.com.

Arizona State Wins Record Eighth NCAA Division I Women’s Golf National Championship

(SUGAR GROVE, Ill.) – Arizona State defeated Northwestern, 3-1-1, on Wednesday afternoon to claim the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf National Championship at Rich Harvest Farms. The title is the eighth for the Sun Devils in school history, their first since 2009 and an NCAA record.

“Wow … we're all floating on cloud nine,” said Arizona State head coach Missy Farr-Kaye. “We keep saying, is this real, is this real, and it is. This is a grueling championship now with the format, and it's an exciting format, but you have to be ready to play a lot of golf.

“We took it one day at a time, we didn't get ahead of ourselves. We didn't worry about the future. We were working hard about staying in the present and enjoying the moment, and that's where -- that's where we are, so we're going to enjoy this moment.”

In the first match of the day, Arizona State’s Olivia Mehaffey won the first three holes against Sarah Cho of Northwestern. Mehaffey would build a lead as large as five before finishing with a 4 & 3 victory. Mehaffey went a perfect 3-0 in match play over the last two days.

The Sun Devils put their second point on the board as Roberta Liti posted a 5 & 4 win over Janet Mao. Liti led by one as they made the turn before winning four straight holes on the back nine to bring Arizona State within a point of the national championship.

Northwestern’s Kacie Komoto gave the Wildcats a point as she defeated Sophia Zeeb, 3 & 1, with a par to win the 17th hole.

On the 15th, Linnea Strom clinched the title for Arizona State. After seeing her lead cut to one on the 11th hole, Strom won four consecutive holes to defeat Stephanie Lau and give the Sun Devils their eighth national title.

Individual national champion Monica Vaughn was beginning a 19th hole in her match against Hannah Kim when Strom clinched the match. Vaughn becomes the first player since Annie Park (Southern California) in 2013 to win both the individual and team national championship; she is the third player in Arizona State history to complete that double, joining Emilee Klein in 1994 and Kristel Mourgue d’Algue in 1995.

“It's an incredible week,” said Vaughn. “Everyone keeps saying that they can't believe it, but I can totally believe it. We thought it all year, we believed in it every single day all year long, and we accomplished it. To be an individual winner and to win as a team is just incredible. The team win for me is a really special thing, more special than my individual win.”

In the morning semifinals, both Arizona State and Northwestern completed comebacks, 3-2, to advance to the afternoon finals.

The Sun Devils, who trailed 2-1 to Stanford entering this morning’s resumption of play, rallied behind extra-hole victories from Vaughn and Strom. On her first hole of the morning, Vaughn chipped her third shot to within a tap-in birdie to win the 18th and force extra holes. On the first extra hole, Vaughn’s par gave Arizona State the point to even the match, 2-2. In the deciding group, Strom also needed a 19th hole to earn the third, and deciding, point for the Sun Devils.

In the second semifinal, Northwestern came into the day trailing in four of the five pairings, with no points having yet been decided. Sarah Cho put a point on the board for the Wildcats with a 2 & 1 victory and Hannah Kim turned around her match to win 2 & 1, giving Northwestern a 2-0 lead. Southern California’s Tiffany Chan put a point on the board for the Trojans with a 2 & 1 victory in the fifth match out. The remaining two matches both needed a 19th hole to produce winner; Muni He evened the match with a victory for Southern California before Janet Mao clinched the match for Northwestern with a with a 19th hole par.

With today’s conclusion of the NCAA Division I Women’s Championship, Rich Harvest Farms will host the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship, beginning on Thursday, May 25, with the practice round. Competition will get underway on Friday with all 30 teams and six individuals competing in the first of four rounds of stroke play.

Senior PGA Champion Rocco Mediate to Defend Title Playing Innovative Vertical Groove Driver

Mediate Paired with 2-Time Major Champion, and 2017 Insperity Invitational Winner, John Daly, in First Two Rounds of 2017 Sr. PGA Championship

(Boston, MA) - 2016 Senior PGA Champion, Rocco Mediate, will defend his title this week playing the innovative Vertical Groove Driver, while playing alongside fellow Vertical Groove Golf ambassador, and 2017 Insperity Invitational Champion, John Daly, in the first two rounds of the 2017 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. The oldest and most prestigious major championship in senior golf tees off Thursday, May 25th at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, just outside the nation’s capital.

Mediate, along with Daly, an acclaimed long driver and two-time Major Champion, have been using the Vertical Groove Driver exclusively during tournament play in 2017, with Daly winning the Insperity Invitational on May 7th, and Mediate enjoying an amazing 90% accuracy off the tee during the event.  In fact, the Vertical Groove Driver enters the 2017 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship as one of the hottest clubs on the PGA TOUR Champions, with a stable of high profile players using the driver in competition this week.

“We could not be more pleased with the success and positive driving stats both John and Rocco have enjoyed playing the Vertical Groove Driver on the PGA TOUR Champions this season,” said Jeff Barry, CEO, Vertical Groove Golf. “To have Daly capture his first win in 13 years using our driver speaks volumes about the performance attributes of this product. Now, having both John and Rocco play together in the first two rounds of a prestigious major championship, especially as Rocco defends his title, is going to be great for Vertical Groove Golf.”

The Vertical Groove Driver, which conforms to the Rules of Golf, is designed to reduce spin at impact, forcing tighter dispersion and leading to, on average, up to 40% straighter ball flight and up to 10 yards further in driving distance.

Barry adds, “The Vertical Groove Driver is still in its launch phase, but the traction we have gained so quickly on the professional level is really helping us showcase the distance and accuracy attributes of vertical groove technology, and golfers everywhere are taking notice.”

The 450cc Vertical Groove Driver, which is available in both right and left handed models, is offered in 8, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts (right), and 9.5 and 10.5 degree lofts (left), while featuring a full range of Aldila premium grade, tour-proven aftermarket NV2K series shafts as standard.  The available flexes include: 45 gram L (Ladies), 50 gram A (Senior), 55 gram R (Regular), 65 gram S (Stiff) and 65 gram X (Extra-stiff).

At a length of 45.5 inches, the Vertical Groove Driver provides an optimum launch angle while maximizing carry distance and ball speed for many players. It is equipped with Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips in standard, midsize and oversize models.  Alternative shaft options from Fujikura, Mitsubishi and Aldila will also be available. Suggested retail price of the Vertical Groove Driver is $399.99.

More information on the Vertical Groove Driver is available at www.vertgolf.com or via social media profiles on Facebook and YouTube at Vertical Groove Golf, and @vertgolf on Twitter.

Resort Course At La Cantera Resort & Spa Undergoing Extensive Renovation

(San Antonio, Texas) – The Resort Course at La Cantera Resort & Spa has closed for extensive renovations.  Located just north of San Antonio, Texas, La Cantera Resort & Spa features two championship 18-hole golf courses, the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish-designed Resort Course and the Arnold Palmer-designed Palmer Course.

The renovation will include new green complexes, tee complexes and bunkers. Tee boxes are being leveled and enlarged to gain additional tee space, while greens are returning to original sizes and will be resurfaced with TifEagle grass.  Green contours also will change to match the increased green speeds.

The total number of bunkers will be reduced and locations changed to better define the direction of holes and accommodate the advancements in golf equipment and distance.  Bunkers will be regraded, reshaped and rebuilt incorporating a technically advanced drainage and liner system.  Finally, white sand will be used to create a more appealing aesthetic.

“The Resort Course opened in 1995 and has consistently been rated one of the top courses in Texas ever since,” said Steve Shields, PGA, director of golf. “This renovation strikes a good balance between playing strategy, course aesthetics and environment. Once complete, golfers will experience the game with the challenges they've come to expect and the same spectacular views of the Texas Hill Country and San Antonio skyline.  It will feel as though their playing a brand new course"

While the course is closed, crews will trim trees and lift tree canopies, repair cart paths and renovate course restrooms. Off course, the Resort Golf Shop will be updated, while the Resort Grille and Snack Shop will also be refurbished.  Additionally, the practice range and tee area will be leveled and resurfaced.

Renovation projects are expected to be completed late October as the Resort Course is scheduled to reopen November 1.

An all-new adventure awaits, reserve online at www.destinationhotels.com/la-cantera-resort-and-spa or call (855) 499.2960.

For more information on Destination Hotels, visit www.destinationhotels.com.

For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.

Marriott Golf Tees-Off 2017 Hit the Green for HOPE Program

Second Annual Memorial Day Weekend Promotion Supports PGA REACH & Military Veterans Nationwide

(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Marriott Golf, one of the world’s premier golf operators, has again teamed up with PGA REACH - the charitable foundation of the PGA of America – for the 2nd annual Hit the Green for HOPE promotion, which supports PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) golf programming for United States military Veterans with disabilities.

Teeing off Memorial Day weekend (May 26-29), golfers have the opportunity to take part in the Hit the Green for HOPE promotion at 17 participating Marriott Golf properties nationwide. By donating $10, any player who hits the green with tee shot on a designated par-3 hole receives a certificate valid for a 30% discount on golf shop merchandise. Participants who miss the green still receive a certificate valid for a 15% discount. The certificates are valid through Dec. 31, 2017, at the golf shop of the participating property. All proceeds from the campaign will be used to support and enhance PGA HOPE programming.  

PGA HOPE is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the 501 (c)3 charitable foundation of the PGA of America. The HOPE program introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. Led by PGA Professionals, PGA HOPE has helped thousands of Veterans assimilate back into their communities through the social interaction the game of golf provides. All PGA HOPE programming is fully funded by PGA REACH and offered at NO COST for military Veterans.

“Marriott proudly supports PGA HOPE and efforts to give back to Veterans,” said Bill Nault, Vice President, Marriott Golf. “I’m thrilled that we contribute to their rehabilitation process, and as a PGA Professional it’s rewarding to see the immeasurable positive impact the game of golf has on so many Veterans.”

Participants of PGA HOPE programs include military Veterans living with physical or cognitive challenges such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and amputations, among other challenges.

“We commend Marriott Golf for their commitment to support PGA HOPE and help our nation’s heroes,” said Ryan Cannon, Senior Director, PGA REACH. “Providing an opportunity for Veterans to get active again, through the wonderful game of golf, has a positive impact on their rehabilitation process.”

Participating courses in the Hit the Green for HOPE campaign represent some of the country’s premier championship venues, including:
- Wildfire Golf Club, Phoenix, Ariz.
- Camelback Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Starr Pass Country Club, Tucson, Ariz.
- Desert Springs Golf Resort, Palm Desert, Calif.
- Shadow Ridge Golf Club, Palm Desert, Calif.
- Grande Vista Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.
- Hawk’s Landing Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.
- The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Grande Lakes, Orlando, Fla.
- The Rookery & Hammock Bay, Marco Island, Fla.
- Renaissance Vinoy Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- The Ritz-Carlton Members Club, Sarasota, Fla.
- Stone Mountain Golf Club, Stone Mountain, Ga.
- Griffin Gate Golf Club, Lexington, Ky.
- Toftrees Golf Club, State College, Pa.
- Gaylord Springs Golf Club, Nashville, Tenn.
- Cattails Golf Club, Kingsport, Tenn.
- Westfields Golf Club, Clifton, Va.

In addition to Memorial Day Weekend, the 2017 Hit the Green for HOPE campaign will also take place at various locations on Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. Several properties also offer unique versions of the program; golfers should call the golf shop at each property for details.

For more information on PGA HOPE, visit www.pgareach.org.

For more information, visit http://www.marriott.com/explore-and-plan/golf.mi.