Current PGA leaders and player of the year honorees help raise profile of golf at world-class luxury beach resorts in Mexico
(NUEVO VALLARTA, MEXICO) – Grupo Vidanta announced the creation of the Vidanta Golf team, a collection of eight PGA touring professional golfers who will be sponsored by Vidanta resorts. Members of the Vidanta Golf team will represent Vidanta at all public appearances this year and will wear apparel items with the Vidanta logo. The announcement is a culmination of the assent of Mexico golf onto the world stage.
The new golf team is the crown jewel of the Vidanta Golf program, allowing guests of Vidanta resorts up close and personal interaction with some of their favorite golfers. The Vidanta Golf team will be available for clinics throughout the year, as well as other events including cocktail parties, mixers and more. The players will frequently visit the five Vidanta Golf courses, offering guests a unique opportunity to meet their favorite golfers, socialize and exchange stories.
No longer the best kept secret in the world for golf, the recent increased attention of Mexican golf courses has attracted players from North America and around the world. Situated perfectly on spectacular beach resorts along the shimmering coasts of Mexico, courses include three by Nicklaus Design, perfect for competitive and leisure golfers alike. Vidanta Golf will also soon debut the newly designed Greg Norman golf course in Nuevo Vallarta.
The team is comprised of members that represent the same determination and commitment to excellence as Vidanta and include:
Carlos Ortiz
Ortiz played college golf at the University of North Texas. Ortiz turned professional in 2013 and joined the Web.com Tour in 2014. He won the fourth event of the year, the Panama Claro Championship and again at the El Bosque Mexico Championship three weeks later. His third win at the WinCo Foods Portland Open earned him fully exempt status on the 2014−15 PGA Tour and Web.com Tour Player of the Year.
Steve Wheatcroft
Wheatcroft attended Indiana University. He turned professional in 2001 and has played in several tours over the years. His first victory came at the Pennsylvania Open Championship in 2003, and, in 2009, he recorded six top-10s and two top-25s before the end of the Nationwide Tour season. He qualified for the 2010 U.S. Open and continued to play well through the 2011 season, with three more top-10s and four top-25 finishes. He returned to the PGA Tour in 2102.
Jerry Kelly
Kelly graduated from the University of Hartford in 1989 and turned professional later that year. He didn't make it onto the PGA Tour until 1996. His best career year to date is 2002, when he finished fourth on the PGA Tour money list and won the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii and the Advil Western Open. Kelly won the 2009 Zurich Classic of New Orleans and finished 2012 as the 25th highest-earning PGA Tour golfer in history. Kelly played the 2013 season using a career money list exemption.
Charlie Beljan
Belgian won the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2006 Arizona Amateur. Beljan played college golf at the University of New Mexico, where he won three times and was an All-American. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2012 and won the 2012 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Beljan finished 63rd on the PGA money list.
Ken Duke
Duke played his college golf at Division II Henderson State University. Duke led the Reddies to four straight Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference titles and was a four-time AIC Golfer of the Year. In 1992, he earned NAIA All-American honors. Ken turned professional in 1994. Duke finished in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 2007 and won the 2013 Travelers Championship.
Byron Smith
Smith attended Pepperdine University. He turned professional in 2001 and, until 2009, played on the Canadian Tour, where he won three times, recorded five top-10 finishes, and won the Order of Merit title. He has also played on the Hooters Tour, where he finished in the top-10 of the money list. He finished 42nd in the Web.com Tour Finals to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season.
Greg Owen
Greg turned professional in 1992 and gained his European Tour card in 1997. He finished in the top 100 of the Order of Merit every year from 1998 to 2004 and won for the first time on tour at the 2003 Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters. Since 2005, Owen has played mainly in the United States, being a full member of the PGA Tour in 2005–07, 2009–10 and 2012. Owen has been featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Ted Potter Jr
Potter turned pro at the age of 19. Potter was the 2006 and 2009 NGA Hooters Tour Player of the Year. He made his PGA Tour debut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2012, where he finished in a tie for 13th. He achieved his first PGA win at the Greenbrier Classic on July 8 of that year. The win vaulted him to 51st in FedEx Cup point standings and an 83rd world ranking.
“We are immensely proud of the team we have assembled,” says Jesús Torres, Director of Vidanta Golf. “We could not have chosen a team more committed to the game of golf, or whose values and standards more consistently align with those of the Vidanta family.”
More information: www.vidantagolf.com.
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