The USGA staved off, well, no one by securing Oakland Hills for future majors and top amateur events. The latest announcement adds to previously announced U.S. Women’s Opens for the fabled South Course.
For Immediate Release for championships not immediately happening:
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (March 22, 2022) – Historic Oakland Hills Country Club, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has been selected as the host site for the 2034 and 2051 U.S. Open Championships as well as four additional prestigious USGA amateur championships, starting in 2024.
“We could not be happier to bring six additional championships to such an iconic venue as Oakland Hills,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. “Since its first U.S. Open in 1924, Oakland Hills has provided a supreme test for the game’s very best, and it will continue to do so for professionals and amateurs alike in the coming years.”
Adding to the two U.S. Opens and the two U.S. Women’s Opens in 2031 and 2042 announced in January, Oakland Hills’ South Course will host the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2038 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 2047 U.S. Amateur. The club is set to host a total of eight USGA championships between 2024 and 2051. It will become the fifth club to have hosted a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur, with Pebble Beach set to join those ranks when it hosts the U.S. Women’s Open in 2023.
The move of the biennial team matches to even number years implies the schedule impact of golf in the Olympics and a chance to help the World Amateur Team Championships apparently motivated the decision.
The announcement sets up matches in 2025 at Cypress Point and in 2026 at a UK venue to be determined, with previous announced U.S. venues Bandon Dunes and Oakmont moving up a year.
For Immediate Release from the R&A:
THE R&A AND THE USGA MOVE THE WALKER CUP MATCH TO EVEN YEARS BEGINNING IN 2026
21 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A and the USGA today announced that the Walker Cup match will be contested in even years from 2026 onwards.
Appearing on Gary Williams’ Five Clubs podcast, LIV Golf Commish Greg Norman was pressed by the host on the financing behind his 8-event schedule. Sitting in front of the Sydney opera house and minus his ears, Norman did make one bit of news while producing pathetic answers on funding front.
This was an odd line to me for a series of eight, come-as-you go events for independent contractors.
“There are contracts, but I’m not going to give out any names on that,” Norman said when pressed on commitments to the league. He later said that invitations would be going out “very shortly.”
I get it that you need contract for your likeness and stuff, but here’s guessing the fine print deals with more than that. As in, a lack of independence.
As for the Saudi stuff, get your “grow the game” nonsense ready. But do chuckle when the Shark notes how the Saudis deep history of support for the game dates to 2019.
I attribute the insane arrogance of the later Roman emperors almost entirely to the fact that, never having played golf, they never knew that strange chastening humility which is engendered by a topped chip-shot. If Cleopatra had been outed in the First Round of the Ladies’ Singles, we should have heard a lot less of her proud imperiousness. P.G. WODEHOUSE
I attribute the insane arrogance of the later Roman emperors almost entirely to the fact that, never having played golf, they never knew that strange chastening humility which is engendered by a topped chip-shot. If Cleopatra had been outed in the First Round of the Ladies’ Singles, we should have heard a lot less of her proud imperiousness. P.G. WODEHOUSE
I attribute the insane arrogance of the later Roman emperors almost entirely to the fact that, never having played golf, they never knew that strange chastening humility which is engendered by a topped chip-shot. If Cleopatra had been outed in the First Round of the Ladies’ Singles, we should have heard a lot less of her proud imperiousness. P.G. WODEHOUSE
Greg Norman and friends rolled out a schedule for eight events beginning in June offering big money and venues that scream “not quite good enough” for big time tournaments. The league does not yet have a television partner though in the era of streaming they have more options than a few years ago. The bigger issue will be attracting players after the last few weeks of bad news and inability of the Kingdom to stay out of the news.
“We had to react,’’ Norman said. “No question the PGA Tour’s reaction to where we were positioned at that time was very strong. They put down a tree in their road to put another obstacle in our way. But no matter what obstacle they put forth we work our way around it. And that’s why we are here today. It’s up to the players.
“We are going to give them opportunities to play where they want to play and choose. We are not going away. We are here for the long haul.’’
The LIV Golf Invitational (oh what a name!) 2022 schedule would allow a player to use their three waivers per season if allowed to play these without a full commitment (thanks to the wraparound schedule putting the first three events against the 2021-22 schedule and the last four against the 2022-23 schedule):
Lots and lots to chew on here for the next six months, but as I write at The Quadrilateral with exclusive comments from the R&A’s Chief Technology Officer Steve Otto, we may be on the cusp of reigning in the madness while opening new innovation doors for average players.
For Immediate Release from the R&A (the USGA also sent out the same release):
THE R&A AND USGA RELEASE UPDATED AREAS OF INTEREST AND RESEARCH TOPICS ON HITTING DISTANCE IN GOLF
16 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA: The R&A and USGA today released updated areas of interest and research topics on hitting distance in golf.
Here’s the letter Greg Norman and LIV Golf Investments sent to a number of PGA Tour players today.
“You should know that we are launching….we will not stop.” pic.twitter.com/wy2UrQKP3I
Sounding a tad humbled but as ageist and delusional as ever, Greg Norman is branding his Saudi Arabia-backed concept as a “start-up” with March 16 plans to unveil a schedule.
Oh that Shark is such an incubator!
SI.com’s Bob Harig was the first to report on Norman’s letter here.
GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rapaport Tweeted the letter (above) sent to some players preparing them for news of a schedule encouraging them to play both the LIV league and the PGA Tour. This move was telegraphed by Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch as an attempt to eventually take the PGA Tour to court for blocking releases.
Bob Harig at SI.com has details of the World Golf Group/Premier Golf League’s latest pitch to get a meeting with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour Policy Board.
Set aside the silliness of the current 200 PGA Tour players getting $2 million each for being in the right place at the right time (Thanks Tiger!), and consider the specifics.
World Golf Group states it believes the PGL will generate $10 billion of equity value by 2030, which would equate to $20 million per PGA Tour voting member and $3 million per Korn Ferry member.
In addition, the proposal includes a cash advance on future equity value of $460 million. In simple terms, each of 200 voting members of the PGA Tour would receive $2 million upon the launch of the PGL, with 200 Korn Ferry members each getting $300,000.
Andy Gardiner, the CEO of the Premier Golf League, who was recently at the Players Championship, declined to comment.
Long rumored, totally uncertain and now official…
Henrik Stenson has been named as the European Captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy from September 25 – October 1, 2023.
The 2016 Open Champion has enjoyed an impressive Ryder Cup career, helping Europe to victory in three of five of his appearances as a player before going on to bring his experience to the role of Vice Captain in the 2020 edition of the biennial contest.
The 45 year old becomes the first Swede to be named European Captain and will be aiming to emulate the memorable European performance in the last home match at Le Golf National in Paris, France in 2018, and reclaim the Ryder Cup following victory for the United States at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, last September.
As a player, Stenson made his Ryder Cup debut for Europe at The K Club, in Ireland, in 2006, when he secured the winning point in a dominant 18½ – 9½ victory. He was also a member of the victorious teams in 2014 at Gleneagles, Scotland, and 2018 at Le Golf National, in France, as well as being part of the European Teams in both 2008 and 2016.
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