Geoff Ogilvy and Mike Clayton noticed a necessity for golf to renew in Australia amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It become greater than he imagined, a match that’s extra about alternative than cash, alongside with showcasing Melbourne’s fabled courses within the sandbelt area.
The Sandbelt Invitational, now in its third yr, has the look of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, besides that it takes place over 4 courses, not three.
The amateurs aren’t the properly-heeled from the company and leisure world, however fairly juniors. The area is split as evenly as attainable amongst males and ladies, pros and amateurs.
“Getting four sandbelt clubs in Melbourne over five days, that’s a bit of a puzzle to put together,” Ogilvy stated. “It’s not the easiest tournament to organize. But it’s worth it.”
This yr’s match, run by the Geoff Ogilvy Foundation, is Dec. 14-17 at Victoria, Peninsula Kingwood, Yarra Yarra and the East course at Royal Melbourne.
Cam Davis, who’s No. 42 on this planet rating, is the defending champion within the males’s skilled division. Ogilvy stated all the highest Australians are invited, and the hope is extra of them will present up in time to assist construct momentum.
In an period when golf appears to revolve round cash, that is extra about putting on a present in one of many nice golf areas on this planet and displaying the best way for juniors.
That stems from a query Ogilvy, a former U.S. Open champion who grew up at Victoria, used to get: How might the junior golf expertise have been even higher?
“We didn’t get to play with the pros very often,” Ogilvy stated. “When we did, it was powerful. There was something about playing with someone who had been a pro for 30 years. They carry themselves differently. It’s something that’s not really built into amateur golf, or any sport. Like, you can’t have it in NFL. But you can in golf. You can get any level together.
“We want these kids to play the best courses in Melbourne — some of the best in Australia — set up for tournaments with experienced pros,” he stated. “This ticked a few boxes.”
The Melbourne sandbelt is so named for the sandy loam subsoil on which eight of Australia’s most interesting courses had been constructed, together with all 4 on this yr’s rotation. Others embody Kingston Heath, the place Tiger Woods received the Australian Masters in 2009 and the place the 2028 Presidents Cup can be performed, and Metropolitan, web site of the 2001 Match Play Championship.
Corporate assist is just not as robust as tournaments with a deeper historical past, and the match operates on a good funds.
“Raising money isn’t that easy,” Ogilvy stated. “We’re quite happy to stay low budget and provide an opportunity because it’s a cool idea. We’re not chasing money that hard.”
His hope for the Sandbelt Invitational is to finally get greater sponsorship, and maybe scale back the rotation to a few courses to make it simpler to arrange. Such is the pleasure amongst sandbelt courses that every one needs to supply the purest situations attainable.
“We’re going to let it evolve,” Ogilvy stated. “It would be nice if we could get Australia’s best players to come down and play. It could become powerful.”
The excessive-pitched brogue had develop into as a lot part of the British Open as pot bunkers and the claret jug. “This is Game No. 10. Now on the tee from USA, Tiger Woods,” the inflection at all times on the primary syllable.
That was the voice of Ivor Robson for 41 years. The R&A introduced Tuesday that Robson has died at age 83.
Robson was the official starter from 1975 till his remaining look in 2015 at St. Andrews. He additionally labored huge occasions on the European tour however was greatest recognized at golf’s oldest championship. He by no means left the rostrum from 6:30 a.m. till the ultimate group teed off slightly after 4 p.m.
So well-liked was Robson with European gamers they made a video in 2015 attempting to imitate how he introduced gamers.
Stephen Cox, a PGA Tour guidelines official, performed a task within the Ryder Cup with out even figuring out it.
Ludvig Aberg had simply completed his senior yr at Texas Tech because the No. 1 participant in PGA Tour University, giving him a tour card. He stated on the “Golf Subpar” podcast that he went to PGA Tour headquarters for a rookie orientation.
“There was a rules official and he told me: ‘It might be a good idea to apply for an affiliate membership with the European tour. If you do that, you’ll be eligible for the Ryder Cup team,’” Aberg stated.
He thought that was a stretch, perhaps one thing that may occur in two years, not three months.
“That was the first time we had conversations about it,” he stated. “It was quite cool that it ended up the way it did.”
That guidelines official on the orientation was Cox, who remembers chatting with Aberg however didn’t recall the Ryder Cup dialog till somebody on the tour despatched him a clip of the podcast.
“He was a super nice guy,” Cox stated. “I can’t even remember getting into detail with eligibility and the Ryder Cup. Whatever it was, it must have resonated with him. The rest is history.”
Aberg received the European Masters and was introduced as a captain’s decide the subsequent day. And in Rome, he expertly teamed with Viktor Hovland to win two foursomes matches, together with a file 9-and-7 win over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
For the likes of former U.S. Amateur champion James Piot and Chase Koepka, the youthful brother of PGA champion Brooks Koepka, their future in match golf is at a crossroads.
They had been amongst 4 gamers who completed forty fifth or worse within the 48-man standings, that means their solely means again to the profitable, Saudi-funded LIV Golf League is thru a promotions match. A date and location haven’t been introduced.
According to present PGA Tour coverage regarded unauthorized occasions (corresponding to LIV), gamers are ineligible to compete in any PGA Tour-sanctioned event for one yr after their remaining spherical of the unauthorized event.
That could be Oct. 15, 2024, which might make them ineligible for Q-college till 2025 (prequalifying started in September this yr).
They might play the Asian Tour, which has had an infusion of LIV money and is a viable possibility, if not higher contemplating the prize cash.
Either means, the final two years weren’t a complete loss.
Piot had simply over $3.9 million in earnings over the past two seasons. Koepka made simply over $6.2 million. The different two who bought relegated had been Jed Morgan ($3.3 million) and Sihwan Kim ($4 million).
Players with 300 profession cuts on the PGA Tour are eligible for a one-time exemption in the event that they don’t qualify for a high 25 or high 50 profession cash exemption. The coverage requires that most often they play not less than 15 occasions the earlier yr. They could be ranked under the Q-college graduates within the precedence checklist. … Tom Kim is the fourth-youngest participant to have three PGA Tour victories at 21 years, 3 months. The youngest could be Gene Sarazen at 20 years, 5 months. Two of The Squire’s wins had been the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. … Steven Alker of New Zealand (International), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Europe) and Jerry Kelly have been added to the rosters of the inaugural World Champions Cup on Dec. 7-10 at The Concession in Bradenton, Florida. … Takumi Kanaya leads Keita Nakajima by about $8,000 on the Japan Golf Tour cash checklist. Both are enjoying within the Zozo Championship. Kanaya is No. 125 on this planet rating, whereas Nakajima is at No. 126.
Joaquin Niemann made simply over $4 million this yr in LIV Golf with out ever ending within the high three in 13 tournaments.
“I’ve always felt that I was good enough to be a professional golfer and play against the best in the world. Now to be here to — I think — consider myself one of the best in the world, it’s what I’ve been dreaming about since I was 9 years old.” — Talor Gooch after successful the LIV Golf factors race.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
